The three-mile Gatorman race in La Jolla Cove is the most prestigious race in the La Jolla Rough Water Swim event, with some of the best in the United States braving the rocks and waves in southern California for the country’s largest open water event. Past winners of the three-mile swim include Chip Peterson, Fran Crippen and Mark Warkentin.
This year, it was Alex Kostich who emerged from the water first in a time of 58 minutes and 24 seconds. It was his fourth overall win in the event since 2005, and continued a streak of winning his age group that goes beyond 2005. Kostich, 45, is a former USA Swimming national team member, winning international medals in the 400 IM and 1500 free in the 1980s and 1990s.
Finishing second in the three-mile race was 16-year old Brooks Fail from Tucson, Ariz., with a time of 59:06. Fail is a rising star in the junior ranks, placing 26th in the 1500 free at last summer’s junior nationals. Eddie Switaj, 31, also completed the swim in under an hour with a 59:09 for third overall.
The women’s Gatorman race was won by Amy Dantzler in a time of 1:03:50, which ranked her 13th overall. The 51-year-old had also participated in the one-mile race earlier in the day, one of the few to do the grueling “Daily Double.” Dantzler won the women’s one-mile swim in 22:52.
Like Kostich, Dantzler was chased by a teenager en route to her win. Mia Thomas, just 14 years old from San Diego, was the second-fastest woman in the race with a time of 1:04:07.
Last year’s cancellation of the event due to construction likely increased excitement about this year’s festivities. The event usually draws about 2,000 swimmers of all ages. The race distances range from a 250-meter swim for the younger athletes to the three-mile race.
In the men’s one-mile swim, 16-year-old Isaac Stump from the Tucson suburb of Oro Valley posted the fastest time with a 21:02 to also win the amateur division (18 years and younger), just four seconds ahead of 14-year-old Cade Brower from Stevenson Ranch, Calif., who swam a 21:06. Veronika Divis, 14, was the fastest in the one-mile swim in the women’s amateur division with a time of 23:21.
In the Masters division (19 and older), Patrick Brundage took the men’s title by 32 seconds with a time of 21:29.
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