Build your Tri CLE plan
Your coach opens with the Tri CLE set for August 15, 2027, 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 Tri CLE plan- Formats
- Olympic, Sprint, Super Sprint
- Sport
- Triathlon
- Taper starts
- August 6, 2027
Tri CLE distances
- Olympic 0.9 mi swim, 22.2 mi bike, 6.2 mi run
- Sprint 0.5 mi swim, 12.1 mi bike, 3.1 mi run
- Super Sprint 0.2 mi swim, 6.8 mi bike, 1.9 mi run
Course
The Tri CLE course
Everything centers on Edgewater Park on Cleveland's west side, with one transition in the park and a land start from Edgewater Beach into Lake Erie. The swim is marked with buoys and supported by a water safety team: 1,640 yards for the Olympic, 820 yards for the Sprint and 273 yards for the Super Sprint.
Read the full course notes
The bike runs on Memorial Shoreway, closed to traffic for the race, with views of the downtown skyline: 22.2 miles for the Olympic, 12.1 miles for the Sprint and 6.8 miles for the Super Sprint. The run follows the multipurpose paths of Edgewater Park and the Edgewater neighborhood (6.2 miles, 3.1 miles or about 1.9 miles) and finishes in the festival area. The Olympic wave starts at 6:30 a.m., and the course closes at noon.
- Formats
- Olympic, Sprint, Super Sprint
- Race-day conditions
- Mid-August in Cleveland is warm, with average highs near 80 °F and lows near 66 °F, and roughly a third of days feel muggy. Lake Erie sits around 73 °F in August, and under race rules wetsuits are allowed up to 78 °F, while from 78.1 °F to 83.9 °F they are optional but not eligible for age-group awards. Winds average around 8 mph, mostly from the west, which can add a little chop on the lake. The early start keeps you ahead of the afternoon heat, but hydrate well on the bike for the run along the water.
What to train for
A beach start means running into the water and sighting on buoys, so get a few open-water swims in before August and practice sighting every 6 to 8 strokes.
The Shoreway is an open, fast highway ride, so build steady efforts of 20 to 40 minutes in an aero position at race pace.
Add a weekly brick of a 45-minute ride straight into a 15 to 20 minute run, since the paths along the lake reward a quick change of rhythm. Use the Saturday practice swim and bike check-in to learn the transition layout, and remember that fancy equipment is not needed to have a great day.
Sample week
A sample Tri CLE 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
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Tri CLE
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. With the race on August 15, 2027, your taper starts around August 6, 2027.
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 Tri CLE Rock Roll Run on August 15, 2027. I train about [hours] hours a week, [days] days a week.
Tri CLE training questions
How long should I train for the Tri CLE?
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 Tri CLE course like?
Everything centers on Edgewater Park on Cleveland's west side, with one transition in the park and a land start from Edgewater Beach into Lake Erie.
How cold is the water at the Tri CLE?
Mid-August in Cleveland is warm, with average highs near 80 °F and lows near 66 °F, and roughly a third of days feel muggy. Lake Erie sits around 73 °F in August, and under race rules wetsuits are allowed up to 78 °F, while from 78.1 °F to 83.9 °F they are optional but not eligible for age-group awards. Winds average around 8 mph, mostly from the west, which can add a little chop on the lake. The early start keeps you ahead of the afternoon heat, but hydrate well on the bike for the run along the water.
When should I start tapering for the Tri CLE?
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. With the race on August 15, 2027, your taper starts around August 6, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Tri CLE 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.