The CDC recommends Americans exercise at least 150 minutes per week, but for UO triathlete Liam Bielat, a typical week of training is 18 hours. 

“I don’t have rest days,” Bielat said. “My coach doesn’t really believe in them.”

Prior to joining UO’s triathlon team in 2023, Bielat had never done a triathlon. He has now completed two half Ironmans and is the practice director for the team as well as President of UO’s cycling team. 

“It really helps when you’re getting into triathlon to have a group to do it with who will encourage you and help you get stronger,” Bielat said. “Tackling it alone is so confusing and intimidating.”

Before he started triathlon, Bielat was primarily a cyclist, which he said isn’t traditional for most triathletes. “Most people come onto the tri team with running or swimming experience, so I’ve become the bike guy for the team,” he said.

His dad has completed two Ironmans and is a “big biker,” so Bielat grew up around the sport. He said there were always bikes laying around the house, but it wasn’t until the summer before his freshman year that he got serious about cycling.

Now, when he is training for a half Ironman, his preferred event, Bielat bikes up to 180 miles a week. During the rainy Eugene winters, Bielat braves the elements in his warmer cycling gear, but he said he also spends a lot of time on his indoor bike trainer to get in his mileage. “It’s pretty brain numbing, but it’s just what you have to do,” he said.

Juggling cycling with a full time class schedule, 25 miles of running and 14,000 yards in the pool a week, Bielat squeezes in workouts wherever he can — early morning swims, a run between classes or late nights on his bike trainer. Three of his weekly workouts are with the triathlon team, which, as practice director, he leads and plans, and he said this schedule can be a lot to balance.

 “You’ve got to make a lot of compromises,” Bielat said. “It’s bad, but sometimes I’ll push back homework to get my training in.”

With all the hours Bielat puts into training, he said it’s been extremely helpful to have a team to do his workouts with. He doesn’t have a whole lot of extra time to socialize, so he said by training with friends he’s killing two birds with one stone.

“Triathlon training by yourself is pretty brutal,” Bielat said. “If you go out for a three hour bike ride alone it’s just you and your thoughts, so it’s fun to have somebody to train with.”

Currently, Bielat is preparing for nationals with the triathlon team in March before he begins training for longer distance races in the summer and fall. Bielat said he is considering tackling a full Ironman in the fall, and that it’s a longtime goal of his to eventually qualify for the Ironman world championships in Kona, Hawaii. 

At Ironman 70.3 Washington Tri-Cities 2024, Bielat came in 17th out of 2,150 athletes. He said it’s been cool to get to the point in triathlon where he’s competing against the top athletes, but that practicing the sport at a competitive level has been expensive. 

“I’ve run through a lot of my savings for triathlon. It’s definitely not a budget friendly sport,” Bielat said. “There’s always another thing you can buy to get just a little faster, and if some dude beats you by 30 seconds you wonder if you could have beat him if you had just spent $500 more on your bike.”

While he intends to continue triathlon post grad, Bielat is unsure if he’s interested in going professional. For now, he’s focused on competing at the collegiate level and helping his teammates improve.

“It’s so fun for me to help my teammates and see them progress in the sport,” Bielat said. “You can only push yourself so hard, so that’s where me and the other captains come in and make you go a little bit harder. The team has motivated me to improve so it’s cool to give that motivation back to them.”