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He may only be two days removed from breaking a distance running record, but 44-year-old Christian Burke is already preparing for his next challenge.

Burke, a Hermosa Beach resident and noted endurance race competitor, ran the 3.4-mile loop between the Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach piers for 24 hours during the Labor Day weekend to raise money for Hermosa Beach schools, where his daughter, Halle, is a sixth-grader.

Money raised from Burke's run went to the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation, which supports programs in the Hermosa Beach City School District. The small, two-school K-8 district is faced with a $670,000 budget shortfall. Burke was able to raise more than $5,000.*

 

*Burke's run generated more than $9,000 for Hermosa schools, said Stephanie Bell, President of the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation. And they're still counting. 

"The community response was unbelievable," Burke said. "People were saying they had goose bumps while they where running with me. People asked me 'What if you don't finish? But with all that support, how could I not?"

Stopping only to eat, drink water and use the bathroom, Burke ran barefoot on the soft sand and broke the previous sand running world record of 62.14 miles with a new mark of 83.04 miles. He completed the run, which coincided with Fiesta Hermosa, at noon Monday. Hundreds of spectators came down to the beach to watch Burke during the run; many even joined him for a lap or two. Television news crews documented his progress as helicopters circled overhead.

Burke spent several weeks training for the event and only suffered a few minor injuries - blistered toes, a sprained ankle and some rashes along his legs from his board shorts.

"I feel like someone threw a sack over my head and clubbed my legs," Burke said. "I've got gnarly blisters on toes and rashes and scars from the waste down from my board shorts. But I'm alright."

After the run, Burke took a quick shower before heading over to a popular Hermosa Beach bar with some friends to celebrate his achievement. That's when fatigue and pain began to set in.

"Somebody poured me a shot of Patron and my stomach was in knots," Burke said. "It hurt. That's when I knew it was time for bed."

He is gearing up for his next feat - a corporate-backed humanitarian effort that will bring him and another endurance race competitor, Eric Sullivan, to run a marathon in every sovereign nation in the world in 18 months. "Run Every Nation" will aim to bring awareness to global health and fitness issues. The run is expected to begin in January 2011.

Meanwhile, Burke will continue resting and recovering, but won't be staying in bed for long.

"I'll be running next weekend," he said.

Donations to Hermosa schools can be made by visiting www.hermosa24.com or texting HB to 20222.

 

Readers, here's your local news:

Fifteen customers of the Apple store in Manhattan Beach have been targeted since September by thieves who follow them away from the store and snag their new purchases.

In the wake of the attempted Christmas Day terrorist attack, Los Angeles city officials are promising to beef up security at Los Angeles International Airport.

Only three South Bay school districts have submitted applications to receive a portion of up to $700 million competitive federal grant program.

More fall-out on the great Lawndale garlic-gate.

El Segundo's flasher has struck again -- the ninth time in recent months.

A beautiful historic San Pedro building celebrates its 85th birthday Thursday.

Torrance-based Toyota Motor Sales may have had a rough 2009, but it still gained two No. 1 rankings.

Serra High's Robert Woods is the Daily Breeze's prep football player of the year. His leader, Scott Altenberg, is the coach of the year, and why don't you check out the rest of the All-area Team?

Readers, let's roll:

Jurors convicted a Torrance man Thursday of throwing his wife of 13 days over a Rancho Palos Verdes cliff.

A team of sixth- and seventh-grade girls from Wilmington Middle School -- usually more associated with overcrowding and gang recruitment -- have won a top prize in a South Bay robotics competition.

Torrance is now home to the state's first state-of-the-art futsal facility.

Now that demand has dropped and supply has increased, county health officials are lifting restrictions on who can get a swine flu vaccine.

A new pastry shop in Manhattan Beach specializes in gourmet cupcakes. Mmmm.

Serra High School's football team heads to the CIF State Division III bowl game Saturday.

Have you checked out our database of LAPD's most wanted suspects yet?

Readers, let's hit it:

A Rolling Hills Estates attorney was shot in his driveway Monday night. The man is in critical condition died at Torrance Memorial Medical Center this morning.

Monday's rain went away but will come again another day -- like Thursday. Check out pictures of yesterday's storm.

Los Angeles Unified School District leaders are set to vote today on a three-year budget plan today that includes massive lay-offs of teachers, administrators and school workers to close a $495 million deficit.

Two Torrance High alumni and one of their mothers have been arrested in a shooting death last week of a Harbor Gateway man.

Hey, times are tough: Why not rob a Christmas tree lot for $70 and apologize in the process like this guy allegedly did?

Kaiser Permanente hosted a free surgery day Monday, providing gratis procedures for about a dozen uninsured patients on waiting lists for months.

El Segundo-based Boeing said Monday it had acquired the first on-orbit signals from an Air Force satellite launched over the weekend.

Leuzinger High's boys basketball team thinks it has the skills and roster to get to another shot at CIF. And Serra High's team isn't too shabby either.

Readers, let's get to it:

Baby, it's cold (and wet) outside.

Local cycling activists have formed a new coalition to advocate for bike safety and a South Bay-wide bike plan.

He may be out of place a Torrance flea market, but this Santa Claus is a dead-ringer for the real guy.

An advanced 321-camera system is among a series of security enhancements made at the Port of Los Angeles in recent years.

The Redondo Beach Elks Club celebrated its 90th birthday this weekend, boasting a robust membership that's still growing even as the popularity of social clubs wane.

A Redondo Union High School teachers has been arrested for committing a lewd act in front of a 16-year-old student.

Meanwhile, an audit has concluded that Redondo Beach Unified School District inflated its free meal count, setting itself up to receive higher levels of state and federal funding.

Operators of a Torrance preschool fears closure if a cell phone tower is built on a vacant lot next door and scares parents.

Readers, what happened to November? Yikes. Here's your news:

Four men have been arrested in connection with a non-injury shootout with Lennox sheriff's deputies.

Today is World AIDS Day, and did you know that a leading group of researchers investigating antiviral medications to treat the illness are based right here in the South Bay?

Is it any surprise that South Bay students attending school in wealthier cities are more physically fit than their lower-income counterparts? El Segundo and Manhattan Beach students performed best in the state Department of Education's annual physical fitness assessment, the results of which were released Monday.

News columnist John Bogert weighs in on one of parents' worst nightmares: drunk teenagers at a house part hosted by good kids.

El Segundo city leaders are expected tonight to begin the process to farm out fire protection services to Los Angeles County.

Dave Galbraith is the man behind those beautifully painted house addresses popping up around South Bay curbs. His more popular choices include the Manhattan Beach pier, the Vincent Thomas Bridge, Catalina Island and the Angels Gate Lighthouse, but the Long Beach resident also does custom work.

Serra High's boys basketball team easily beat Gardena on Monday in the first round of the Redondo Pacific Shores Tournament. Check out pictures.

Readers, wake up from your turkey and retail coma to catch up on local news:

Plans for a high-density senior housing complex in the heart of Torrance have resurfaced.  Again.

How did you spend Thanksgiving? Volunteers at Torrance church offered food, comfort and friendship to South Bay folks.

Bravo shoppers for bucking a dismal economy and flooding stores this morning in search of bargains. Our own business columnist Muhammed El-Hasan shares his Black Friday experience from last year.

And while you're out shopping, why not pick up an athletic ball to bring to the Breeze's annual holiday ball drive, which supports local youth-focused nonprofits?

A jury has found that William Sadowski was legally sane when he killed a Los Angeles International Airport police officer in 2005. Now, he's headed for a lifetime in parole, rather than a mental institution.

One Palos Verdes Estates young lady has reached what could be the highest echelon of academic honor, earning a prestigious Rhodes scholarship.

After more than a year of fighting for a dog park on The Hill, it looks like a Palos Verdes Estates couple is finally starting to see some success.

Thanksgiving is sooo yesterday. Bring on Christmas, and visits from Santa Claus throughout the South Bay.

Readers, so much news this morning:

A Carson man was arrested this morning in connection to a Harbor College break-in, but another man escaped.

Trial began Monday for Brandon Manai, the Torrance man accused of throwing his wife of just 13 days over a Rancho Palos Verdes cliff in July 2005.

Los Angeles Unified School District leaders have instigated a a hiring freeze, and slashed other expenses like travel, conferences and eats at district meetings as the district faces a deficit of up to $60 million this year.

Looks like El Segundo's new fire station is almost finished after a few delays.

Los Angeles International Airport traffic in October increased for the second month in a row. Whoo hoo!

More than 2 million drop-side cribs manufactured by an arm of the El Segundo-based Mattel have been recalled.

Readers, we have so much news this fine autumn morning:

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors enacted sweeping measures in hopes of curbing obesity and smoking, and cashing in on stimulus funds, but stopped at banning soda at county venues.

A psychiatrist told a Los Angeles County Superior Court that William Sadowski was insane when he killed an LAX police officer by dragging him with his own car about four years ago.

A relatively controversial statue unveiled in San Pedro but boxed away in storage ever since, has found a new home on the city's waterfront.

Poor Gardena and San Pedro high schools: The schools drew significantly less interest from charters or outside groups in running them under Los Angeles Unified School District's Public School Choice Plan than the other three dozen or so schools open under the pitch.

Check out these cute pictures of Special Olympics athletes playing at Mattel in El Segundo yesterday.

A South Bay-based firm won a $10 million contract with the European planemaker Airbus.

Mira Costa High's girl volleyball team lost again for the second time this season to Los Alamitos on Tuesday. See pictures.

Readers, we are brimming with news:

A large swine flu clinic in Carson saw a low turnout Monday, but workers at the Home Depot Center were prepared just in case.

Speaking of which, did you see this weekend's story about an otherwise strapping Redondo Beach man who nearly died of H1N1?

Los Angeles County Superior Court jurors found a man guilty of murdering an airport police officer, but now they must decide if William Sadowski was insane at the time of the 2005 crime.

A burglar  jumped from rooftop to rooftop to evade Hermosa Beach police, but was caught hiding under a tarp Monday. Whoops.

Movie industry groups are opposing El Segundo's proposed revisions to its filming ordinances, ironically designed to be looser and attract more production to down.

Check out this pretty public art installation in Redondo Beach.

Robinson Elementary student Dalton Phillips won a ride in a Manhattan Beach fire truck for his entry in a safety contest.

I don't know about you, the last things I wanted to be called in high school were "pit bull" and "beast," but these Bishop Montgomery volleyball players like their nicknames.