The ULTIMATE Geelong Half Distance plan

The Geelong course, built into your training.

Evidence-based coaching from a sub-5-hour finisher who lives and trains on this course.

Go to sample weeks and training-load structure ↓

The definitive 28-week plan for the Geelong half-distance triathlon, from a coach who has raced this course to a sub-5-hour finish and lives and trains here. You get the full Summit half-distance program, plus the things only a local can give you: the real Geelong course, built into your training. Corio Bay swim craft and the beach self-seed start, the Eastern Beach Road climb that opens each bike lap, the long exposed Point Henry and Portarlington crosswind straights, and the flat, multi-lap waterfront run rehearsed as an even, negative-split race. Not in Geelong? Every course session tells you how to train it on similar terrain near home.

THE GEELONG COURSE, IN YOUR TRAINING

The real course, rehearsed before race day.

Built from the real race GPS. The bike and run route files (GPX) are included with your plan, so you can ride and recce the actual course, or load them onto your head unit anywhere.

Swim – 1.9 km, Corio Bay
A protected bay with a beach self-seed start. The plan builds your start craft and sighting so the bunched start never spikes you.

Bike – 90 km, two laps
Do not spike the early Eastern Beach Road climb, hold an even aero effort through the exposed crosswind straights, and ride lap two with lap one discipline. The plan rehearses exactly this.

Run – 21.1 km, flat waterfront laps
Fast and mostly flat, with a few small rises. The plan rehearses even splits, disciplined turnarounds and a stronger back half, so you do not go out too hard when the crowd tempts you.

HOW IT IS BUILT

What it is built on

Built the way the evidence says a half distance is built: a broad aerobic base trained mostly easy, the bike carrying the aerobic load while the run is built carefully, and a limited, deliberate dose of harder work. It opens with an orientation week and a benchmark week, then progresses in absorbable steps with deload weeks along the way.

The build adds the Geelong-specific work: the Eastern Beach climb repeats, exposed-road aero and crosswind holds, the two-lap negative-split rehearsal, race-simulation bricks, and CSS and race-pace swim sets. Every session is anchored to your own threshold, your LTHR (Lactate Threshold Heart Rate), set in the benchmark week, so easy days are genuinely easy and the hard days count.

The plan progresses to a single peak, then tapers cleanly so you arrive sharp, and finishes with a full race-week and race-morning execution plan. It is built to the same standards behind every Summit plan.

Before you start

This is an intermediate plan. You should already be training consistently across swim, bike and run, with a base to sharpen rather than one to build from scratch. The plan opens with an orientation week to settle in and set up your devices, then a benchmark week that sets your zones from your own threshold, so nothing is guesswork. A heart-rate monitor is essential, and you will need pool or open-water access for the swims. Open-water sessions always carry the never-solo safety rule and a pool alternative.

Independently produced for athletes targeting the Geelong half-distance triathlon and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with IRONMAN or the event organisers. Delivered through TrainingPeaks and loads into your calendar from your chosen start date. Train to your own limits and seek medical advice before starting a new program.