Build your Zuma Beach Triathlon plan
Your coach opens with the Zuma Beach Triathlon set for September (an estimate until the date is announced), asks about your week and your fitness, then writes every session of your sprint triathlon plan. Free, and you can start as a guest. About 46 weeks to go.
Start your Zuma Beach Triathlon plan- Formats
- Zuma Distance, Olympic
- Terrain
- Flat
- Field
- Olympic Distance limited to 500 athletes
Zuma Beach Triathlon distances
- Zuma Distance 0.5 mi swim, 16 mi bike, 4 mi run
- Olympic 0.9 mi swim, 24.9 mi bike, 6.2 mi run
Course
The Zuma Beach Triathlon course
Formerly the Malibu Triathlon, the race now runs as the Zuma Beach Triathlon from Zuma Beach in Malibu. The swim is a rectangular ocean course with a beach start, swum clockwise under LA County Lifeguard watch: half a mile for the Zuma Distance and 1.5 km (about 0.9 mile) for the Olympic.
Read the full course notes
The bike is on Pacific Coast Highway fully closed to traffic, 16 miles for the Zuma Distance on a flat, fast route introduced in 2025 that uses long stretches of PCH and avoids the old flood-prone section. The run is a flat out-and-back along the coast to the cliffs of Point Dume and back: 4 miles for the Zuma Distance and 10 km (6.2 miles) for the Olympic.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Formats
- Zuma Distance, Olympic
- Field
- Olympic Distance limited to 500 athletes
- Race-day conditions
- The organizer says the water at Zuma is usually 65–69 °F in September. USA Triathlon rules allow age-group wetsuits up to 78 °F, and while they are not required, most athletes race in one. Expect a cool coastal start and surf at the beach entry and exit, then a mild morning for the bike and run.
What to train for
The ocean swim is the part to prepare for: practice beach entries and exits, ducking under small waves and sighting on buoys in swell, ideally in your wetsuit.
The flat, closed PCH ride rewards steady aero effort, so do 16 to 25 mile rides at race intensity on flat roads.
Practice fast transitions and run straight off the bike at goal pace, because a flat 4-mile or 10K run is over quickly.
Sample week
A sample Zuma Beach Triathlon 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, 30 min: drills and technique
- Tuesday Key session
- Bike, 45 min with threshold intervals
- Wednesday
- Swim, 30 min: steady intervals at race effort
- Easy run, 30 min
- Thursday Key session
- Run, 30 min with tempo segments
- Friday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Saturday Key session
- Long ride, 1 h, then a 15 min run off the bike
- Sunday
- Long run, 45 min easy
Taper
Tapering for the Zuma Beach Triathlon
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 sprint triathlon season for the Zuma Beach Triathlon in September. I train about [hours] hours a week, [days] days a week.
Zuma Beach Triathlon training questions
How long should I train for the Zuma Beach Triathlon?
Most athletes give a sprint triathlon eight to twelve 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 Zuma Beach Triathlon course like?
Flat. Formerly the Malibu Triathlon, the race now runs as the Zuma Beach Triathlon from Zuma Beach in Malibu.
How cold is the water at the Zuma Beach Triathlon?
The organizer says the water at Zuma is usually 65–69 °F in September. USA Triathlon rules allow age-group wetsuits up to 78 °F, and while they are not required, most athletes race in one. Expect a cool coastal start and surf at the beach entry and exit, then a mild morning for the bike and run.
When should I start tapering for the Zuma Beach Triathlon?
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 Zuma Beach Triathlon training plan?
Start as a guest and save a free account later. Your coach writes your sprint triathlon plan and adapts it every week as you log your training. No card.