San Diego lifeguards made a splash and put their skills on display on Aug. 19 during San Diego Lifeguard Service’s 57th annual Ron Trenton Memorial Lifeguard Relay in Mission Beach. The relay consisted of four teams competing in 12 legs to demonstrate a variety of rescue techniques, including running, swimming, paddle boarding and landline rescue. The Central Area team, consisting of lifeguards from Mission Beach and Pacific Beach, took the gold, followed closely by La Jolla lifeguards on the Northern Area team. The Boating Safety Unit took third and the Southern Area team, made up of lifeguards from Ocean Beach and Mission Bay, placed fourth in the competition. According to Lifeguard Services Lt. Nick Lerma, each team exchanged the lead throughout the race, culminating in a close race at the finish line. The purpose of the relays is to motivate lifeguards to fine-tune their rescue skills and athleticism, while also showcasing various rescue techniques to the public. The lifeguards are also simply able to blow off some steam after a hectic summer, Lerma said. The lifeguard relay competition was named after veteran lifeguard and longtime Northern Area team captain Ron Trenton, who was lost at sea while piloting his private plane from Catalina Island to San Diego in 1997.