Ocean swimming veteran and lifeguard Kelsey Cummings won her 9th consecutive Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim, a 2-mile ocean between the Hermosa Beach Pier and the Manhattan Beach Pier near the LAX International Airport today [shown on the right nearing the finish].

The overall winner, 19-year-old Luka Van Dijk, won his second consecutive title in a close race over Mitchell Bailey. They battled shoulder-to-shoulder from start to finish, though the surf zone, and up the soft sand [shown on the left nearing the finish].

History

Dwight Crum is the namesake for the largest pier-to-pier swim held in the United States. Crum was the famed Lifeguard Captain in the area and the coordinator when the International Surf Festival first began in 1962. He held this position until his retirement in 1972. Crum swam the Pier-to-Pier Swim event for 33 consecutive years – from the age of 39 until the age of 72. When he retired, the 2-mile Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim was renamed in his honor.

His son, Gary Crum, has been the event coordinator for the past 16 years. A former lifeguard  with the Los Angeles County Lifeguards including 17 years as the Section Chief in charge of the South Bay beaches (Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach). After his retirement in 2001, Crum became Chairman of the International Surf Festival for 10 years. Then in 2010, he became the race director of the Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim.

Gary explained the history of the Pier-to-Pier Swim named after his father. “The Pier-to-Pier Swim is part of Manhattan Beach’s annual International Surf Festival. It is now a 2-mile point-to-point swim, but it started as a 3-mile swim in 1963. They combined the swims back in the day that were separately held in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Manhattan Beach.”

The 78-year-old race director [shown below in the middle] was highly active at the start and the finish, and remains very much involved in all aspects of the event. “I love how so many swimmers come up to me every year and genuinely thank me and show their appreciation. They help me stay motivated to keep giving back.”

2026 Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim Top 25 Results

1. Luka Van Dijk, 19, 36:26.8
2. Mitchell Bailey, 18, 36;27.6
3. Dar Smith, 28, 36:33.0
4. Kelsey Cummings, 33, 36:33.4
5. Marcin Stanglewicz, 24, 36:48.0
6. John Reed, 24, 36:53.4
7. Jackson Lang, 14, 26:55.8
8. Joby Bernstein, 31, 37:12.1
9. Zac Leachman, 24, 37:51.9
10. Mark Tripp, 45, 37:59.8
11. Christopher Cole, 29, 38:25.2
12. Lukas Dempsey, 33, 38:44.6
13. Elliott Drottar, 18, 38:55.6
14. Preston Smith, 15, 38:56.6
15. Bryn Handley, 29, 39:17.6
16. Kaito Komoriya, 26, 39:20.5
17. Christopher Goodman, 18, 39:21.2
18. Mason Bailey, 61, 39:28.1
19. Emily Franklin, 15, 39:35.5
20. Joel Everman, 46, 39:38.8
21. Brian Villarreal, 46, 39:40.7
22. Skyler Munatones, 28, 39:50.8
23. Jake Adams, 60, 39:55.6
24. Jake Glick, 42, 40:06.1
25. Jaime Marian, 53, 40:11.6

Full results are posted here.

© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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