» 2008 Mission Bay Triathlon

Today marked the celebration of the first modern day triathlon with the annual Mission Bay Triathlon in San Diego, California. The original race was held on Fiesta Island in 1974 by the San Diego Track Club as a way to break up the daily training grind. The original event consisted of 5-plus miles of running, 5 miles of cycling, and 600 yards of swimming in a run-bike-swim-run format. The sport’s growth is evident when you see that the first race totaled 46 participants and today featured over 1600 competitors ranging from the elite field to a large showing of first-timers.

New participants were out in full force today demonstrating the wide array of newbie triathlon attire and bewildered looks. From beach cruisers and bikes some would consider antique, to superhero capes and string bikinis worn on the course. For me, seeing the people that are clearly first time competitors racing with a huge smile on their face is what makes the event much more enjoyable. Watching these athletes cross the finish line, I can understand their sense of accomplishment.

The day began early, just after sunrise, as the elite field got things started with a calm 500 meter swim. The age group waves would continue for the next hour and a half as the course would become engulfed with triathletes, all with the goal of enjoying the day and getting to the finish line. The bike course was less than ideal because of some overnight rain but was easily managed with just a little extra caution. A few people ended up in the medical tent afterwards for some road rash and minor cuts but from what I could tell there wasn’t any severe injuries as a result of the wet course. The run was its typical scenic course that took the athletes around Mission Bay and back to ski beach for the finish. The sun was in and out behind the clouds keeping the course relatively cool throughout the day.

Robert Skaggs came across the line first in a time of 51:02, a week after being the first overall age-grouper at the Orange County Triathlon. He was followed by Juliano Teruel and Caue Suplicy, taking second and third respectively.

(For more pictures from the race please visit www.shezphoto.com)

2008 Mission Bay Triathlon Results

MALE ELITE
ROBERT SKAGGS 0:51:01
JULIANO TERUEL 0:51:21
CAUE SUPPLICY 0:52:01

FEMALE ELITE
SUSANNE DAVIS 0:58:24
MISAKO WIN 1:01:03
EMILY AMENT 1:03:51

MALE 15 & UNDER
CONNOR TORRE 1:02:18
AUSTIN BALL 1:03:37
BRYAN O’CONNOR 1:04:19

FEMALE 15 & UNDER
ALI PARIS 1:06:10
ALLISON STEITZ 1:07:43
KATARINA LAJEUNESSE 1:12:53

MALE 16-19
DAVID MACFARLANE 0:53:04
BLAKE RISER 1:02:47
FRANCISCO PRESTON 1:04:37

FEMALE 16-19
SELINA SCHMECK 1:09:07
KRISTEN CONNER 1:14:11
STEFFANY MORINO 1:16:48

MALE 20-24
THOMAS LOPEZ 0:56:17
SHAUN BLAKE 0:56:59
MARC SCHOMMER 0:58:47

FEMALE 20-24
ARIANE LAUK 1:03:16
SARA CATES 1:05:13
WHITNEY HANDY 1:09:08

MALE 25-29
BRAD GOLDEN 0:55:06
CARTER BOWEN 0:55:12
BENJAMIN HALLIDAY 0:56:19

FEMALE 25-29
KATHERINE SMUCLER 1:00:42
BETH GERDES 1:01:25
MOLLY MCCORKLE 1:01:44

MALE 30-34
BRAD RECHTFERTIG 0:54:19
MARK SADAUSKI 0:55:15
SCOTT FENTRESS 0:55:26

FEMALE 30-34
MICHELE WALLACE 1:00:12
STACY DIETRICK 1:03:48
DEEANNA STEFFEN 1:04:13

MALE 35-39
JOHN HATALA 0:55:49
JONATHAN CLARK 0:56:26
BRIAN ENGE 0:57:27

FEMALE 35-39
VERONIKA SWIDRAK 1:03:13
LIANNE GURFIELD 1:05:32
CHELSEA ASARO 1:06:22

MALE 40-44
GLENN STEPHENS 0:56:28
SALVADOR LANCASTER 0:56:32
KEVIN EASTWOOD 0:57:45

FEMALE 40-44
DAWN RAYMOND 0:59:05
ELIZABETH DAUBNER 1:00:01
KRISTIN MAYER 1:00:19

MALE 45-49
STEVEN TALLY 0:57:25
TROY CUNDARI 0:58:40
ANTONIO MARQUEZ 0:59:08

FEMALE 45-49
MARILYNN GALLAGHER 1:01:28
CHRISTINE LAFRAMBOISE 1:10:30
KIMBERLY COLLIER 1:13:15

MALE 50-54
JOHN BATES 1:00:55
GARY LEAMAN 1:01:55
PATRICK DAUBNER 1:01:58

FEMALE 50-54
LAURI STOCK 1:07:17
TAMMY HERMES 1:10:59
TRACY ELLIS 1:11:18

MALE 55-59
MARK HANSEN 1:03:07
ED ROETERS 1:05:00
SCOTT HUTCHINGS 1:05:37

FEMALE 55-59
HEATHER WOODRUFF 1:13:01
MARIAT FERNANDEZ 1:14:01
DEBORAH BALL 1:14:41

MALE 60-64
JACQUE HARVEY 1:01:49
RICHARD LEWIS 1:08:11
KENT HOWARD 1:08:38

FEMALE 60-64
JEAN HOLDEN 1:25:59
LINDA RICH 61 1:36:54
RACHEL SALDIVAR 1:39:48

MALE 65-69
SERAFIN ZASUETA 1:20:34
JEFFERY JACOBS 1:23:08
LEO CARON 66 1:27:58

MALE 70-74
WILLIAM HAINES JR. 1:23:27
BOB PALMATIER 1:24:28
GERRY FORMAN 1:25:38

MALE 75-79
JOHN STAWICKI 1:25:24

MALE 85+
BILL BELL 2:00:52

MALE MILITARY
STEVE CHRISTMAN 0:59:45
MATT BERRENS 0:59:48
DANIEL HEMMINGER 1:03:58

FEMALE MILITARY
SARA MINGO 1:09:49
NIKKI FREY 1:10:16
SHANNON MINGO 1:10:18

MALE CLYDES
BILL BEST 0:58:02
ANTHONY PASTER 1:01:54
JOSHUA DINEN 1:02:16

FEMALE CLYDES
KELLY FARMER 1:23:51
BETSY HUNTINGDON 1:23:57

MALE CLYDES 40+
DANIEL DE LA VEGA, JR. 1:10:56
BRENDAN SULLIVAN 1:11:08
ROBBIE KLINEFELTER 1:11:37

FEMALE CLYDES 40+
JACQUE HYDE 1:12:50
TAMMY FRANCO 1:24:13
JAN HUGHES 1:26:35

MALE CHALLENGED
OSCAR SANCHEZ 1:07:53
SONNY CATALDO 2:05:36

FEMALE CHALLENGED
ERIKA DAVIS 1:47:25

RELAY MALE
KELBER TEAM SCHELBING 0:55:43
TILLEY TILLEY GIOVANE 0:56:54
JEREMY MARTINSON 0:57:03

RELAY FEMALE
MARTINSON REHAB UNITED #2 1:08:53
MORIMOTO M&MS 1:16:13
ZOBOBLISH LET’S BEAT SEAN 1:19:51

RELAY MIXED
MARIOTT REHAB UNITED #1 0:53:45
LAIRD SD TENNIS & RAC 0:59:30
HOWARD MIXED COMPANY 1:02:08