Southern California Spotlight - Top Ten Sprint & Olympic Triathlons in 2025
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Time to read 3 min
The Mission Bay Triathlon is the very first and birthplace of triathlon, located in San Diego. There are a lot of races in Southern California this year, so we’ll highlight our 10 (or so) favorites. If you are reading this post in 2026, you’ll probably find the same races still around. We’re going to list them by month, not by our favorite!
- April 27 – Orange County Triathlon - https://octriseries.com/orange-county-triathlon/ - race packet pickup opens at Lake Mission Viejo at noon on Saturday, April 26 th . Bring your family to stroll around. This is probably the best run triathlon in Orange County.
- May 4 – Spring Sprint, San Diego - https://www.springsprinttri.com . This is the starting race for 99% of triathletes in San Diego. The expo is really a hang-out for everyone to catch up and brag a out how well they are going to do tomorrow. The sprint distance triathlon is so popular that you will want to get their early to find a good place to rack your bike. For the swim, it’s so straightforward that most people opt for a sleeveless, like the Vortex Sleeveless - https://www.xterrawetsuits.com/collections/new-mens/products/mens-vortex-sleeveless-special
- June 22 – San Diego International Triathlon - https://www.sdinternationaltriathlon.com
- July 27 – Solana Beach Triathlon - https://www.solanabeachtriathlon.com – Solana Beach is a picturesque town, and Fletchers Cove is usually where you’ll find 100 surfers. This is a surf-entry ocean swim which is manageable with a little training. What’s cool is that you get to bike along the world-famous Pacific Coast Highway.
- August 10 – Hermosa Beach Triathlon - https://hermosabeachtri.com – what’s most amazing is that this race takes over the town and boardwalk of Hermosa Beach, worth a visit even if a triathlon is not in town. Hermosa Pier Ave. is always hopping, and you finish on your way to all the cool restaurants and beer.
- August 17 – Chula Vista Challenge, San Diego - https://www.chulavistachallenge.com
- September 13 & 14 – ZUMA BEACH Triathlon, Malibu – this iconic race is a masterful presentation by Michael Epstein, who brings together an amazing charity (this year, the Challenge Athletes Foundation) and celebrities to race along beautiful Malibu. https://zumabeachtriathlon.org
- September 14 – San Diego Triathlon Classic – also the same weekend as ZUMA Beach, this local favorite takes place at Liberty Station, just north of the San Diego airport. It’s very spectator friendly and you can stay afterwards and enjoy a cold beer nearby. - https://www.sandiegotriathlonclassic.com
- September 21 – Pacific Coast Triathlon, Crystal Cove (Newport Coast, Orange County) - https://octriseries.com/pacific-coast-triathlon/ . This beautiful race starts near the Crystal Cove State Park along the PCH. They have multiple races, including a sprint duathlon, Olympic duathlon, sprint & Olympic aquabike, sprint & Olympic triathlon, and relays.
- October 13 – Mission Bay Triathlon - https://www.missionbaytriathlon.com . The title sponsor for this race is XTERRA WETSUITS who has its headquarters in San Diego. This race sells out every year, and 2024’s race was so full that people tried to bandit the course, which we don’t recommend. The awards party was amazing, and finishers got to ring the MISSION BAY Gong. Back in 1974, the San Diego Track Club hosted the very first triathlon right here in Mission Bay—a run-bike-swim-run event that launched a global sport. Now, it’s your turn to be part of history!
- October 19 – Palm Springs Triathlon, https://alpha.win/event/palm-springs-ca/ - Lake Cahuilla Park, in La Quinta, is the home for the Palm Springs Triathlon. The Coachella Valley is a stunning venue that offers beautiful vistas in a dry and sunny climate. The water temp is usually in the mid-70s and the swim is easy to navigate. The run is flat and fast. The run is HOT and flat, with plenty of water. You definitely need a triathlon wetsuit, and we recommend a Vortex Fullsuit for this race - https://www.xterrawetsuits.com/collections/new-mens/products/mens-vortex-fullsuit-special
- October 26 th or November 3 rd (info not quite ready) – San Diego Triathlon Challenge, Mission Bay, California. Known as the Best Day in Triathlon, if you have not heard of The Challenged Athletes Foundation then please spend 2 minutes (or more) on their website https://www.challengedathletes.org – YOU will be humbled. CAF empowers lives through sports, and if you have heard of the Paralympics then you must know that CAF is why this happened.