World’s oldest paddleboard race returns to Catalina Island

TWO HARBORS — Paddlers from around the world will congregate at Isthmus Cove the final Sunday of August and, at sunrise, embark on an aquatic marathon across the Catalina Channel and toward the upper reaches of Southern California’s South Bay. This summer marks the 40th edition of the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race, bringing users of the human powered craft together for a competitive race from Catalina Island’s West End to Manhattan Beach Pier. Dozens of paddlers are expected to participate in the “Granddaddy of All Paddleboard Races,” which takes place Aug. 27. Paddlers will race for 32 miles between the Two Harbors area and Manhattan Beach using only their hands and a paddleboard (measuring between 12 and 19 feet in length). Competitors can only use their hands to propel them through the water – though the elements (wind, currents, swells, marine life, etc. would certainly play a factor). The Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race is the oldest such competitive event of its type. A paddleboard crossing out of Catalina was first achieved in 1932 – the same year Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympic Games. Completing the crossing in a little less than six hours was Tom Blake; he paddled his way to the...