Build your Chula Vista Challenge plan
Your coach opens with the Chula Vista Challenge set for August (an estimate until the date is announced), asks about your week and your fitness, then writes every session of your Olympic-distance triathlon plan. Free, and you can start as a guest. About 42 weeks to go.
Start your Chula Vista Challenge plan- Formats
- International, Sprint, Sprint Duathlon, Sprint Aquabike
- Terrain
- Flat
Chula Vista Challenge distances
- International 0.6 mi swim, 23.6 mi bike, 6.2 mi run
- Sprint 0.3 mi swim, 11.8 mi bike, 3.1 mi run
- Sprint Duathlon 15.9 mi
- Sprint Aquabike 12.1 mi
Course
The Chula Vista Challenge course
The CVC San Diego Triathlon (the Chula Vista Challenge) is held at Bayside Park on the Chula Vista bayfront, about 10 miles south of downtown San Diego, with start, transition and finish in one park and views of the Coronado Bay Bridge and the city skyline. The swim is in the calm water of San Diego Bay, with an in-water start along the beach toward the pier: 1,000 m for the International and 500 m for the Sprint.
Read the full course notes
The bike is a closed, multi-lap course (38 km for the International and 19 km for the Sprint in 2026), and the run follows the walking and bike paths along the bay shoreline, 10 km or 5 km. The organiser promises no hills, and the whole day is genuinely flat and fast. It is event #2 of the San Diego Triathlon Series and part of its Triple Crown, with relays, a sprint duathlon, aquabike and kids' races alongside.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Formats
- International, Sprint, Sprint Duathlon, Sprint Aquabike
- Race-day conditions
- Mid-August on the Chula Vista bayfront usually brings mornings around 65–72 °F, often under a marine layer that burns off to sunny highs in the upper 70s °F. San Diego Bay runs warm in summer: on race morning in 2026 the water was 82 °F, which under USA Triathlon rules means wetsuits are optional but wetsuit swimmers are not eligible for awards or series points (above 84 °F they are banned). Plan to race without a wetsuit and drink early on the bike, since the run finishes in full sun.
What to train for
On a flat, closed, multi-lap bike course, the skill that pays is holding a steady aero position and power for the whole ride: once a week, ride 3 x 10 to 15 minutes at threshold in your aero or drops position with no coasting.
Laps mean several tight turns, so practise braking late, cornering cleanly and sprinting back up to speed.
The flat bayside run rewards even pacing, so do brick runs that lock into 10K or 5K race pace within the first half mile. If the bay is warm, you may be swimming without a wetsuit, so do most of your open-water practice without one.
Sample week
A sample Chula Vista Challenge training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Swim, 45 min: drills and technique
- Tuesday Key session
- Bike, 1 h with threshold intervals
- Wednesday
- Swim, 45 min: steady intervals at race effort
- Easy run, 40 min
- Thursday Key session
- Run, 40 min with tempo segments
- Friday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Saturday Key session
- Long ride, 1 h 30 min, then a 20 min run off the bike
- Sunday
- Long run, 1 h easy
Taper
Tapering for the Chula Vista Challenge
Start the taper seven to ten days before race day. Trim the volume in all three sports, keep short race-pace efforts in each, and do one last short brick so running off the bike still feels familiar. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a Olympic-distance triathlon season for the CVC San Diego Triathlon in August. I train about [hours] hours a week, [days] days a week.
Chula Vista Challenge training questions
How long should I train for the Chula Vista Challenge?
Most athletes give a Olympic-distance triathlon twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The coach counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
What is the Chula Vista Challenge course like?
Flat. The CVC San Diego Triathlon (the Chula Vista Challenge) is held at Bayside Park on the Chula Vista bayfront, about 10 miles south of downtown San Diego, with start, transition and finish in one park and views of the Coronado Bay Bridge and the city skyline.
How cold is the water at the Chula Vista Challenge?
Mid-August on the Chula Vista bayfront usually brings mornings around 65–72 °F, often under a marine layer that burns off to sunny highs in the upper 70s °F. San Diego Bay runs warm in summer: on race morning in 2026 the water was 82 °F, which under USA Triathlon rules means wetsuits are optional but wetsuit swimmers are not eligible for awards or series points (above 84 °F they are banned). Plan to race without a wetsuit and drink early on the bike, since the run finishes in full sun.
When should I start tapering for the Chula Vista Challenge?
Start the taper seven to ten days before race day. Trim the volume in all three sports, keep short race-pace efforts in each, and do one last short brick so running off the bike still feels familiar. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week.
Do I need an account to get a Chula Vista Challenge training plan?
Start as a guest and save a free account later. Your coach writes your Olympic-distance triathlon plan and adapts it every week as you log your training. No card.