For more than half of those pre-registered for the Dick Fitzgerald 2-mile run, running in the event that is part of the International Surf Festival has become an annual tradition. For others, it serves as a reunion that brings old friends together and resurrects memories of years gone by.
While most runners began Saturday morning with an extra layer of clothing, a cold, brisk wind did not deter approximately 125 participants from meeting at the Hermosa Beach Pier. Many shivered, doing their best to stay warm while anxiously awaiting the start of the race, whose course went one mile north in the soft sand and one mile back on the harder packed sand on the water’s edge.
“We have a lot of fun every year,” Race Director Renee Williams-Smith said. “Despite the cold weather, we set a record for entries.”
Proceeds from the event benefit the Mira Costa High School running program where Williams-Smith is a coach. She doesn’t allow her runners to compete during their prep careers, having them serve as volunteers at the registration tables, distributing t-shirts and setting up the course.
After a stellar cross country and track career at Mira Costa, Savannah Pio was excited to be able to compete in the event that was her first competition before becoming a high school sensation. In 2007, she placed third in her age group. This year she finished first in the female 15-19 age group and was the fourth woman to cross the finish line with a time of 17:10.
“I haven’t run this in four years,” Pio said. “I can run it now and thought it would be fun before I go off to college. I wanted to be supportive of the program and the coaches and give back a little bit, although I’ve usually only run in the sand as part of rehabilitation when I was recovering from an injury.”
Pio will remain a Mustang when she takes her talents to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in three weeks.
For John Federoff, 41, the race brought back memories of when he won the event in 1988. The Thousand Oaks resident competed in the Boston Marathon earlier this year, so he was ecstatic when he was first to cross the finish line in the sand race on Saturday. His time of 12 minutes, 47 seconds bested Timothy Burdiak, of Manhattan Beach, who finished at 13:39. Mike Spencer placed third with a mark of 14:55.
“It’s kind of a reunion for me,” Federoff said. “I got to see a lot of my old friends. This is probably my fourth time running the race. I ran it when I was in high school at South High and a couple times when I was at El Camino. Back then it was held in Redondo but it’s still sand. It was windy today and the soft sand was really soft, just like advertised. I thought I’d have somebody to draft off of but nobody was taking the lead. So I thought I’d go ahead and take it myself. It was fun.”
Redondo Beach running icon Nathalie Higley found herself on familiar ground. With a time of 14:14, the 41-year-old won her seventh women’s division title since 2000. She finished third overall.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve run this race,” Higley said. “I usually only keep track of my (Manhattan Beach) Hometown 10K results. But this is a hard race. The tide’s not great and the tracks made by the beach department make it tough but it’s a good training run. The race supports the cross country program at Costa, so it’s a good thing.”
Annie Seawright of Hermosa Beach, a multiple winner of the race, placed third in this year’s contest with a time of 16:26.
“I try to do it every year,” Seawright said. “I’ve probably run it 30 years so it’s kind of a tradition. I run this and then go have fun at the 6-man (volleyball tournament). It was good to see Nathalie out and my cousin took second. She’s been injured for a long time and can only run on the soft sand, which she did both ways.”
Her cousin, Laura Cattivera White returned to competition for a second-place finish at 15:50. For 27 years, she held the school record at Mira Costa in the 3,200 meters, before Aryn Foland set a new mark last spring.
“This sand was actually ideal because it was hard relatively speaking,” said White, who placed seventh overall. “Everyone else was on a tilt and I was on the soft sand at the top which worked to my advantage.”
Male age division winners included Jack Spencer (11-14, 18:54), Connor Langlos (15-19, 15:53), Burdiak (20-29), David Nitka (30-39, 17:28), Federoff (40-49), Rich Gust (50-59, 14:59), Geoff Guerrero (60-69, 17:52) and Frank Greene (70 and up, 22:25).
Winning their respective age groups in women’s divisions were Sarah Murray (11-14, 18:06), Pio (15-19), Katherine Nitka (20-29, 22:08), Erin Crum (30-39, 18.00), Higley (40-49), Andrea Madenwald (50-59, 19:39), Wendy Watson (60-69, 23:04) and Miyoko Ohara (70 and up, 37:56).
