Kostich Gives Ocean Race a 10

Alex Kostich has participated in many three-mile races in his ocean swimming career. He’s also participated in one-milers, and an occasional six-miler, but he always wondered how he would fare in a 10-mile race.

Kostich got his chance to find out Saturday at the Seal Beach Rough Water Swim, and went on to win the event in under three hours.

“Whenever I came down here to swim the three-mile race, I always was intrigued by watching the 10 milers coming in,” said Kostich, who won in 2 hours 52 minutes 23 seconds. “I used to say to myself, ‘I could do that.’ Well, I did it. And it really wasn’t that bad.”

Kostich, from Santa Monica, had only decided to enter the 10-mile race a week ago.

“I really didn’t think about it. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I said, ‘What the hell,’ and did it,” Kostich said. “I was a little nervous before the race. No matter how much confidence you have in yourself, the first time is always a little scary.”

Kostich, 28, started the race with his paddler, Brian McKinney, at the Huntington Beach Pier at 6 a.m. The race ended at the Seal Beach Pier. There were 17 men and nine women entered in the event--15 men and eight women finished.

Although Kostich finished 11 minutes ahead of second-place finisher Ryan Coom, who swims for the New Zealand National team, he trailed Coom for the first five miles of the race.

“I just tried to keep [Coom] in my eyesight for the first half,” Kostich said. “Then I seemed to get some renewed energy and I was able to pass him.”

Kostich said the course was, for the most part smooth. The one thing he had trouble with was the cold water.

“That’s something I can’t handle. I started to get cold about half way through. Maybe that’s why I was able to go faster. I was trying to get warm,” Kostich said, then laughed.

The water temperature was about 67 degrees at the start of the race. None of the swimmers wore wetsuits.

Coom, 20, competed last week in the 15K National Championships at Newport Beach. “I’ve never actually done a 10 miler. I’ve done 15 and 25K. But never this. But I’m happy with my swim and I plan to come back next year.”

Jane Cairns of Santa Barbara won the women’s event in 3:21.37. She finished third overall. Like Kostich, it was her first time swimming a 10-mile race.

Cairns said she wasn’t bothered by the cold. “I’m lucky. The cold has never been a problem for me. What was hard was the boredom,” Cairns said. “Unlike a three-mile race, which goes pretty fast, the 10 mile drags on.”

Cairns said now that she has swam a 10-mile race, and despite the boredom, she plans to enter more.

“I actually had a pretty fun time out there,” Cairnes said. “But that’s not to say the next one will go this well.”

Notes

Laurel Hooper, 24, had the best finish for an Orange County swimmer--fourth place in the women’s division. Hooper, who is a lifeguard at Laguna Beach, said she decided to swim outside and not follow the pack, which stayed inside. However, unlike past years, Hooper ran into some hard currents, which slowed her down. . . . Santa Ana’s Preston Drake, 50, was shooting for a first-place finish in his age group, and got it as he finished in four hours. Although Drake was well off his best time by more than 30 minutes, he was happy nonetheless. “It was pretty tough out there,” Drake said. “The current was pretty hard in parts. But I’m glad I finished.” . . . James Fenney of Oceanside had an impressive time in Saturday’s three-mile race, winning in 53.43. Fenney, 15, swims for a Carlsbad swim club and only trains in a pool.