Clock calls dead heat at Dwight Crum pier-to-pier swim
More than 1,000 swimmers competed in the two-mile Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim. Photo by Ken Pagliaro (www.kenpagliaro.com)
At the end of the two-mile Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier race, the first two swimmers finish in a dead heat, according to the clock
“Wow, this is a dogfight!” an anxious spectator screamed as frontrunners David Schlesinger and Dawn Heckman emerged from the water at the same time and sprinted up the beach toward the finish line in the Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim on Sunday morning.
According to the timing chips around their ankles, the two crossed the finish line in a dead heat, with identical times of 39 minutes and 38 seconds. But Heckman readily conceded that her former University of Florida teammate finished a step ahead of her.
“Dawn exited the water closer to the finish line funnel, but David had longer legs,” said race director Gary Crum.
The 1,106 registrants, ranging in age from 10 to 81, were the most ever in the International Surf Festival swim’s 51-year history. The race starts on the beach south of the Hermosa Beach pier and ends on the beach north of the Manhattan Beach pier. Swimmers hailed from as far as Arkansas and as close as the Hermosa Beach Strand. All but 15 of the 1,032 who started the race finished it.
Schlesinger, 36, of Studio City, placed third in the race in 2008.
“I never expected to win, but I was hoping to be in the top three. The water was great — super warm, glassy, good current,” he said.
Schlesinger said he didn’t specifically train for the event, but maintained his five-day-a-week swimming routine. After college, swimming became more of a hobby than a career. “I run restaurants,” he said, with a smile. In fact, he had to bolt back to work before he could accept his first place medal.
Schlesinger said he didn’t realize until the last leg of the race that the swimmer pressing him was his former University of Florida colleague.
Heckman, 35, last competed in the pier-to-pier race nine years ago. She placed first, third, and second in 2001, 2002, and 2003, respectively. Last month, she competed in the 400 freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha.
“I had no idea I was winning,” she said. “And I definitely didn’t expect to be that close to winning, by any means.”
Had she known she was vying for first place, she said, she would’ve pushed herself harder. “I totally would have sprinted harder at the end,” she said, with a laugh.
Rounding out third and fourth places were Luane Rowe, 23, and Sarp Elaziz, 18. They also finished with identical times, in 39:54.
Rowe, who drove down from San Francisco for the event, was pleased with her performance. “I caught a wave in at the end, so it was nice to beat out the boys that were with me,” she said. “It was good fun.” Rowe finished second in the women’s division and fifth overall last year.
Elaziz, a native of Turkey who is now living in Pasadena, was competing in the race for the first time. He also was thrilled with his finish. “I think it’s mental more than anything; just staying focused,” he said. “All I could think about was, ‘I want to win. I want to win.’”
“The start and the way out are brutal,” said Omar Urueta, 17, who finished ninth overall. “You get kicked, you get elbowed, you lose your goggles. My dad got his eye puffed up; it’s huge and purple and swollen.”
All but 15 of the 1,032 swimmers who started the two-mile pier-to-pier race finished it. Photo by Ken Pagliaro (www.kenpagliaro.com)
While new competitors thrived this year, long-time pier-to-pier champs were defeated.
Alex Kostich, 42, who has won the race 11 times in the past 16 years and had previously never finished lower than second place, came in sixth, with a time of 40:15. “It was a bit of a disappointment, but I’m just happy to be racing at all,” Kostich said, who suffered an injury in May. “This was my first race of the season. I’ll be back,” he said.
George Caras, 10, was once again the youngest swimmer in the race. The Grand View Elementary School fifth-grader improved his time by 16 minutes over last year, finishing in one hour and 10 seconds. “I was feeling kind of sick this morning, but I decided to come out and do it,” Caras said. “It was really fun. I’m going to try to do it every year.” His dad paddled alongside him on a surfboard.
“This is such a wonderful community event,” said competitor Anneke Sakovich. “I do a number of ocean races in other areas, but this is the one I look forward to. It’s growing, getting bigger, and a lot more competitive. Gary Crum and his team do a fantastic job. I love coming out and getting into the ocean.”
For the first time this year, registrants were able to check-in online and at the Manhattan Beach lifeguard headquarters the day before the race, reducing the delays on race morning.