Nearly five decades after the world’s first triathlon took place at Mission Bay, the sport remains true to its San Diego roots. For one weekend each year, the UC San Diego Triathlon Team welcomes hundreds of collegiate athletes and local beginners to Tritonman triathlon, inviting competitors to race the same waters and roads that shaped the sport’s beginnings. This year’s event took place over the past two days, with athletes from across California and beyond competing in a high-energy weekend of racing along the Mission Bay shoreline.
The triathlon — a multisport endurance race combining swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession — has grown into a global phenomenon from the first race held in San Diego, even earning a place in the Summer Olympics since 2000. UCSD Triathlon began its annual tradition of hosting Tritonman in 2009, and while it does not emphasize triathlon’s history in the city, Tritonman’s Mission Bay backdrop is a nod to the sport’s birthplace.
“It’s more of a fun fact — something to tie in how much the San Diego community has done for triathlon and a way that we can keep honoring that and keeping triathlon active and positive for the current age,” Shaina King, third-year and co-race director of UCSD Triathlon, said to The UCSD Guardian.
Planning the two-day event is a yearlong process. Tritonman is entirely organized and operated by students.
“You know, we’re all 20 years old, and we’re figuring out how to run this $50,000 race, so it’s a pretty unique experience, especially as an undergrad,” said Nicolas Song, third-year and co-social chair of UCSD Triathlon.
A 13-person race board and roughly 70 members of UCSD Triathlon staffed this year’s Tritonman.
Organizers structured the race to welcome athletes of all experience levels by making Saturday an official USA Triathlon competition and Sunday for entry-level participants.
“[Saturday’s race is] the only collegiate race where you can get your pro card,” Song said. “To get one, you have to hit a specific time benchmark in a standardized, certified race, and ours qualifies.”
Saturday’s race is draft-legal, exclusively open to elite and collegiate athletes. Drafting is the technique of riding closely behind another cyclist to reduce wind resistance and conserve energy, which adds a strategic element. The race was USAT-sanctioned and adhered to national competition standards; officials attended the event to enforce rules and ensure athlete safety. As a USAT-certified course, eligible athletes are able to earn points and potentially obtain their elite licenses. An elite license grants triathletes professional status, allowing them to compete in elite-level races for prize money.
The second day of the race was open to all age groups regardless of skill level.
The course has remained largely consistent over the years and is widely considered an accessible introduction to triathlon.
“I want [beginner athletes] leaving Sunday wanting to continue to do that for the rest of their life, you know, like wanting to continue to train, wanting to continue to push themselves and go on to race crazy and really cool races,” Song said. “I want people to kind of get that bug, or like that itch, for triathlon that we all have.”
Athletes began with a 750-meter open-water swim, completing one clockwise loop in Mission Bay before running up to a grassy transition area to mount their bikes. From there, competitors rode three laps totaling 13 miles around Fiesta Island, a segment known for being flat and fast. Finally, they ended the race by running 3 miles spread across three laps around Tecolote Shores for the final leg of the race. This layout was intentionally designed to allow spectators to cheer on athletes before they cross the finish line.
“I’d say the most memorable part, it’s actually not the race itself,” said third-year Siwen Cui, one of two female UCSD athletes in the draft-legal race. “I think it’s more the days leading up to the race because I’ve been witnessing my teammates working really hard to put this thing together.”
The first day concluded with an award ceremony recognizing the top three finishers in the men’s and women’s collegiate races. Two UCSD athletes competed in Saturday’s men’s race: Noah Snider finished 29th, and Wesley Bantugan finished 41st. On the women’s side, Cui finished 39th.
Sunday’s classic race drew a broader field of competitors. Among the UCSD athletes competing, Snider led the Tritons in the men’s division with a 33rd-place finish, followed by Kalani Daniel in 43rd, Eric Pedley in 57th, Jingheng Qian in 111th, and Daniel Ascenio in 143rd. On the women’s side, Cui secured a podium finish in second place and Melanie Roberts finished 13th.
“It’s just a cool thing that San Diego gets to have, and the fact that students get to put it on and the community benefits from it too, with people coming in from elsewhere and community members being able to participate,” Song said.
CORRECTION 3/2: A previous version of this article misstated the results of Sunday’s race. The article now reflects the correct results for the participating UCSD athletes.
