Contenders will transform La Jolla Cove into an athletes paradise Sunday, Oct. 26, starting at 7 a.m., when competitors for the San Diego Triathlon Challenge line up to start the half-ironman competition. The 15th annual San Diego Triathlon Challenge will include competitive and fun events for the family, a spin-a-thon and the swim-bike-run competition. The events begin at 8 a.m., when 136 challenged athletes will join celebrities, world-class athletes and competitors for the half-ironman, running into La Jolla Cove to swim the 1.2-mile first leg of the triathlon. Athletes will bike 56 miles up through North County San Diego and Rancho Santa Fe, then head down the coast for the second leg, said Lauren Hinton, director of marketing for the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). Finally, they will run 13.1 miles through Torrey Pines back to La Jolla Cove, she said. “A lot of people take it on as a relay team,” Hinton said. “The triathlon is one of our major fund-raisers for the year. We bring in about $1 million for CAF.” Hinton said CAF founders Bob Babbitt, Rick Kozlowski and Jeffrey Essakow started the triathlon 15 years ago after their friend Jim MacLaren was injured in a triathlon. She added that the three men organized the challenge to raise money for MacLaren, and the event grew from there. “The founders put on this event as a fund-raiser for permanently injured [athletes] to help regain their independence,” Hinton said. In addition to the San Diego Triathlon Challenge, the grass at La Jolla Cove will turn into a twisted version of “Gilligan’s Island” for the Tour de Cove, Hinton said. Competitors will participate in a nonstop spin class from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. “There’s about 80 spin bikes on the lawn to raise money,” Hinton said. “It’s a ‘Gilligan’s Island’ theme. Riders ride for four hours.” The Tour de Cove spin-a-thon will end at 1:30 p.m. with a special presentation, Hinton said, although the party will continue. Families will have several options during the day. “There’s a family fun zone with jumpys and face painters and all that fun stuff,” Hinton said. “There’s also a Kaiser Permanente Thrive K 2-mile walk, starting at La Jolla Shores, and it finishes at the Cove.” The fun zone will be open for families throughout the day, Hinton said. Hinton said families can still register for $15 for the 2-mile walk at www.challengedathletes.org.