Concerns raised regarding the procurement evaluation and award process
By Barbara Burke
Special to The Malibu Times
After a hotly contested procurement bid award process to determine who would host the Malibu Triathlon, the City of Malibu on Dec. 8, 2023, chose the Zuma Foundation, a nonprofit entity recently created by Malibuite Michael Epstein, who founded the event in 1987, and other supporters in Malibu.
Since 2012, the Malibu City Council has had a policy stating that, “The City may grant a maximum of two temporary use permits for marathons, triathlons, and cycling events per calendar year.” In 2013, the city entered into a 10-year agreement with Epstein granting him permits to host the Malibu Triathlon until 2023. In 2017, Epstein transferred the agreement to Motiv Sports, a company that manages mass race participation events across the world. Super League purchased the event from Epstein in 2021 and operated the triathlon through last year.
In early 2023, the city created a Road Race ad hoc committee to decide which organizations should get the two permits that the city gives out each year for a triathlon and a running race. The city then issued a request for proposals for each race and ultimately awarded the triathlon to the Zuma Foundation, a decision that Triathlonmagazine.ca in Canada described as “rocking the triathlon world.”
Since the triathlon contract was awarded five weeks ago, Zuma Foundation has been planning its event slated for this September. The Malibu Times caught up with those operating Zuma Foundation and also spoke to Super League, which lost the right to operate a triathlon in Malibu and states that the City Council did not administer the procurement process in a transparent fashion.
Zuma Beach Triathlon
The Zuma Foundation, spearheaded by Michael Epstein, who founded the Malibu Triathlon and operated it for many years, received the right to operate its Zuma Beach Triathlon for five years.
“The Zuma Beach Triathlon will be held on Sept. 14 and 15,” Epstein announced, adding that the two-day event will feature a corporate challenge that pits top corporations against each other in pursuit of their corporate employees’ health and wellness as well as to support their camaraderie and to fundraise for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The triathlon will also feature a Beachside Health and Wellness Expo, and will sponsor a Summer Swim Clinic Series that will enable participants to train all summer with the best open water coaches in the world while being supervised by LA County lifeguards. Finally, the triathlon will offer high school divisions for the race.
With regard to the scheduling of the events, on Saturday, Sept. 14, there will be a triathlon for kids ages 9 to 14, consisting of a 100- to 200-yard swim, a 2- to 4-mile bike race, and a 1- to 2-mile run. On Sunday, Sept. 15, there will be a one-half mile swim, an 18-mile bike race, and a 4-mile run, as well as a 1.5K swim, a 40K bike race and a 10K run.
“The Zuma Foundation is a nonprofit corporation formed by Malibu residents to create athletic health and wellness initiatives and events, including triathlons for all ages,” Epstein said. “In addition to raising important funds for pediatric cancer research at CHLA, our local funding mission is to directly benefit Malibu’s youth-serving nonprofits that focus on character development, healthy lifestyles and mental health and wellness. Our purpose is to raise important funds for a variety of children’s health causes.”
Epstein added that the Zuma Foundation Board consists of Malibu residents and he and all the board members thank the City Council and Malibu residents for their support.
To sponsor or participate in the triathlon, or both, go to zumabeachtriathlon.org.
Super League’s response to losing the right to operate the triathlon
SuperLeague, which purchased the Malibu Triathlon from Epstein in 2021, issued an official statement expressing criticisms of the City of Malibu’s administration of the two proposals for the triathlon contract.
“Super League Triathlon is extremely disappointed by the decision of the Malibu City Council to award the permit for a triathlon to a former owner who has sold the triathlon in the past for commercial gain,” Super League Triathlon said in a statement. “Super League remains the legal owner of the Malibu Triathlon event’s intellectual property, and this decision sets a very dangerous precedent for the wider industry and all who want to promote health and wellness by investing in sporting events.”
Super League Triathlon has owned the Malibu Triathlon since 2020, its statement noted, adding, “We steered the triathlon through the challenging times of COVID, raising substantial funds for CHLA as well as revitalizing a race with a tremendous history and legacy in the sport. The decision not to award a new permit ends 38 years of Malibu Triathlon as we know it and its proven substantial fundraising for CHLA, which has brought in $18 million for pediatric cancer research, as well as being an important part of the community and delivering support for a significant number of local charities and businesses.”
According to Malibu City Councilmember Paul Grisanti, who served with fellow Councilmember Marianne Riggins on the Road Race Ad Hoc Committee administering the procurement, the two proposals were submitted, each vying organization presenting its proposal in person to the committee and then responded to questions later.
“There has been a disappointing lack of clarity around the decision-making criteria during the RFP process,” the statement continued. “We have asked the City Council many times for a meeting to discuss the criteria used in the process as we have been ready to satisfy any and all requirements, but we have not received a response. Super League Triathlon will undertake all necessary measures to protect our IP and to robustly question both this process and the outcome, as well as to defend the wider sport event industry.”
Brennan Lindner, who operated the Super League Triathlon last year, characterized the city’s contract procurement process and the City Council’s deliberations as “bizarre and sad.”
He noted that councilmembers expressed concerns about the triathlon being run by “locals” in Malibu. However, he observed, the Zuma Foundation’s response to the RFP included a letter signed by Sam Renouf, CEO of Professional Triathletes Organization, committing $300,000 towards the event’s budget as well as offering for PTO to provide operational, marketing, and commercial support from PTO’s team of experienced personnel. PTO, Lindner noted, is not based in Malibu — it’s headquartered in London, England, according to Crunchbase, but has U.S. operations.
Renouf is a former elite triathlete from Great Britain and the former CEO of Motiv, which purchased the Malibu triathlon from Epstein in 2017. Execution of the race will be performed by the McCourt Foundation, which produces the Los Angeles Marathon and marketing services will be provided by McCourt.
Lindner noted that the concept of Super League being a local organization is quite off base. Triathlon Magazine Canada, a leading publication in the racing world, opined about this lack of clarity: “During the meeting, the City of Malibu councilmembers were all quick to note that they weren’t experienced in the world of triathlon or running racing, so even if they had seen McCourt’s letters of support, it’s unlikely that they would have been aware that the bid by the Zuma Foundation was potentially replacing one international triathlon organization with another.”
Grisanti stated at the council meeting in which the contract was awarded that he has been in this community for 45 years, and when he saw Epstein’s board, he “knew without having to ask any questions who five of the six board members were. If any of those five had bad reputations, I would have been pushing in the other way.”