Most Malibu mornings are characterized by dense fog and a misleading lack of sunshine but the morning of Sunday Sept. 19 saw the opposite at Zuma Beach coincidentally in time for the Playa del Run Beach Festival.
The Playa del Run Beach Festival is an award-winning four-beach event that takes place in multiple locations along the coast of Southern California throughout the summer. Huntington Beach Playa del Rey Solana Beach and of course Malibu are all on the list of locations with Malibu being the last of the four stops.
So what exactly does a beach festival encompass? Competitors at the event could choose among four different events to compete in including a one-mile (ocean) swim an aquathlon which is a short way of saying 1000m swim plus a 5k run a 5k run or a one-mile sand sprint.
This year Pepperdine’s own freshman and ex-marine Patrick Pennel and juniors Elizabeth Feiner Tyler Arrington Steven Korff and Lauren Burnham took part in the event and represented Pepperdine well in the aquathlon. The coach of the triathlon team Lydia Graham also participated.
A couple hundred people participated in the event in which Korff placed second in his age bracket and eighth overall while Arrington came in fourth by age group and 18th overall. Burnham placed 33rd overall but first in her age group. Pennel’s ex-marine skills came in to play as he played first in his age bracket as well (and 26th overall) and Feiner placed 71st overall.
While some would consider these individuals crazy for choosing to face the frigid waves of the Pacific and run a 5k immediately after with little more than a two-minute break those involved raved about the experience.
“It was an insane feeling doing the race and an even more insane feeling once you finished said Korff who frequently surfs off the coast of Malibu.
Arrington expressed surprising appreciation for the chilly water.
The numbingly cold water sure woke me up and got me moving so early in the morning said Arrington, who is not a stranger to endurance endeavors.
He ran multiple distance races while studying abroad in Argentina last year and is planning to run the Malibu marathon coming up Nov. 14.
Burnham also does the events for the simple enjoyment it brings her.
I love multisport events especially ones outside Burnham explained. I love ocean swimming because it’s so much more interesting than the pool… and I love the adventure aspect.”
Pepperdine juniors Jo Perry and Burnham along with 2010 graduate Brianna Blanchard who is now a professional triathlete started the Pepperdine Triathlon Club last year. The collegiate competition season doesn’t take place until the spring but Burnham says events like this one are good for “preseason” training. Most of the Pepperdine students involved this past weekend are a part of the triathlon club.
All of those who competed did so for the thrill and fulfillment of participation. And even though competition was indeed present as runners raced each other to the finish line the Playa del Run was “designed for healthy competition training and most of all fun according to its website. The event was open to anyone, assuming they had completed the registration process.