Crossing Hermosa 24 Finish Line

Hermosa Beach athlete and father Christian Burke accomplished the nearly unthinkable in September—running 83.06 miles within 24 hours along the Beach Cities’ sandy coastline and .

At the time, it appeared his record was untouchable.  

But on Sunday, Manhattan Beach running star Patrick Sweeney broke that sand-running record, running 87.36 miles within 24 hours. His performance now has set a new Guinness World Record.

These endurance feats are part of the , a 24-hour run along the beach to raise money for Hermosa Beach public schools—all proceeds and additional donations from the event support Hermosa View and Valley.

Burke (when he set his world record) as an effort to raise money for the schools after he saw that funds have been dwindling for the Hermosa Beach City School District.

He held the running event again this year as the Hermosa 24 (in which Sweeney broke the world record)—perhaps igniting a rivalry that could vault the Hermosa 24 into one of the ultra-running world’s premier events.

“I’m hoping that the friendly rivalry that Patrick and I now have will add even more attendance [to the Hermosa 24]… and it pushes us to that six-figure mark we really want to see to raise money for the schools,” Burke said. “For the first year, we couldn’t be happier.”

Similar to many of the runners who participated in the Hermosa 24, setting a new record was Sweeney’s goal, but he told Patch that endurance events are anything but predictable.

“I knew I was capable of it,” Sweeney said. “Whether or not I’d have a good enough day to do it was the question. A lot of things can happen when you’re going long distances. I’m pretty happy.”

Sweeney does most of his training on the beach, but said that he has never run the distance in the sand he covered during the Hermosa 24.

“This is my home,” he said. “This is where I run more than anywhere else so this event was pretty much made for me. It’s where I love to run. I couldn’t really script it better.”

To keep his pace and finish with the record, Sweeney said he focused on perseverance.

“I hit the wall a few times. It would be like five to 10 minutes of just horrible, miserable feelings, but you just get through it and keep going,” he said.

Burke sat out of this year’s event to give other competitors a shot at the record books. After watching Sweeney win by a lap, Burke said that someone taking his record was exactly the outcome he was hoping to see.

“Patrick has really had this as a target since last year,” Burke said. “He wanted to do this with and against me last year and here was his chance. He pulled it off. I absolutely applaud him. He’s beat, he’s tired, he’s sore, he’s hobbling, but he got it done.” 

Burke added that he was thrilled that the buzz surrounding the record is already causing a stir as to what will be in store for next year’s event.

“One of us is going to break 100 miles next year and I predict it’s me,” Burke said, smiling.

While Burke and Sweeney are busy plotting how to beat each other’s record, they both may need to take a long, hard look over their shoulders—there’s a serious youth movement barreling down on them in the form of 15-year-old Alex Mendoza of Rolling Hills Estates. 

Mendoza took second place in the solo category Sunday with running 60.48 miles. 

Julia Mcmahon and Marla Hernandez claimed top honors among the females in the solo division, as both runners racked up 43.68 miles. 

In the relay division, Mickey’s Winners ran away with the top honors. The team of 10 totaled 131.04 miles in 24 hours.

In total, 10 solo racers competed at the race, while eight relay teams took on the challenge. For Burke, the event couldn’t have turned out any better.

“This race, this event has been really special this weekend,” he said. “Just the vibe, the feeling, the fun surrounding it all. There was just a really good energy from everybody. This is going to grow and grow big.”

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