Editing Triathlon (section)

=== Modern beginnings ===

The first modern swim/bike/run event was held at [[Mission Bay, San Diego, California]], on September 25, 1974.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.triathlon.org/news/article/san_diego_-_the_birthplace_of_triathlon|title=San Diego - the birthplace of triathlon|last=Union|first=International Triathlon|date=9 May 2012|website=Triathlon.org|language=en|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> The race was conceived and directed by two members of the San Diego Track Club, Jack Johnstone and Don Shanahan.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ehritz|first=Kelly|url=https://beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=251|title=History of the Triathlon|website=beginnertriathlete.com|language=en|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> Johnstone recalls that he was a part of the [[Running boom of the 1970s|'70s jogging craze in America]] and that after entering a few races, he was not regaining his "mediocre fitness" despite having been a member of the 1957 Collegiate and [[Amateur Athletic Union|AAU]] All-American swim teams.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.triathlonhistory.com/|title=Story of the First Triathlon|website=triathlonhistory.com|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> Then in 1973, Johnstone learned of the Dave Pain Birthday Biathlon, a {{cvt|4.5|mi|km|order=flip|adj=on}} run followed by what was billed as a quarter-mile (0.4&nbsp;km) swim (the actual distance was only between 200 and 300&nbsp;yards). The following year, after competing in the event for the second time and placing in the top 10, Johnstone desired more of this style of race and with equal emphasis on the swim. So, he petitioned the chairman of the San Diego Track Club, who told him he would add a race to the club calendar. The rest of the race was up to Johnstone to organise, though, and at the same time, he was to contact Don Shanahan, so there would not be too many "weird" races on the club schedule. Shanahan told Johnstone that he wanted to include a biking leg to the race; whilst hesitant, Johnstone agreed to the addition. When naming the event, the pair used the unofficially agreed naming system for multisport events, already used for [[Modern pentathlon|pentathlon]], [[heptathlon]], and [[decathlon]]. So, they used the [[Greek language|Greek]] prefix ''tri'' (three) for the number of events, followed by the already familiar ''athlon'', hence naming the event the Mission Bay Triathlon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/triathlon|title=triathlon {{!}} Origin and meaning of triathlon by Online Etymology Dictionary|website=etymonline.com|language=en|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> Neither founder had heard of the French events; both believed their race was a unique idea.<ref name="History13">{{Cite book|title=Triathlon' A Personal History by Scott Tinley|last=Tinley|first=Scott|page=6}}</ref>

On Wednesday, September 25, 1974, the race started. It began with a run of a {{cvt|3|mi|km|adj=on|order=flip}} loop, followed by biking twice around [[Fiesta Island, Mission Bay|Fiesta Island]] for a total of {{cvt|5|mi|km|order=flip}}. Entrants would then get off the bikes, take their shoes off, and run into the water to swim to the mainland. That was followed by running in bare feet, then swimming again along the bay, then one last swim up to the entrance of Fiesta Island, and a final crawl up a steep dirt bank to finish.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/dec/11/san-diegans-remember-first-triathlon-40-years-ago/|title=San Diegans Remember World's First Triathlon 40 Years Ago — At Mission Bay|last=Trageser|first=Claire|website=KPBS Public Media|date=11 December 2014|language=en|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> Most participants were not skilled swimmers, so Johnstone recruited his 13-year-old son to float on his surfboard and act as lifeguard.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> Some participants took longer than expected, and it began to get dark as they finished their swims. Shanahan recalls they pulled up a few cars and turned on the headlights so the athletes could see.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lostswimming.com/2012/04/10/the-first-triathlon-ever/|title=The first Triathlon ever… {{!}} L.O.S.T. Swimming (Lake Ontario Swim Team)|last=Swimmer|first=LOST|language=en-US|access-date=1 February 2019|archive-date=29 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129211038/http://lostswimming.com/2012/04/10/the-first-triathlon-ever/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Johnstone and Shanahan were surprised by the large number of entrants (46), mainly coming from local running clubs. Two notable entrants, Judy and John Collins, four years later founded the event that brought international attention to the new sport: the [[Ironman World Championship|Hawaii Ironman]].<ref name=":2" />