Commonwealth Games: Nervous Murphy not sure what to expect

With two Winter Olympic appearances under his belt, you might think the Commonwealth Games would be a breeze for multi-sport talent Tucker Murphy. 

But the cross-country skier and triathlete admits he still gets the jitters as he prepares for his first Commonwealth appearance in the men’s race tomorrow. “I’m nervous,” Murphy told the Bermuda Sun. “I have an idea in my head of how it’s going to play out: my swim is my weakest, so I’m going to come out behind in my swim and I’m going to have a lot of work to do.

“It’s going to be a fast race. If you just look at the people showing up, we have two guys there who have won at the Olympics. 

“It’s a strong field at the front, but it’s hard to say how it’s going to play out behind.”

The Rhodes Scholar is perhaps best known for his cross-country skiing after representing Bermuda at the 2010 and 2014 winter Olympics.

But he is able to use his endurance ability to switch over into triathlon come summer.

“The endurance transfers, so if you’re building up your aerobic capacity that’s all the same. 

“Your heart and your VO2 max, those are transferrable. It’s just how efficient you are at each of the events, that’s the thing that you have to train for.”

Murphy is still relatively new at representing Bermuda in international triathlons, and is still not sure exactly what to expect from the competition.

This will be his Commonwealth Games debut.

Into the unknown

“In terms of how I stack up against the world, I don’t really have an idea, but my expectation is always to push the limits, and go as far as I can go.”

The 32-year-old will be joined by Ironman Tyler Butterfield and Jonathan Herring in the Bermuda men’s triathlon team.

For Butterfield, so used to going it alone at ITU and Ironman events around he world, he’s looking forward to having some home company in the village.

He’s hoping that can inspire him to get the top-15 position he is chasing, while the 31-year-old is keen to assist the other two guys and help them keep a lid on any tension they may be feeling.

“There will be a good team spirit,” he told the Bermuda Sun, “and it’s special that Tucker and Jon will be in the same race.

“It’s fun because we’ll have the team atmosphere, which I’m not used to.

“Hopefully I can calm them down and help steady their nerves and vice versa.

“Jon is a better swimmer and Tucker is a better runner but you have to have your own race plan.”

Murphy was in Butterfield’s home town of Boulder, Colorado in the lead-up to Glasgow to get in some altitude training.

Butterfield also has the benefit of a recent third place at IRONMAN France to boost his confidence.

He has already admitted his priority remains the longer distance Kona Ironman World Championship in Hawai’i later this year and goes to Scotland in realistic mood.

“I’m comfortable in the sense that I realize I am going there and there will be people better than me,” he said. 

“I’m going up against guys [England’s Brownlee brothers] who won two medals in the Olympics – and they are on a whole other level.”