This coming weekend’s race marks an important step in triathlon history. It’s the first time an International Triathlon Union (ITU) race has been held in San Diego, the birthplace of modern triathlon. On 25 September 1974 the very first triathletes dove into San Diego’s Mission Bay to complete a 5.3 mile run, followed by a 5 mile bike and a 600 yard swim.
Members of the San Diego Track and Field club had organised the 1974 event as an alternative to track work and 46 of them finished the race. It brought about the birth of the sport of triathlon. This year the race venue is at Mission Beach, with Mission Bay on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other; and to mark just how far triathlon has come, it’s one of the final qualification races for the London 2012 Olympic Games. San Diego is the 14th host city of the ITU World Triathlon Series, and just the second US city to host a round of the series after Washington, DC in 2009.
The 2012 ITU World Triathlon San Diego event gets underway when the women’s elite wave starts at 14:00 (local time) on Friday 11 May, followed by the men’s race on Saturday 12 May at 14:30. Live video, timing and text updates are available at www.triathlonlive.tv, and via Twitter at twitter.com/triathlonlive.
