Hermosa Beach’s Ryan Bullock, 34, and El Segundo’s Kelsey Cummings, 25, were the top finishers for men and women in the 56th annual edition of the two-mile race, starting at the Hermosa Pier and ending at the Manhattan Pier.
The win was Bullock’s third consecutive Pier to Pier win and his fourth in his last five attempts. His 39 minutes, 13 seconds, was two minutes faster than his last year’s time.
“It makes me glad that I can compete with these guys, even at my age,” Bullock said after finishing, still catching his wind.
Bullock had plenty of time to recover before seeing his next competitor cross the line. San Pedroan Kevin Fink, 22, had the second best time at 41 minutes, 7 seconds, followed by Alex Kostich, 38, of Los Angeles, who finished at 41 minutes, 18 seconds.
Fink won the Pier to Pier in 2013, lost to Bullock in 2014, and won it a second time in 2015.
“I always know Kevin will be the guy to beat,” Bullock said. “He’s only 22 so the age factor comes into play.”
Cummings followed closely behind. Her time of 41 minutes, 41 seconds was good enough for fifth overall, and her third Pier-to-Pier win.
“It’s always a challenge. I just try to keep up with the guys,” Cummings said. She was able to catch a break at the end of the race, catching a wave on the way in and riding it to the beach.
“That’s just a part of the race, like the run up the beach toward the finish,” race organizer Gary Crum said.
More than 1,300 people registered from 33 states.
Though large surf made the start challenging for many swimmers (Male 15-19 division winner Parris Mosteller lost his cap and goggles at the start), course conditions were more favorable than the last, according to Bullock due to smoother water and less of a south current.
Of the 1184 people who started the race, six dropped out mid-swim. Otherwise, there were no swimmers who didn’t finish within the race’s two hour time-limit.
The only controversy this year came at the finish line. When Bullock crossed the line, the race clock showed 37 minutes, 14 seconds. When official times were posted around 10 a.m., his time – and the times of dozens of other finishers – showed an additional two minutes.
According to Crum, the problem was caught by timekeepers an hour into the race.
The reason for the mix-up, he said, was simple.
“Operator error,” Crum said. “The main thing is that the times posted are accurate.”
