Catalina Classic Paddles Into Town On Sunday
Aug 26, 2016 10:08AM ● By Jeanne Fratello
2016 Finishers - Photo via Catalina Classic Paddleboard Association
The Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race - a colorful, demanding, and quintessentially Manhattan Beach tradition - is set for its 34th consecutive running on Sunday, August 28.
This historic 32-mile marathon, which starts at Catalina’s Isthmus cove and ends at the Manhattan Beach Pier, attracts paddlers from all over the world and is known as the “grand-daddy of all paddleboard races.”
The race will begin in Catalina at 6:00 a.m. and the first finishers are expected to arrive in Manhattan Beach at around 11:00 a.m. The race has a 9-hour cutoff at 3:00 p.m.
Paddlers in the event have all qualified through either previous participation in this race, or by approval of the race committee based on their participation in other qualifying paddleboard races.
The event began in 1955, and became an annual tradition, but was canceled in 1959 due to pier construction and in 1961 due to ocean conditions. The race then went into "hibernation" for two decades, until it was re-started in 1982, riding a new wave of popularity for the sport of paddleboarding.
This year’s race is dedicated to the memory of Bob Hogan, a former LA County Lifeguard who worked with the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce to create the original race in 1955.
Each year, the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Association makes donations to local non-profit organizations that work with youth groups, education and water safety, including the L.A. County Jr. Lifeguard Scholarship Fund, The Round House Aquarium, Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation, The Lanterman Fund, ECF Kayne Eras Center, and 1% for the Planet.
This historic 32-mile marathon, which starts at Catalina’s Isthmus cove and ends at the Manhattan Beach Pier, attracts paddlers from all over the world and is known as the “grand-daddy of all paddleboard races.”
The race will begin in Catalina at 6:00 a.m. and the first finishers are expected to arrive in Manhattan Beach at around 11:00 a.m. The race has a 9-hour cutoff at 3:00 p.m.
Paddlers in the event have all qualified through either previous participation in this race, or by approval of the race committee based on their participation in other qualifying paddleboard races.
The event began in 1955, and became an annual tradition, but was canceled in 1959 due to pier construction and in 1961 due to ocean conditions. The race then went into "hibernation" for two decades, until it was re-started in 1982, riding a new wave of popularity for the sport of paddleboarding.
This year’s race is dedicated to the memory of Bob Hogan, a former LA County Lifeguard who worked with the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce to create the original race in 1955.
Each year, the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Association makes donations to local non-profit organizations that work with youth groups, education and water safety, including the L.A. County Jr. Lifeguard Scholarship Fund, The Round House Aquarium, Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation, The Lanterman Fund, ECF Kayne Eras Center, and 1% for the Planet.
