It's a perfect day for postdoc Christoph Schran to cycle in the Castle York triathlon relay
Members of Professor Angelos Michaelides’ ICE research group took part in a triathlon event at Castle Howard in York on Sunday the 25th of July.
So far the group has raised over £750 for WaterAid, an international charity which is working to provide clean water and decent toilets to people all over the world, and it is still possible to donate on the group's Just Giving page.
Water is something that is dear to the hearts of the ICE group, because their research involves working towards a molecular-level understanding of water and ice. They hope through this research to gain insights to help develop innovative solutions to some of the world’s water problems.
Two teams of three members each took part in the triathlon relay, which was organised by British Triathlon as part of a series of castle-based triathlon events around the UK and Europe. The teams competed in the Olympic-length course consisting of a 1.5km swim, 45km cycle and 10km run, with each team member completing one leg.
Postdoctoral researcher Dr Christoph Schran cycled in his first ever triathlon with two PhD students from the ICE group, runner Fabian Thiemann and swimmer Michael Davies (although Christoph reveals that because Michael was recovering from Covid Fabian also did the swim!). The team, who called themselves The Third Wheels “because we expected not to beat the other team,” finished in a very respectable eighth place.
Meanwhile The Ice Breakers, consisting of Angelos, former ICE member Gabriele Sosso and his experimental collaborator Andrew Marsh (both at the University of Warwick), were delighted to place third, earning medals and a place on the podium.
Regular participation in similar events is part of the ICE group’s ethos, although before the pandemic it was much easier for members to attend group workshops and support events as competitors or spectators. Although Covid made things more difficult this year, Christoph says the group held a ‘virtual triathlon’ in February, where everybody who wanted to participate could compete virtually by reporting on their training and posting their best times. “It was quite exciting actually,” says Christoph. “It was not only fun, but it helped a lot during the lockdown to have something to train for. It also helps you to get to know other group members and have things other than science to talk about.”
It certainly helped Christoph, who joined ICE just before the pandemic hit, because Covid restrictions meant group members were forced to work remotely. Christoph is developing machine learning methodology which he hopes will enable modelling of aqueous systems at previously unreachable accuracy, in order to provide reliable structural and dynamical insights into the aqueous phase. Luckily the theoretical nature of his research enabled him to work remotely, and Christoph has since been able to return to Cambridge.
The Third Wheels are already plotting their revenge for the next competition. “We have a PhD student in our group who is a really good runner and we hope we can convince her to come next time so we can beat Angelos’ team,” says Christoph.
Above left: Angelos Michaelides heads towards the finish line.
Below: The Third Wheels (top), the Ice Breakers (middle), the Ice Breakers celebrate on the podium.
