Manhattan Beach native Patrick Sweeney crosses the finish line at the Hermosa 24 ultramarathon, breaking his own Guinness World Record for Distance Running in the Sand for 24 Hours. Photo by Randy Angel
Patrick Sweeney took a gamble and it paid off big time. The prize was a Guinness World Record for Greatest Distance Running in the Sand for 24 Hours and Sweeney’s risk of taking a nap proved to be the right move.
Competing in the third edition of the Hermosa 24 ultramarathon which ran from noon Saturday until noon Sunday, Sweeney broke the world record he set at the same event last year when he logged 87.36 miles (140,59 km) while completing 26 laps on the 3.36-mile (5,41 km) soft-sand course from the Hermosa Beach Pier to the Manhattan Beach Pier and back.
For a year, Sweeney had mulled over his tactic for setting a new record, but in mid-race felt the need to alter his strategy.
“I did not stay with my game plan at all,” Sweeney explained. “I had planned on going out slow and staying between 40-45 minutes per lap and I went out and did a bunch of 30-plus laps.”
The 33-year-old distance runner from Manhattan Beach had scheduled a 10-20 minute break at midnight for some nourishment. He said he ate a few slices of cheese-less pizza and had to choose between a Coke and a Stone Ale.
As an annual participant of the Hermosa Beach Ironman competition held each Independence Day and maintaining a blog at bourbonfeet.com, his choice of beverage was evident.
Heading back onto the course, fatigue had set in and he had hit the proverbial “wall.”
While Patrick Sweeney begins his return trip after reaching the Manhattan Beach Pier, San Diego’s Lucinda Jacobs proudly displays Old Glory. Jacobs carried the flag for 14 laps, a total of 47.04 miles.(75,73km) Photo by Ray Vidal
“I could barely run faster than a 25-minute mile (1,61km) and even that felt difficult,” Sweeney said. “I came in from the lap just before 2 a.m. after just passing the 60 mile mark and had been calculating what it would take for me to break record. At the pace I was going, it would not happen. I decided to take a gamble and see if a little shut eye might revive my body. Last year I noticed that strategy work brilliantly for (runner-up) Alex Mendoza. I crawled into my tent, set my alarm for 2:45 a.m. knowing that if I averaged one lap an hour for the last nine hours I’d have new record.
“When I woke up, the first sound out of my mouth was “Doh,” ala Homer Simpson. But when I stood up, the body felt surprisingly good. The gamble paid off and I was back running at a 12 minute, 30 second pace for the next 10 miles,(16,1km ) easily making up for the time I had spent with my eyes closed.”
After Sweeney set the new record by completing his 27th lap Sunday morning, there were 90 minutes remaining in the endurance race. Although the sand was heating up and the temperature rising, Sweeney felt he had enough energy in reserve to go for one more lap.
His closing run to the Manhattan Beach Pier and back took one hour, nine minutes and the Mira Costa alum crossed the finish line for the final time at 11:39 a.m.
It was only a matter of minutes before Sweeney was discussing his next goal.
“I want to win the Hermosa Beach Ironman on the 4th of July,” exclaimed Sweeney, referring to the annual event where participants are required to run a mile, paddle a mile and chug a six-pack of beer without throwing up. ”I’ve finished second, third and fourth. I don’t think enyone can drink faster than I can.”
The Hermosa 24 was expected to be a showdown between Sweeney and Christian Burke, who founded the Hermosa 24 in 2010 when he set a new Guinness World Record of 83.04 miles while running solo as a fundraising event for Hermosa Beach schools.
The duel did not materialize when a foot injury limited Burke to only four laps.
“My foot came apart,” Burke explained after shifting his focus to his duties as Co-Race Director. “I have two stress fractures which I’ve been able to work through but there is a muscle in the middle of my foot that has split in two and it feels like someone has put a dagger in the bottom of my foot and twists it every time I hit the ground. I haven’t felt this in a year and a half but for some reason it happened on the first and increasingly got worse. “I’d like to say I’m disappointed about not being able to run, but to be honest, I feel way better being here to make sure the event goes smoothly and is a success so it can continue to grow and raise more money for the local kids.” More than 100 runners took part in the event which featured 30 solo racers, eight relay teams and more than 50 runners who entered the One-Lap Challenge where the runner with the fastest time was awarded a prize of $100.
Redondo Beach triathlete Jimmy Wills ran the fastest lap Saturday afternoon with a time of 27 minutes, four seconds.
Burke estimated the event raised $10,000-$15,000 this year and expects the event to continue to grow for years to come.
Ed “The Jester” Ettinghausen completes his 21st – and final – lap at the Hermosa Beach Pier. Photo by Randy Angel
Tatsunori Suzuki, 43, of Philadelphia placed second with 22 laps (73.92 miles) followed by Mendoza who finished with 21 laps (70.56 miles)(113,06km).
Mendoza, 16, is a member of the Peninsula High School cross country and track teams and was the youngest solo runner in the Hermosa 24. He increased his 2011 distance by three laps.
“It’s a hard event but it was a lot of fun,” Mendoza said. “For me, the race was similar to last year’s but it was a little bit hotter this year. I’ll be back next year to try it again.”
Rachel Ragona, 29 of Manhattan Beach was the top female runner completing 20 laps (67.20 miles)( 108, 192 km ).
“That was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Ragona said after the race. “The toughest part of the race is around 11 p.m. You’re almost half way but it’s getting late and dark and you know you have a long way to go. The first thing I want to do now is have a cold, large beer.” Karen Mohr, 51, of Hermosa Beach finished second with 17 laps (57.12 miles)(91,96 km ) ahead of Lucinda Jacobs, 36, of San Diego who ran 14 laps (47.04 miles)(75,73 km ) while carrying an American flag the entire distance in honor of fallen troops.
“It’s a wonderful sight, isn’t it?” remarked Jacobs who was still displaying the flag after completing her final lap. “It keeps everything in perspective. I do a lot of events like this and just learned about this one. Christian is such a great guy so I had to come out. I’ve made a pledge to carry the flag for personal reasons and being the weekend before the Fourth of July and going pier-to-pier with Old Glory flying makes it special.
“My husband was in the nuclear submarine force and I have had other family members in the Marines and Army, generation after generation, and it’s a great honor to be a part of that legacy. I plan on being back next year.”
Mickey’s Winners successfully defended the team relay title completing 39 laps (131.04 miles)(209,66 km ) edging out Team Annie which finished with 38 laps (127.08)( 204,60 km )
Hermosa Beach’s Annie Seawright-Newton did double duty, running and captaining Team Annie, a group of local runners, and the Hermosa Valley Run Club.
“The most difficult time of the race was finding good tracks to run in after the workers smoothed the sand during the night,” Seawright-Newton said. “We (Team Annie) were leading for awhile but a team of experienced distance runners passed us in the middle of the night. But it’s all good. We totally killed our record from last year.”
Team CORE finished third in the relay division with 28 laps (94.08 miles)(151,46km ).
Although “camping” is not permitted on the beach in Hermosa, participants of the Hermosa 24 and their supporters were allowed to erect tents and canopies as re-fueling and rest stations.
Many passersby walking and biking on The Strand stopped to inquire about the event. When told that runners were attempting to set a Guinness World Record for running in the sand for 24 hours, the majority of responses were along the lines of “That’s crazy” or “They’re nuts.”
One runner who certainly could fit that description is Ed Ettinghausen. Known as “The Jester,” Ettinghausen competes in multi-colored clothing and a jester’s hat. The accomplished distance runner holds the world record for completing the Most Marathons in 365 Days with 135 and placed fourth in the Hermosa 24 with 21 laps, equaling Mendoza’s distance but falling short of Mendoza’s time of 11:30:16 by 13 minutes, 33 seconds.
The 49-year-old Murrieta resident entered the Hermosa 24 after completing seven 100-mile (161 km ) races in seven weeks. Ettinghausen sandwiched the 24-hour event in Hermosa Beach by running a marathon Saturday morning and one in Huntington Beach later on Sunday. He was in the midst of running seven marathons in seven days.
“This race was very challenging,” said Ettinghausen, who is used to running on flatter surfaces. “I had no idea how hard it would be to run in the soft sand. It was fun to run on the beach and watch the people doing their weekend activities, but running in the soft sand has taken a toll on my legs.
“Patrick setting the record is amazing. He’s an awesome runner and if anyone was going to get the record, it would be him.”
http://www.easyreadernews.com/53607/sweeney-guinness-world-record-sand-running/
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