Nautica Malibu Triathlon

This was only my 3^rd triathlon and the first in Malibu. I did the international distance and I liked this event.
It was very well organized from what I experienced… I liked that parking was included in the entry.
The bike route was on PCH, but I was comfortable with the measures that were taken for safety.
The run was nice as well.
I will say the medal is pretty lackluster, but it’s all good.

Seven months ago, after completing my first (sprint) triathlon a half a year previously, I thought it would be good bang for my buck to sign up for the $ 200 International distance that is the Nautica Malibu Triathlon. As was what I am suspecting is turning into a habit, I started training two weeks before the triathlon and stopped training the week before due to unbelievably extreme busyness and lack of priorities that had me looking up logistics of the race (ie how far is an international distance anyway can’t be too bad) before sleeping 4 restless hours before heading to the race at Zuma beach.
Parking (free): If headed up to Malibu from the south, use the tunnel entrance before Busch Rd and follow parking instruction from staff/​volunteers. When parking on Zuma beach, you have until 12noon to get out or get ticketed. The pdf sent with the email is visually helpful for the directionally impaired.
Before start:
+ Grab race packet (bring ID) and stroll off to the side to put at least your racing band on (can’t get into the transition area without it on your wrist)
+ Drop off your gear at your numbered rack — very spacious!
+/​-​Go back to the packet pick up area to get a timing chip and swim cap
+ Wave times and cap colors are announced over and over and over until 6:15ish.
+ Make sure your bike has bar ends. One of mine apparently fell out and I had to buy another one for $ 1 or be disqualified.
+ Keep hydrated and fed! Cliff bars and cubes are available during the mandatory pre-​race meeting
Swim: 1.5k
+ Water is so warm. 70 °F on a Saturday and honestly didn’t need a wetsuit.
+ Use some lubricant for the back of your neck. Getting a wetsuit burn must be a total newbie move.
+ Get in the water and get used to the water before your wave
+ Keep your eyes on the orange balloons. Saw lots of zig zag swimming.
— Not sure if motion sick or just sleepy. I kept having to tell myself, «You can’t sleep now! You’ll drown!»
+ Cut off time is reasonable, though it probably sucks for the later waves. Never understood how cutoffs were fair.
Bike: 40k
+ Biking in bikini saves transition time
+ Take the time to put on sunblock. Those bike shorts tans just aren’t pretty.
— So bored after 12miles. Some hills, but nothing to write home about.
+ Have an empty bottle holder for the bottle of nommy herbalife electrolytes at mile 12.5/turnaround
— Cycling etiquette is nonexistent. If slow ride on the right, don’t ride three abreast and then not point out debris on the ground for crying out loud, and shouting «On your left» ensures that I know you’re behind me and I won’t accidentally careen into you. As another racer mentioned this year, if everybody had followed cycling etiquette he probably wouldn’t have broken his arm.
Run: 10k
— I don’t know how people run for more than half a mile. I was so sleepy and slow and tired. Running sure is hard!
+ Course is flat, should have been easy.
+ There is a volunteer named Ryan hollering at walkers to run to the next cone. He was hilarious. Good job!
+ Lots of water and electrolyte stations. Not quite enough trash cans around the 5−6^th mile.
+ Bathroom at the 3 mile station.
+ Beautiful view of the ocean
+ If slow and tired and sleepy, examine license plates on parked cars. People apparently came from Colorado and Nebraska and all sorts of gnarly places to participate.
Post race:
+ Pasta salad. I love pasta salad and this was some good pasta salad and I have never been so happy to be eating pasta salad in my life.
+ Bagels with spread, muffins, pastries, fresh cut fruit, bars available for finishers.
— Finisher medal was a silver gray square and was not cute. Dad says it looks professional, at least more so than my flashy Disney medals. The top finishers medals are cute though!
— Driving out of the parking lot was a nightmare with people walking in the two way, single lane path for cars instead of walking in the parking lot. Traffic was also worse than usual on PCH.
Tips from a second time triathlete:
— Get proper rest before race. Obtain race logistics sooner rather than later.
— Pre-​race pickup is wonderfully convenient for those without the luxury of a unencumbered Friday
— Sunblock is your friend
— Lubricant for the back of your neck during the swim portion is a must. But you really don’t need the wetsuit.
— Know how to change an intertube, which I didn’t need to know for this race but others did (they didn’t need help, but thanks they said)
— Quality race photos are provided for free! Make sure your number is legible at all the times you look pretty.
I don’t usually do any race twice, but this particular race is friendly for newbies, supposed to be easy considering the course, and I think if I straightened my priorities I could be a contender. As always, I promise to train next time.

I was injured at the Malibu Triathalon. It is an unsafe bike course.
Here are the facts. 2000+ athletes racing their bikes on PCH in front of Zuma Beach ~ One of the busiest roads in the US that has not been upgraded to match the growth of its beach community. ALLOW CARS to run down the middle of the street and use cones to border off the side of the road for the bike leg of a triathalon. Have this race on the weekend, on a nice summer day when everyone wants to go to the beach. Now ask yourself if you want to pay $ 200 to enter into this triathalon ?
There was no mention participants would race their bikes WITH CARS running down the middle. Mike Epstein conveniently did not put that in the race course information that was online.
I broke my arm when I hit a cone that was bordering the bike lane. The bike lane was narrow due to the road being shared with cars. Bike riders were not abiding by the no pass rules, as there is no one there to keep the safety maintained as in an IRONMAN race. Thus the bike lane was crowded and not single file in a NO PASS zone. I hit a cone as their was little room in the lane and poor visibility of the cone which two riders blocked from my view. This race CANNOT be safe unless ther are no cars running down PCH with the athletes racing their bikes.
Please look at the links below

Great Triathlon, but note that parking becomes a nightmare. I raised over $ 7000 and didn’t qualify for princess parking and it was a crappy way to end the day, having to haul my gear and bike over 2 miles to my car.

This triathlon offers a fantastic family friendly venue! Held at Zuma Beach, arrive early with your triathlete and watch the sunrise with your youngsters. Our kids sprawled out in the back of our SUV for a while as my husband prepared himself and his gear for competition. Once the triathlon was set to start, we hiked down the beach and watched their dad’s age group along with a few others dash into the water before heading back down the beach.
We then spent much of the day playing on the beach, stopping only to root on our athlete as he whizzed by on his bike or set out to run. It all happened on the edge of where we set ourselves up to hang out on this beautiful beach. There was no having to drag the kids anywhere to see any part of the race! It was great!
Other amenities we enjoyed were clean and well kept bathrooms, the shower outside to spray off sand and the food stand that was open for breakfast. So triathletes, tell your families to pack some sand toys and take the kids with you to this one!

I signed up for the olympic distance (or international distance) back in March and was looking forward to this event.
As it turns out about a month ago I suffered a sprained rotator cuff that has kept me from swimming. I still can’t swim but I did this event anyway. I had a friend swim for me and I did the bike and run portion.
My friend was also racing the olympic distance so I just strapped the timing chip onto him.
The swim was .9 miles of open water that required you to get past the breakers then make a right turn around the big orange buoy. From there you swam parallel to the shore for another 5 buoy then made a right at the last buoy and heading back to shore.
Once you got to shore you hit T1 (transition 1) where you got out of your wetsuit and put on your biking gear. You traveled south for a little bit on your bike in the Zuma Beach parking lot then it took you out to PCH. The bike course was around 25 miles back and forth on PCH. The bike course was great since you got to see the great views of Malibu. There also wasn’t any wind that day so it made riding easier.
Once you finished with the bike you started your run. The run was 6.2 miles basically along the parking lot of the beach. Even though it was flat I was having a hard time with it. I went too hard on the bike and my legs were having a rough time. Cramps galore!
The weather was perfect for a triathlon that day. It was in the mid to high 60s and overcast. Very little wind. The waves were mellow making it easier to get out past the breakers.
I will do this again next year since I didn’t get a chance to swim. I’m looking forward to it now.

Did the olympic distance for the first time this year. It was WAAAAY better then the LA Triathlon in terms of logistics and organization. It was also a great course that takes you out to swim around Zuma Beach, ride down towards county line while watching all the surfers, and then run around the area… Because the transition area is just one spot, you don’t have to ditch stuff and figure out what to do for T1 and T2. Parking was free and easy… though of course you’re paying for it with the registration fee…
If you’re not so sure about the olympic distance, consider the sprint distance. It’ll end up being easier to train for, and you’ll probably get to see all the celebrity participants too…
Hope to see you out there next year!