The 19th annual Nautica Malibu Triathlon will take place at Zuma Beach this year on Sept. 25. As in years past, festivities including the “Tot Trot,” will precede the event on Sept. 24.
By Kevin Connelly / Special to The Malibu Times
More than 2,000 people will be in Malibu Sunday when the 19th annual Nautica Malibu Triathlon takes place this year at Zuma Beach, where athletes will gather before dawn and stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the starting line. The event will begin at 7:15 a.m. with a half-mile swim in the Pacific Ocean. This swimming leg will be followed by an 18-mile bike ride along Pacific Coast Highway to Leo Carrillo Beach and back, while a four-mile run to Point Dume and back will make up the final leg.
As it has for each of the last eight years of its existence, proceeds from the triathlon will be donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Event organizers, including founder and Executive Director Michael Epstein, said this year’s event will raise more than $275,000 for the foundation.
“In 1997 I decided it was time to give something back,” Epstein said. “In the first year we raised $30,000 for the foundation and we have received more money and participants each year since. It’s great because it gives us a chance to help out these kids.”
According to its Web site, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation “creates a future of hope for children and families worldwide by eradicating pediatric AIDS, providing care and treatment to people with HIV/AIDS, and accelerating the discovery of new treatments for other … pediatric illnesses.” Epstein said the Nautica Malibu Triathlon has raised more than a million dollars for the foundation in the past eight years.
Epstein said he had no real athletic background before he founded the triathlon 18 years ago. But after watching an Ironman triathlon contests on television, he began doing research about starting his own event. The first Malibu Triathlon, which took place on the same course at it does now, had about 300 participants.
Epstein lives in Oak Park, but he chose to operate the triathlon in Malibu because “it is such a beautiful place. It is hard not to make a triathlon a success in Malibu.” Perhaps another reason for staging the event in Malibu is its proximity to many local celebrities. A few of the celebrities scheduled to participate in the event are William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, David Duchovny and Tate Donovan.
And it’s not only celebrities that will sweat it out for the kids. Leaving their box-office battles for the weekend, the Entertainment Industry will also compete in “The Entertainment Industry Challenge.” Disney, Warner Bros. and DreamWorks will compete for the “EGPAF Spirit Plague” for the most money raised, as well as the “Studio Cup,” awarded to the team with the fastest time.
Robert Laurita, assistant to the president at Disney, said the studio has already raised more than $100,000 for the EGPAF. “The Malibu Triathlon has been amazing,” Laurita said. “It is so well put together and Michael Epstein does not oversell the event, so we never feel like there are too many people there.” Laurita said Disney has conducted a karaoke night and a picnic to raise the money for this year’s event. Last year, Disney raised more than $90,000 and recorded the fastest time in the industry challenge.
There will also be a “Corporate Challenge,” with Herbalife, Nestle, Kaiser Permanente, Bosley and Toyota participating. Herbalife won last year’s title in this corporate challenge.
The triathlon will also include many professional athletes, including the local LA Tri Club, who will be defending its title. Paul Hekimian, founder and president of the LA Tri Club, said the Nautica Malibu Triathlon will feature more than 200 LA Tri Club members.
“The Malibu Triathlon is a fun race with a celebrity feel to it,” Hekimian said. “Michael Epstein always puts on good races. The location is beautiful right at Zuma Beach.”
There will also be festivities taking place the day before the race on Sept. 24. Haircuts by Paul Mitchell will be provided for donations. There will also be instructional clinics and entertainment. This year will again see a sand castle demonstration, along with instructional clinics on topics such as biking, training, motivation, wellness and nutrition.
Also taking place on Sept. 24 will be the Nautica Tot Trot, where kids under 12 will compete in a 50- or 100-yard dash. Tot trotters who raise money become EGPAF Heroes. And the child who raises the most money gets a special hero prize. The $20 on-site registration fee for the Tot Trot is donated to the EGPAF.
Epstein said he plans on continuing with the triathlon next year as well as in years to come. Donations can be made to the Nautica Malibu Triathlon by visiting www.nauticamalibutri.com.