This year, of course, the Sports Fiesta was cancelled due to COVID-19. Disappointing for the Optimists and competitors, one family in particular. Three Coronado-grown brothers Dave, Al and Mark Hansen, have been staunch competitors in the Sports Fiesta for years. Al says he’s only missed one over the years. The thought of the Sports Fiesta triathlon losing its distinction of being oldest, continuous running triathlon in the world didn’t sit well with the family and they decided to do something about it.
A plan was hatched, bringing three generations of family together for the competition. David and his wife, Mickey live on the bay so it was the perfect venue for all three events. Sports Fiesta coordinator, Optimist Don Crawford, was called to officiate the activities. Masks, social distancing, and safety were priorities.
First event in the competition was the swim out to a buoy with some swimmers and lots of kids on paddleboards. Next up was the run down First Street with a variety of speeds, bare feet, a tutu, and lots of enthusiasm. Lastly, the bike ride went along the same route on First Street in the bike lane. In this competition everyone was a winner in their age group with Grandpa Dave handing out medals to all the kids from his collection, dating back to the 1980s. It was truly competitive fun at its best.
Lunch was a celebration on the bay front to celebrate Dave and Mickey’s 50th wedding anniversary, surrounded by family.
After a lunch the family members dispersed. It was overheard that a few Hansens were looking forward to their next event of the day, the annual Sports Siesta.
The Optimist Club of Coronado would like to thank the Hansen Family for keeping the Sports Fiesta Triathlon tradition and history alive.
