Built for the 5150 Nelson Mandela Bay standard-distance triathlon (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run) on Saturday 30 January 2027, this structured 16-week plan from TRIFIT coach Telani Grobler takes you from a comfortable starting point to a confident, well-paced race.
Every week is different. Bike sessions use changing power ladders, crests and sweet-spot blocks, runs mix tempo, threshold and relaxed strides, and swims rotate drills, pyramids and open-water skills. Weekday sessions stay under an hour, so the plan fits around work, while the weekends build your endurance.
WHAT’S INSIDE
16 weeks of structured swim, bike, run and strength workouts that sync to Garmin, Wahoo, Zwift and other compatible devices
About 7–11 hours a week, with lighter test weeks of about 5 hours: 3 swims, 3 rides, 4 runs including a Saturday brick, and 2 short strength sessions
Every weekday session under 60 minutes
Swim (CSS), bike (FTP) and 5 km run tests in weeks 4, 8 and 12, with clear instructions, so your zones keep up with your fitness
Saturday long rides building to 2 hours 30 minutes
Sunday long runs building to 1 hour 45 minutes, for a strong 10 km off the bike
Two race-pace rehearsals in weeks 10 and 14: race-effort bike blocks followed by race-pace running off the bike
Swim sessions building past 2,000 m, with sighting, breathing and race-start practice
Strength sessions with warm-up, sets and repetitions, recovery and cool-down, reducing to activation in the final weeks
A two-week taper, a full race-week schedule and a race-day pacing guide for the swim, bike, run and transitions
WHO IT IS FOR
You have completed a sprint or standard-distance triathlon, or you are a regular runner or cyclist ready for the standard distance
You can swim 750–1,000 m non-stop, ride for 75 minutes and run for 45 minutes
You can train about 7–11 hours a week, with longer sessions on Saturday and Sunday
You have a heart-rate monitor. A bike power meter is strongly recommended, because bike sessions are written as a percentage of FTP
You have medical clearance to train
Telani is a passionate Triathlon and multisport coach. She coaches athletes of all levels, from beginners to competitive and provides personalized online training to each individual. This enables her athletes to reach their personal goals with her full support. She will develop intuitive training plans which will give you confidence to train and race at your best. The only time you fail is when you are not tri-ing.
She also focuses on how to handle panic attacks in open water swim.