By:Chris Munzing
Over 100 athletes took to the beach at National Blvd. on Sunday, Aug.3 for the 2nd Annual Michael Kiefer Memorial Run-Paddle-Swim Race. The event, named for Michael Kiefer, a New York City firefighter and Long Beach lifeguard who lost his life on September 11.
The race started with a three-mile run on the beach, a half-mile ocean swim, and a one and a half-mile surfboard paddle. Participants could either run the race entirely by themselves or do one leg of the race as part of a team. There were some instances of participants racing alone and part of a team. Now that's quite a workout!
Before the race started, Long Beach City Council President Joel Crystal addressed the crowd to let them know what they were getting in to. "We've warmed up the water to a comfortable 68 degrees," he said as the crowd laughed. "It's like the tropics."
Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, a former lifeguard, said that this race is to honor the memory of Michael Kiefer and that he should never be forgotten, especially by the Long Beach lifeguarding community. "We're all bonded together when we lose one of ours, one of our family," he said to the participants, many of whom were lifeguards.
Councilman Scott Nigro told the racers to take the opportunity while racing to remember why the competition exists. "When you're out there paddling hard, swimming hard and running hard, give Michael a little thought," he said. Councilman Denis Kelly, who was also in the contest, thanked everyone for coming and then used his time to talk a little trash to the competition, telling them to watch out for his team.
This year's overall winners were Rob Kaefer and Kerr Holland. The first lifeguard finishers were Datonya Pappetti of Long Beach and Brad Smith. Jim McLoughlin of Long Beach was the first firefighter to cross the finish line and the team competition was taken by Justin Cisario, John Skudin and John McLoughlin, all of Long Beach. In the 14-15 year old group, James Fromtera, James Hayden and Kevin Quinn finished in front.
