Every year in mid-July, several hundred people flock to Morro Bay for the Brian Waterbury Rock to Pier Run. They gladly travel from far and wide to spend big bucks for the chance to enjoy the perfect conditions of cool, clean air and smooth, firm sand at low tide.
Sadly, the conditions this year were far from perfect. Low tide was at 5:30 a.m. but the race didn’t start until 8:30 — creating dangerous conditions by the time most people reached the rocky point at 3rd Street in Cayucos well after 9:30.
Rock to Pier is not a Spartan race. Most participants do as much walking as running. Those over 50 like the run because the forgiving sand surface is easy on their joints. Scaling wet volcanic rock formations on the last mile of their trek is NOT why they signed up. In the past the race has started as early as 7 am. I don’t know why the race start was so late this year, but I encourage organizers to make runner safety their top priority in the future.
Greg Lamb
Bakersfield, CA