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Pier to Pier Swim brings out the best in competitive spirit
by Suzie Hanrahan
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Hundreds of contestants round the Hermosa Beach Pier at the 40th annual Dwight Crum Pier —to-Pier swim. Amateur and professional athletes from Los Angeles and the South Bay competed in the 2-mile race. Photo by Ray Vidal. |
Barely a month after winning the women’s only "Wild Women Water Days One-Mile Swim, former University of Florida 500 meter champion Dawn Heckman proved she can beat the best men, ocean swimmers as well
Heckman opened up a 30 meter lead shortly after rounding the Hermosa pier and never let it slip as she sprinted to the Manhattan pier in the Dwight Crum Two-Mile Pier to Pier Swim Sunday during the International Surf and Health Festival
Heckman body surfed up the beach in 38:24, a minute 15 seconds ahead of second place finisher Brian Judd. Alec Campbell was third in 40:05.
Heckman is only the second woman to win the decades old race. Los Angeles County lifeguard Diane Grainer Gallas won the race two years ago in 1998 in 40:08.
"She sprinted all the way with arms blazing and a nice smooth kick," said lifeguard Bill White, who observed the race from a paddleboard.
Unlike most of the competitors, Heckman swam without a paddleboard escort, but still maintained a straight course, White said.
The 622 finishers was the largest field ever. And for some, simply finishing meant victory.
Elizabeth Bloom, a 54-year-old, retired toy designer from Rancho Palos Verdes, swam in the race the past three years. But she recently underwent five weeks of radiation, two surgeries, and six months of chemotherapy for breast cancer. The chemotherapy sessions in April. She started training for the race just two weeks ago, swimming in pools and the ocean with her friends.
In 1996 Bloom swam from the cold, shark-infested waters of Alcatraz to San Francisco, and in 1993 swam the span of the Golden Gate Bridge. "I’ve always loved water, but I started these races late in life," she said. Bloom credited the Wellness Community for her enthusiastic spirit and survival. She will have her first post-chemotherapy mammogram next month.
Doris Gilbert of Mar Vista, a 65-year-old nurse at the Vencor Hospital, a small critical care center, has participated in the swim since 1974. Gilbert won first place in her age division with a time of 1:26.28.
"After all these years I can still do it," she said. She began training for the race in early May by swimming laps, hiking, and climbing stairs. Gilbert left for Switzerland shortly after the swim. She and her daughter hope to climb a 4,000-meter peak called the Monk, in the Swiss Alps.
"I used to get nervous but this time I had my mind on my trip," said Gilbert. She said she enjoys doing the swim every year because it allows her to use her own skills. "It’s great," she said. "It’s a wonderful thing to do. It was a bit cold this year but not too bad."
Todd Menzel, 28, of Newport Beach, also won his age division. Menzel swims every day, year-round and participates in a number of swims throughout the year, although this was his first time at the Pier-to-Pier.
Menzel described the start of the race as chaotic. "It’s a lot of people packed in together, just trying to turn at the pier all at once," he said.
Another first-place winner for her category, Lisa Caputo, 39, of Manhattan Beach, agreed with him. "The start is always horrendous," she said. She wishes that participants were separated by age and gender categories. Even though Caputo has always been a competitive swimmer, said that she still feels nervous before every race.
Caputo swam with her husband and daughter Skylar, 4, paddling alongside her.
"I’m glad I did it," she said. "I’m relieved, there’s a sense of accomplishment." ER