Tommy Fyffe was a member of the Emory cross country and track and field programs (2006-10), making his mark on both teams. In cross country he competed at the NCAA Championships and earned All-South/Southeast all four years. Tabbed as the University Athletic Association Rookie of the Year in 2006, he raced to all-conference honors on two occasions. In track, he was a two-time UAA champion in the indoor 5,000 meters and also established a school record in the steeplechase. All totaled, he landed five all-league certificates in indoor and outdoor track during his Eagle career.
Q: What is your occupation and where do you reside?
TF: I’ve worked for Barclays in their Investment Banking team since I graduated Emory. I spent 8 years in NYC working for their US team and then in 2017 an opportunity came up to move to London and work with their European team. I’ve been living in London since then.
Q: Can you give an update on some of your experiences post-Emory to where you are now?
TF: Not too much to share on the job or education front, I’ve worked for Barclays since Emory. I lived in NY for 8 years and then moved to London, where I’ve lived since 2017. In terms of traveling, one of the biggest draws for me when I was deciding whether or not to move to London full-time was the opportunity to travel around Europe, Africa, Asia, etc., which was never took the opportunity to do in school. I haven’t seen nearly as much as I’ve wanted to so far, but have tried to travel around as regularly as possible with work and life and whatnot – I’ve spent some time in France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Morocco, Ireland, various parts of the UK, etc.
Q: What were the primary factors in you choosing Emory as your college?
TF: I majored in finance and accounting, although when I selected Emory I wasn't sure what I wanted to major in - I wanted to go to a top tier school and one with both a good business and science program (I was debating between the two), so Emory definitely fit the bill there.
But, the big deciding factor for me was the people on the track and cross country teams and the quality of those programs – I knew I wanted to run both in college and I clicked with everyone I met with on the team and it felt like a natural fit for me, so that pretty much sealed the deal for me
Also, I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio where the weather in winter is pretty horrible and unpredictable, so the warmer weather of Atlanta was definitely a nice perk and made Emory much more appealing than some of the other schools I was looking at further north.
Q: What are some of your reflections upon your time at Emory, both as a member of the cross country and track teams and as a student?
TF: I could write volumes here, I lived and breathed track and xc while at Emory and my experiences in those (alongside school as well) did a ton to shape who I am today and have helped me succeed on and off the track in school and after school
Q: Who are some of the people who influenced you during your time at Emory?
TF: There were tons of people at Emory who influenced me and help me achieve things I never thought I could. All the coaches were great and even the coaches that coached events I didn't do were inspiring and helped me excel. On multiple occasions (particular my sophomore year) my teammates pulled me back on my feet after a prolonged slump in performance and are definitely the reason I kept running after about
a year slump.
My coach, Carl Leivers, was a massively positive influence for me. He taught me pretty much everything I know about the science and strategy around training – he knew the right times to push and the right times to give me space to bring out the best in me – I wouldn't have been able to achieve the things I did without him.
Q: In cross country, you were all-region all four years, competed in four NCAA Championships and were 2x All-UAA. In track, you were two-time conference champ in the indoor 5,000 meters (setting the UAA record in that event) and set the school record in the steeplechase -- Did you favor one over the other?
TF: Track – there is no substitute for the team atmosphere when you’re in a very tight competition in a UAA champs meet – everyone knows that the meet will be won by only a few points and everyone is on their feel cheering for every single race and every single field event.
Q: What are some other cross country or track highlights that your remember while competing at Emory?
TF: There are too many to list, but the pinnacle was the 2009 indoor UAA champs meet – we won by 1pt, I won the 5K and came in 3rd in the 3K
Q: Running cross country, usually into mid to late November, and then transitioning to indoor and outdoor track, seems like you were constantly training and competing -- were the challenges you faced doing that mostly physical or mental as far as the grind?
TF: Not really, your body gets used to the mileage and strain of effort. It always stunk that the major races were towards the end of each semester, so I had to make decisions between studying more vs sleeping more, which never left me feeling great for late season races.
Q: How did you prepare yourself before major competitions?
TF: I’m a bit of a headcase when it comes to major competitions, so I learned early on at Emory to get into a routine for the 24 hours leading up to the race, that way I know what I need to do and when to do it and it helps to be able to focus on doing the routine instead of stressing about the race (once you get your spikes on and doing the last few warm up drills, it always gets pretty nerve racking and all you want is for the gun to go off and the race to start, because once you’re racing there’s no time to be nervous or stress). In terms of actual preparations the day of a big race – I’d visualize the race and my strategy, when I would try to break from the group, what pace I would try to hit, and of course I’d have my go-to playlists for keeping calm the a few hours before the race and then to pump me up right before the race.
Q: How you are surviving the pandemic and how has it affected you?
TF: Fortunately, I haven’t been impacted too much. I’ve worked from home since March and will probably work from home thru year end, but the lockdown in London wasn't as severe as in other European countries or certain US cities. Since I don't commute at the moment I’ve actually been able to use that time in the morning to run or workout or get more sleep, all of which have been a nice surprise.
Q: Do you still run competitively?
TF: Not anywhere close to the caliber of racing that I was doing at Emory, but I like racing more than I do just going out for a run, so every few months I’ll get the itch to train – sometimes that sticks and I’ll put together a few good months of training and then do a half or a full marathon, other times I’ll get busy with work and life and whatnot and it’ll fad back into being more of a hobby until the itch comes back.
I try to avoid racing the distances I did in school - not very inspiring to race a 5K full out and finish 4 minutes slower than any 5K race you ever ran in school -- haha
Q: Any interests/hobbies or things you do to relax when away from work?
TF: Running mostly, but also hiking, climbing, reading, etc. when I get the chance. I’m in the office all day so I’ll jump on any excuse to get outdoors
Q: Any former teammates that you are in contact with?
TF: Of course! I keep in contact with a bunch of the guys / girls. We’ll all doing different things in life now, but we stay in touch and whenever we’re together it’s like we were never apart
Q: Are you able to keep up with Emory cross country and track and field?
TF: Unfortunately, not as much as I’d like
Q: Is there anything that you take from being a student-athlete into your profession?
TF: Yea, absolutely. Being a student-athlete taught me a lot of useful skills and habits that I use every day. Time management, effective communication with teammates, developing a goal-oriented and ‘work hard until the job is done’ mentality, learning to make decisions and prioritize tasks, dedication, team work, etc. are all concepts that I do not think I would have developed as effectively without being
a student-athlete. Unless you own your own business and are the only employee being a good teammate and supporting your colleagues when the need help is a critical part of any working dynamic and there is no better place to develop that skill than on a team.
Q: Any advice you would give Emory students/future grads?
TF: I would just suggest that you make sure to enjoy and fully appreciate the friendships you make, the teammates you have, the relationships you develop and the business contacts you make while at Emory. Obviously work hard and do your best, but no matter where life takes you after school, at one point or another you’ll look back on the time spent at Emory and realize how important your friends, teammates, etc. were.
For me personally, it’s funny to look back on school 10 years ago and although I still run (somewhat) regularly, it’s not the races I’ve won or the records I’ve set that I look back most fondly on, it's the time spent with teammates and the comradery built between friends.
Tom Fyffe lives overseas in London where he works for Barclays.