Grandma Mary Sikonia paces family in Surf Festival two-mile sand run
by Bethany Willetts
Three generations of Mary Sikonia’s family competed in the 59th annual International Surf Festival Dick Fitzgerald Two-Mile Beach run on Saturday, at the Hermosa Beach Pier.
Mary was the oldest. She turns 81 in September. Grandson Luke, 14, was the youngest, followed by his brother Marty, 17, and dad, Jim Walsh, 55, who is Mary’s son-in-law..
Mary has participated in the Surf Festival run eight times with Marty. Saturday was the first time she has been able to entice grandson Luke and Jim to enter the run.
“If there’s anything I can get the kids involved in, I do. It really is beautiful running on the sand, especially by the water, with the shore birds flying by and cheering us all on with their chirps,” said the former Lawndale educator. She has three children and five grandchildren.
Mary Sikonia kicks to the fiinish in the Dick Fitzgerald 2-mile Beach Run on Saturday. Photo by Bethany Willets
The Manhattan Beach resident is one of just 31 Manhattan Beach 10K PIER (People in Every Race) runners. This October’s Manhattan Beach 10K will be her 45th.
Mary finished second in the women’s over 70 division in 44:58. The challenging out-and-in course runs north in the soft sand to the Longfellow Avenue lifeguard tower, and returns along the hard sand to the pier.
“Mary has participated in the event for many years, and we were thrilled to see her run it with her family this time around,” said coach Renee. “It’s a very local race with a hometown feel, and everyone is super supportive of each other,” said race director Renee Williams-Smith, who coaches Mira Costa High’s track and cross country teams. Fellow Mira Costa coach Annie Seawright-Newton, along with Hunter Johnson, Michele Fukumoto, and Lisa Searer also volunteered for the race, which benefits the Mira Costa cross country team.
Dick Fitgerald, after whom the race is named, helped found the Internatonal Surf Festival when he was the Los Angeles County Director of Beaches and Harbors. This year’s race attreacted 203 runners, compared to 137 in 2021.
Max Levin, 18, of Manhattan Beach, finished first in 13:04, followed by Luke Graham, 16, of Manhattan Beach, in 13:40, and Sean Arregro, 17, in 13:59.
Dalia Frias, 17, of Hermosa Beach, was the first woman finisher, in 14:21, followed by Camille Chittenden, 56, in 17:29, and Addison Junk, 14, in 18:43.
For complete results visit SurfFestival.org