SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Fifty years ago, the popular exercise competition known as a triathlon, was founded at Fiesta Island in Mission Bay. On Sunday, triathletes came together to celebrate the competition's founding for the 37th annual X-Terra Mission Bay Triathlon.
More than 1,800 people of all ages competed in the triathlon, from the youngest at 7 years old, to the oldest at 85 years old. Some came out to compete solo, while others competed in a group, like the Locher Family of Escondido.
"This is one of my favorite races of the entire series," Tracey Locher said. "It’s a huge community. It’s a celebration, and it’s just so wonderful."
Tracey has been a triathlete for decades. Throughout the years as she competed solo, her family cheered her on. This year, her husband, Jeff, and her son, Christian, decided to join her. After seeing his mom compete in the triathlons for years, Christian decided to do this one to see where his fitness level was at.
He also decided to challenge mom and try to beat her time.
"That is the only reason I’m here today," Christian said. "This year, we’ve been working on getting healthy and getting back in shape, so what a better opportunity than to do a triathlon with the family and see where we’re at?"
There may be a winner between Christian and Tracey, but in the grand scheme of it all, the victory isn't all that matters. They both feel like they won, since they got the chance to do it as a family, with other loved ones watching and cheering them on.
