Santee will host the only Olympic qualifying event in San Diego County this year for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay event gets underway at 7:30 Sunday morning on streets near Santee’s Trolley Square.
San Diego-based Olympians Nick Christie (Tokyo 2020) and Miranda Melville (Rio De Janeiro 2016) are two of the local athletes competing in the trials with hopes of punching a ticket to the Paris Olympics.
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. The event is new to the Olympic program and will make its debut in Paris this summer. Elite athletes walk at a pace between 7.5 and 8 minutes per mile.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
It features one man and one woman teaming up for 42.195 kilometers (26.2 miles) during four separate relay legs.
Two teams can qualify for the Paris Olympics at Sunday’s trials but will still have to meet qualifying time standards in order to earn a spot on Team USA.
Olympic fans are encouraged to line the course along Riverview Parkway and Town Center Parkway to cheer on the athletes.
