FEATURES

The First Triathlon...

Sunday, 03 April 2011 03:00

By Scotty Forrestall (Photo)

(for Xtri.com)

Let's face it, we are all tri-geeks, but if you were to hear the names Jack Johnstone and Don Shanahan in reference to the sport of triathlon, would you know their significance? If not, you can thank me later because now you can impress even the geekiest of the tri-geeks.

We all know Ironman was founded in Hawaii in 1978 by three Navy Seals to see who the best overall athlete was, but the origins of triathlon date back further to 1974 and a little slice of heaven in the middle of San Diego's Mission Bay - Fiesta Island (aerial photo below). On September 25, 1974, Jack and Don, with the help of the San Diego Track Club held the first ever triathlon. The format was a bit different than the swim-bike-run we have all become accustomed to. Just check out the description that went out in the SD Track Club newsletter:...