Cambria’s Kniffen pays tribute to swimmer Yudovin with highway run

Spurred on by the nearly superhuman long-distance swimming feats of the late David Yudovin, and driven by his own fervent desire to achieve goals outside his comfort zone, Cambria’s Steve Kniffen plans to leave his Kerry Avenue residence Thursday morning, April 21, heading north on a 100-mile trek — on dry land.

Kniffen — who recently turned 50 and will have company on his journey — will run 25 miles a day for three days (staying overnight the first night at Ragged Point; the second night at Lucia) and plans to arrive and stay overnight in Big Sur on Saturday, April 23, having run about 75 miles.

On Sunday at 6:45 a.m. Kniffen will tighten up his running shoes and participate in the iconic 26.2-mile Big Sur Marathon, from Big Sur to Carmel — the conclusion of his 100-mile challenge.

One major goal of the run, Kniffen said in a phone interview, is raising funds for charitable groups. The proceeds Kniffen collects from those who make pledges will go to the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House and City of Hope cancer research center. He and his family stayed at the Ronald McDonald House while his daughter, Reagan, underwent serious neck surgery at UCLA Medical Center four years ago.

But beyond that, he said, “My real goal has been to encourage other people to do the run and raise money on their own. My objective is to challenge people to do at least part of the run.

“If you can do just five miles, do it. Yes, it’s a little dangerous,” he admitted.

In fact there are many places well north on Highway 1 where bike lanes are nonexistent and runners are at the mercy of traffic.

“You have to trust yourself that what you’re doing is the right thing, and keep calling on the road gods to keep you safe. But man when you get out there, it’s so amazingly beautiful, and when you’re by yourself on that road, you will see God, I swear.”

Those running with him for the first 25 miles to Ragged Point include Mary Youngs, Marcus Garcia, Lalo Guizar, Danny Rodriguez and Oscar Catalan; Lalo Quintero will follow on a bike with necessary gear.

Immediately behind that entourage will be 70-year-old Jay Burbank, riding his recumbent tricycle; Burbank made the same run Kniffen is making 20 years ago. Tim Murdock will be trailing right behind Burbank on a bike.

Aaron Linn also plans to participate: “I’ll do the first 25 miles on my bike with Steve, and the last 25 miles with him as a tribute to David (Yudovin), who was an exemplary businessman and an amazing person.”

As for nourishment along the route, Kniffen, who runs 3 minutes then walks 1 minute — “exponentially saving energy for the end” — drinks 24 ounces of an electrolyte energy drink every five miles. He eats Tiger Bars, and every 10 miles he consumes a 5-hour energy drink.

David and Beth Vudovin

David Yudovin, a Cambrian who died of a heart attack in March 2015, swam his way into the International Swimming Marathon Hall of Fame in 2014. He began his epic watery adventures in 1976 when he swam from Catalina Island to the California coast (19 nautical miles) in 11 hours, 51 minutes.

According to his website, in his remarkable career, Yudovin swam a total of 43 channels from 1976 to 2014; he was the first to swim 23 of those channels.

Always more interested in breaking barriers than setting records for speed, Yudovin was passionate about conquering rough stretches of water, where no previous swimmer had gone. “He battled and defeated deadly whirlpools, thousands of jellyfish stings, hot water, cold water, nasty currents and highly uncooperative tides and weathers,” his website narrative explains.

He was first to swim from Santa Cruz Island to the coast (16 nautical miles in 15 hours, 15 minutes) in 1983; in 2003 he was first to swim from New Zealand’s Cape Wiwiki to Cape Brett in the Bay of Islands (10 nautical miles in 5 hours, 23 minutes, 8 seconds); and in 1990 he was the first swimmer to battle the fierce currents and waves between Japan’s Honshu Island and Hokkaido Island (17 nautical miles in 11 hours, 54 minutes).

His wife, Beth, who went everywhere in the world with David, arranged all the resources needed and manned the lifeboat that accompanied him on each venture, said the trek from Honshu to Hokkaido sticks out in her mind as the most heroic.

“It was a 12-hour swim. It was the China Sea going into the Pacific Ocean, and it was a heck of a current as well. We had two sport fishing boats as our escorts, but nobody on the boats spoke English. We found one young man in a village who spoke English who could be our interpreter.

“That is now a sanctioned swim. It is done a lot now, and David was the pioneer for it.”

Reached by phone in Los Angeles, Beth was asked how David would respond if he knew what Kniffen and friends were doing in his honor. She said, “I think it is so cool. I am so excited about it. It’s a huge personal endeavor for Steve.

“Steve contacted me last summer and said he wanted to donate this event to David, in his honor. It’s amazing. I’m head over heels about it.”

Beth will be Kniffen’s crew — “his SAG” (service and gear) — just as she was David’s crew.

“I want to make sure Steve has the best experience he can have,” she said.

Crewing for David meant following the swimmer in an inflatable, or a fishing boat, and while she was the navigator, she always had a local person on board, “Who was familiar with the ocean and the currents, and who could operate the boat so I could do everything else.”

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 10:07 AM with the headline "Cambria’s Kniffen pays tribute to swimmer Yudovin with highway run."