The 32-mile Catalina Classic is one of the most grueling endurance contests on the planet — an ultra-marathon of the sea — and an annual rite of passage in Southern California surf culture. This year's race was pure hell.
After waking before dawn on Catalina Island beneath a vast bowlful of stars, 100 elite athletes prepared to cross the open ocean to Manhattan Beach using only their arms for power., is one of the most grueling endurance contests on the planet — an ultra-marathon of the sea — and an annual rite of passage in Southern California surf culture.
Course conditions for the annual Catalina Classic vary widely, from calm and smooth to wind-blown and wild. Conditions this year were the most challenging anyone involved could remember.First held in the 1950s, the Catalina Classic was born from friendly competition among ocean lifeguards in the South Bay. They sprint out into the waves on long, buoyant surfboards to rescue people, so it was only natural to race each other during training to see who was fastest.
Venturing so far offshore on a surfboard presents many hazards, but a question racers often hear after they explain to people why they spend all year training is: “What about sharks?”in the paddlers. Maybe that’s because humans, in general, are not on their diet. And humans on 12 -to 18-foot surfboards look nothing like their normal prey.“Sharks never crossed my mind, honestly,” said Tim Gair, an L.A. County lifeguard whose 1999 record time — 5:02:12 — still stands.
Massive cargo ships are a more serious concern. The route from Catalina to Manhattan Beach cuts straight across the approach to theone of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. It takes those ships, some of which are more than 1,000 feet long and as tall as an 11-story building, miles to turn and forever to stop.
But ask any of the paddlers what they fear most and they’ll tell you it’s fatigue — the race is just so miserably long.To relieve the physical strain, racers can get up off their bellies and onto their knees. Then they reach down and paddle with both arms at the same time. That generates more power, but it’s even harder to sustain for long stretches. Some say they switch back and forth between the positions just so some other part of their body hurts for a while.
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