Denver triathlete Maira Carreau’s path from Quebec to college champion

Maira Carreau's journey into triathlon began as a child in Quebec, Canada, where local races first sparked her love for the sport.

Now a sophomore at Denver and mechanical engineering major, Carreau is an individual Division I national champion in triathlon — a title she hopes to defend at this weekend's 2024 Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championships in Clermont, Florida.

"I feel pretty good ... going there with the team is really what's keeping me going," she said, with Denver looking to improve on last season's fourth-place finish at nationals. "Most of all, I want to be proud of the performance that I put forward, no matter the outcome."

Triathlon, which joined the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program in 2014-15, has steadily grown in college athletics. In 2023-24, 37 schools sponsored varsity-level programs, with 40 schools reporting they planned to sponsor the sport in 2024-25. To achieve full NCAA championship status, the sport must surpass 40 schools sponsoring varsity programs and meet other minimum participation criteria.

Carreau's journey mirrors the growth of collegiate triathlon.

"It's crazy all the opportunities that I had thanks to the sport," she said.

Encouraged by her father, Carreau tried her first triathlon at just 6 years old. What began as a fun race turned into a commitment to sport, though not specifically triathlon.

"After that summer, my parents signed me up for swimming," she said. "My brother and I started swimming with a club."

As Carreau's talent blossomed, she discovered a love for combining swimming, cycling and running. By her teenage years, she was balancing competitive swimming and road cycling.

"When I was done with high school, I was like, 'I can't do this anymore. I need to find myself and concentrate on only one sport,'" she recalled thinking. "Triathlon is just a perfect compromise. I'm really happy I made that switch."

The decision to join Denver's triathlon program marked a new chapter in her journey, motivated by the opportunity to balance top-tier competition with rigorous academics. Carreau, then in a preuniversity educational program in Quebec, was commuting more than two hours a day to and from classes and training sessions. That grind, paired with a connection to a friend competing at Denver, led her to explore college programs in the U.S.

"I really wanted to continue my studies, and sport is super important, is a big part of me, but I'm also aware that there's life afterwards," Carreau said. "I was just trying to keep that balance." 

When she first visited Denver's campus, Carreau felt an immediate connection.

"It was funny. I'd never been here, but when I walked around campus, it felt like home," she said. "I knew it was where I wanted to spend the next four years."

At Denver, Carreau has flourished both academically and athletically. She maintains a demanding engineering schedule with the help of supportive professors and faculty.

"The whole faculty and everyone at the school are incredibly supportive," she said. "It's nice to know that you can be valued also academically and in your sport. They just create a great environment to grow." 

In her first year, Carreau achieved an incredible milestone, winning the Division I national championship in an event hosted by USA Triathlon — the sport's governing body. This made her Denver's first triathlete to capture an individual national title, cementing her status as a leader in college triathlon and an inspiration to her teammates.

"What I really love about (college) triathlon is the team aspect of things because I also race internationally and represent Canada but more individually. It really shifts the focus when you race before like a college race. You're there with your team. You know you've put in the work. What makes me really like the sport and being here with the team, it's all those little moments with everyone around you and the fact that everyone is uplifting you. The good energy brings everyone up, and that's something really special." 

Carreau is also dedicated to giving back to the sport. Each summer, she coaches youth athletes at her local cycling club, hoping to inspire the next generation.

"It's really important to me because I had amazing coaches. They really are the foundation of the person that I am today," she says. "It's important to me to give back and to show young athletes what sport can mean, how far it can take you. It's nice to know that I'm having a positive impact on the next generation."

Looking beyond college, Carreau has started competing at the international level in the elite U23 category — recently finishing 25th in the U23 World Championships in Spain. Moving forward, she has her sights set on even bigger stages.

"I just switched to the elite U23 category last year. So, I'm still getting experience in those bigger races. I'm aiming for a top 10. I've got a top 20 already and want to just step by step improve," she said. "If my progression goes as it's been going … the Olympics might be something that would be achievable." 

While the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles are a dream, Carreau balances her aspirations in triathlon with her academic and career goals, which include using her major to make a difference in preserving the environment. The dual athletic-academic opportunities that college sports in the U.S. offer are especially unique to international athletes and a primary reason she hopes to see triathlon continue to grow among NCAA schools. 

"I think it would be really big for the sport. Triathlon is a pretty small sport, really European based. It would be really good for development in North America to have that pathway to be able to develop throughout those most important years of your career," she said. "If you want to go somewhere in triathlon, sometimes it's hard. People do it throughout high school. It goes well. It's like kind of easy to manage. And then university comes, and you have to pick sports or school. The NCAA really brings the opportunity to be able to do both and do both in a really good way."