Malibu Saga Continues, with No Zuma Beach Tri in 2024

In another twist of events, the Zuma Beach Triathlon — the replacement event for the long-running Malibu Triathlon — will not take place in 2024.

The Zuma Foundation announced late last week that they had made a request to the Malibu City Council a postponement to the Fall of 2025. A variety of factors were cited, including but not limited to ongoing construction in the area and an interest in athlete safety.

The statement closed with a thank you to athletes for "understanding and support…in a transitional year."

It has been an extremely turbulent eight months for triathlon in Malibu. Last year's Malibu Triathlon was nearly cancelled due to the late discovery of an endangered fish living under an underpass on the bike course and subsequent re-routing of the course. Then, in controversial fashion, the City Council opted to award subsequent year's permitting to Michael Epstein's Zuma Foundation — the same Epstein who had founded, and later sold, the event. Supertri, the current rights holder to the Malibu Triathlon intellectual property, has instead moved to Long Beach and the Legacy Triathlon; the Zuma Foundation opted for the Zuma Beach naming.

But, crucially, there will be no race at all in 2024.

Image: Slowtwitch File Photo