Hermosa, Warm Up for 24-Hour Race

Christian Burke’s name went down in history last year as he set a Guinness World Record by along the Hermosa Beach coastline in 24 hours—why did he do it? To raise money for . 

Concerned with the budget shortfalls that the schools face, endurance athlete Burke has decided again to gather donations for a 24-hour run, scheduled for June 18, with all proceeds going to Hermosa Beach schools. The race is called .

Burke is inviting individuals and relay teams to run for 24 hours in the sand to support local education. Patch spoke with the ultra-marathon man as he now embarks on the next phase of his philanthropic efforts.

Hermosa Beach Patch: How are you feeling mentally, physically, emotionally, as the date nears closer to the Hermosa 24?

Christian Burke: I’m feeling great, other than the stress of getting a first annual event underway and all the new headaches that presents. It is a first-year event and I am just really excited about how this is going to be received. 

So many people are going to love what this thing does. It’s going to be so much fun for people and I’m really excited that people are going to come away from this saying, ‘that’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.’

Patch: Can you talk about what makes the event so much fun?

Burke: I think running in the middle of the night on the beach is going to be an incredibly unique experience for a lot of participants. There’s a certain kind of peace you get being out there by yourself or in a pack when so much of the world is completely shut down. 

You get to do your laps and pass off to your teammate, crash in your campground and spend quality time with family and friends who are all cheering you on.  It’s going to be an experience unlike any other for so many. I think it’s going to be a really nice, positive community event, and people are going to see that and feel it.

Patch: What kind of transformation have you seen in the event now that you’ve turned it into something that anyone can participate in (as opposed to the solo journey you embarked on last year en route to the World Record?)

Burke: So many people go, ‘Wow that’s such a great idea,’ and no one has ever done anything like this before—a 24-hour event in the sand, on our beach and it has never really happened… the second thought almost everyone has [is] ‘Oh my God, that’s impossible, I could never do that.’ But they’re wrong and I know it. 

I look forward to this first year, no matter how small it turns out to be, and for people to come away with a truly great experience and thinking they already can’t wait for next year’s event. I think that is what’s going to kick in and take next year’s event to a whole new level.  

This is our first year and we plan on this being the jumpstart and we’re looking next year to have corporate sponsorship and more. It’s going to take that word of mouth to take people over that confidence hurdle; that perceived capability hurdle that many people have, but I can’t wait to see them prove themselves wrong.

Patch: You ran 83 miles last year and set a new world record in the process, but you’re not asking people to come out and try to duplicate your feat. Is it correct to say even one lap is a major contribution to the success of the event?

Burke: What’s really cool about the way we have it set up this year is that the event really caters to everyone’s capabilities. The really cool thing about the relay portion is you can come out with 10 people and you have your team of 10 run nonstop for the full 24 hours, and the math equates that to around three laps per person for entire event. 

That’s really a lap every eight hours, or you could do all your laps at once and pass it on to your teammates. You can really do the relay in any order you want… The format gives everyone that opportunity to participate and to be a finisher. 

At the end of the day, this is a benefit for Hermosa schools. The entry fees go towards Hermosa schools. For 120 bucks you can come down and do as many laps as you want and you get all the participation, the fun, the gear, the after-party, and you only have to do one lap. 

Patch: Will you be making an attempt to go beyond the 83 miles you did last year?

Burke: I’m not going to do the full 24 this year. I will be participating, but I felt like I was better served to make sure this event went off successfully as opposed to me going out and smashing my own record, which by the way I could. 

That’s a personal pride thing as I had only seven weeks to train for the last one and for this year I’ve had seven-to-eight months to train for this one, and I’ve stayed in the sand since last year. My game is way better. 

I also know of a couple people who are better than I am and they could conceivably break my record and break it soundly. I’m not worried about anyone breaking it. I’ve already got my plaque on the wall. If someone wants to come out and break my record I applaud them, and that’s what this is all about. 

It’s not about me, it’s about the schools, and it’s about reaching new heights. If I really feel like my pride is taking a hit I’ll come out next year and break it again. I look forward to someone breaking the record and drawing that much more attention to the event.

Patch: What kind of expectations do you have for this year’s event?

Burke: If I’m being honest, I’m saying this year is the building year for next year. I would love to hand over a $100,000 check this year but they’re not going to get it—however, I sure would love to do that next year and I think we can build it up to that.

I really hope the attention drawn this year, the excitement generated, the buzz created is going to make next year big. There’s all kind of relay races out there that are infinitely more complicated than ours and they’re way less fun… Even if we only end up with 10 to 15 teams this year I’ll be thrilled. There’s huge potential in our event.

Earlier: