Santee hosted the only Olympic qualifying event in San Diego County this year for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Thirty two athletes competed in teams of two for the Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay event to get another step closer to Paris, including San Diego-based Olympians Nick Christie (Tokyo 2020) and Miranda Melville (Rio De Janeiro 2016).
It is the first year that this event will be included in the games. It features one man and one woman teaming up for 26.2 miles during separate relay legs. Christie and Melville were a team, and won the race.
“That’s Nick Christie, gobbling them up,” the announcer boomed each time Christie passed the start, before handing the lead off to Melville.
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It started at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, then the rain came minutes later. Athletes continued the race, despite the wet weather.
“Some of them are so good that they are walking at the pace some people run,” Stewart Payne, a volunteer with U.S.A Track and Field in the greater San Diego region, said.
The event was free and open to the public. Payne explained it is a helpful way to increase visibility when it comes to race walking.
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“You may not be a fast runner, you may not be a good thrower, but you might be able to perfect the race walk,” Payne said.
Unlike running, race walking requires competitors to keep at least one foot on the ground at all times, and the leading leg must be straightened as the foot makes contact with the ground. On average, elite athletes can walk at a pace between 7.5 and 8 minutes per mile.
The 2024 Paris Olympics start in late July and will continue through August. For more on our coverage leading up to the games, click here.
