Mark Warkentin didn’t think the La Jolla Rough Water Swim was so rough. On Sunday, Sept. 10, smooth swell and mild currents created conditions for a race that was more about swimming ability than aquatic tactics. Warkentin proved that he was king of the stroke; he won both the 3-mile Gatorman and the 1-mile Masters Men.
Warkentin swam the Gatorman in 53:41 to beat defending champion Alex Kostich by 1:39. In the 1-mile, Warkentin reached the cove in 17:38 to finish 1:22 ahead of La Jollan Ben Weston, who placed second.
Last year, Kostich won the Gatorman in 57:50. In 2000, Kostich was the first contestant to win both the 1-mile and Gatorman, setting a trend that continued for three consecutive years. Twenty-three-year-old Ryk Neethling finished first in both events in 2001, and 30-year-old Chad Carvin topped both races in 2003 and 2004. A $1,000 grand prize is rewarded to contestants who conquer both swims.
Winning didn’t faze Warkentin, who said he was the heavy favorite entering the Gatorman. He was surprised, however, that he had dominated Kostich by a one-minute-plus margin.
Apart from the joy of winning, Warkentin said the venue was better than all other rough water events in which he’s competed.
“I liked how it was set up in the cove,” Warkentin said. “It was like an amphitheatre with the stage being the start and finish. It was really fun having all the crowd wind around the cove.”
A former University of Southern California Trojan, 26-year-old Warkentin said he felt his swimming hadn’t been up to par in the past four years. He decided to try his stroke at rough water events and found that a new door had opened. In June, he swam his first open water race in Florida, placing third in the 5K and 10K and winning the 25K. The event placed him on the U.S. 2007 World Championship Team.
“In 2006 I decided that either I was going to make an international team or retire because I wasn’t going to keep swimming without being on the national team,” Warkentin said.
While Warkentin ruled the Gatorman, 13-year-old Kelsey Boreyko of La Jolla found her own success in the race. She traversed the 3 miles out to Scripps Pier and back in 1:15 and placed 161 out of 379 contestants. Boreyko began swimming competitively when she was 6 years old; she now trains three hours a day, five days a week with North Coast Aquatics and plans to compete in the Olympics in 2008 or 2012.
Boreyko described the Gatorman journey as “cold and long” and said she felt slightly seasick when it was over, but she expected it to seem even longer. Boreyko entered the race with a fellow 13-year-old and without a paddler to follow.
“It was really fun and I encourage other people to try it,” she said.
The first woman to finish the Gatorman was 17-year-old Ellie Doran from Tucson, who swam it in 59:40 and placed 10th overall.
In other events, 42-year-old Amy Dantzler from Los Angeles won the Masters Women in 21:03. In the 1-mile amateur swim, 16-year-old Kyle Weeks from Poway pulled into the cove first in 18:42. Thirteen-year-old Angela Duckworth was the female champion for the amateur swim; she finished seventh in 19:30. North Coast Aquatics won the Junior Team competition with a score of 1.34.
To view the full results, visit www.ljrws.com.