Less than two months after the Manhattan Beach Open returned to the roots of beach volleyball with side-out scoring and sand chairs replacing bleachers, a hometown runner went one better last Saturday, capturing the 33rd Manhattan Beach 10K while running in huarache sandals.
Patrick Sweeney, a 1997 graduate of Mira Costa High School who did not run competitively at the prep level, completed the course in 32 minutes, 43 seconds, his best time in six performances at the event. The 31-year-old defeated last year’s champion, Rick Weis, 32, of Hermosa Beach by nearly a full minute at 33:27. John Harrington, 35, of Hermosa Beach finished third with a mark of 34:33
“When I run in my Luna sandals, everything feels good,” Sweeney said after crossing the finish line and raising plenty of eyebrows after onlookers noticed his choice of footwear. “These sandals are the future of running. The running industry is more or less into buying shoes that have no science behind them. These have been used for thousands of years and they keep being used because they work. I’ll be running a 100-mile race in these in three weeks.”
Sweeney credits his friend “Barefoot” Ted McDonald for inspiring him to run in the sandals and trains as a barefoot runner in the sand of local beaches. In May, Sweeney won the Palos Verdes Marathon running in a footwear product called Vibram Five Fingers which is like a toe-sock with a harder sole.
“Barefoot Ted went to the Copper Canyons and hung out with the Tarahumara Indians who are some of the best distance runners in the world and they run in huarache sandals,” Sweeney explained. “Ted makes the sandals for the American market and sends part of the proceeds back to the Tarahumara Indians. In March, I’m going to go race against the Indians in my sandals against their sandals.”
Sweeney finished 57th in his first Manhattan Beach 10K race in 2005 and has improved each year. He placed ninth in 2009.
“I always strove to beat the first place woman,” Sweeney said. “I’ve won six of my last 10 races which have been from a 5K to a 50K. My next race is the Long Beach Marathon on October 17 and I hope to have a top ten finish there. I’ll then compete in a 100-mile race on October 23 in Corona.”
Kirsten Leetch, 44, of Redondo Beach, was the top female finisher with a time of 36:16 edging runner-up Emily Field, 20, of Van Nuys by eight seconds. Alison Kielty, 23, of Torrance finished third with a time of 36:51.
Leetch, an assistant coach for the girls cross country team at Redondo Union High School, prepared herself by training with the nationally-ranked Sea Hawk team which is ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 poll.
Local males finishing first in their age group included: Mel Carmen (Manhattan Beach, 1-8, 58:42), Brian Arabori (Torrance, 9-11, 52:23), Jimmy Breen (Hermosa Beach, 15-17, 36:35), Sweeney (30-34), John Harrington (Manhattan Beach, 35-39, 34:33), Jon Megeff (Rancho Palos Verdes, 45-49, 34:40), Rich Gust (Hermosa Beach, 50-54, 37:00), Chuck Kaminski (Manhattan Beach, 55-59, 40:07), Don Jennings (Manhattan Beach, 65-69, 46:44), Luis Gorordo (Redondo Beach, 70-74, 51:35), Frank Greene (Hermosa Beach, 75-59, 53:58), Anders Ljungwe (Manhattan Beach, 80-84, 1:14:27) and Chang Tsu (Manhattan Beach, 85-99, 1:34:07).
Female winning their age group included: Ella Snyder (Manhattan Beach, 1-8, 57:13), Emma Lautanen (El Segundo, 12-14, 55:02), Kelli Sugimoto (Hermosa Beach, 15-17, 42:37), Alison Kielty (Torrance, 18-23, 37:32), Emily Mitchell (Hermosa Beach, 30-34, 39:38), Kaci Bathurst (Manhattan Beach, 35-39, 42:54), Leetch (40-44), Jean Schalk (El Segundo, 45-49, 40:03), Kerry Wachtfogel (Redondo Beach, 50-54, 46:22), Nancy Wheeler (Manhattan Beach, 55-59, 46:56), Wendy Watson (Rancho Palos Verdes, 65-69, 57:04), Marian Castelli (Manhattan Beach, 75-79, 1:21:14) and Ginny Gossard (Manhattan Beach, 80-84, 1:23:24).
Complete race results are available at ManhattanBeach10K.com. ER
