Saturday’s Rock 2 Rock Paddleboard Race reaffirmed the correlation between between swimming and paddling boarding, at least in smooth water.
Erik Matheson, 44, of Culver City, won the Rock 2 Rock prone paddleboard division in 3:40:53. He finished just six seconds behind OC1 (outrigger canoe) paddler Brandon Hill, from the Kahakai Outrigger Club in Long Beach. Hill was first overall in 3:34:52.
Matheson is a recurrent lifeguard, former college swimmer and current water polo coach at Santa Monica and East Los Angeles community colleges.
Dave Walters, 29, in his first season of paddling, won the stock prone division in 4:18:09. At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Walters helped set a world record and won a gold medal after swimming the first leg of the 4 x 200 meter relay. The following year, at the World Championships in Rome, Walters beat Michael Phelps’ American record for the 100 meter freestyle, with a time of 47.33. That record still stands.
Both Matheson and Walters took early leads. Walters said the hardest part of the race was not having another paddler close enough to push him.
The 22 mile Rock 2 Rock starts at 6:30 a.m. at Two Harbors on Catalina Island and finishes at Cabrillo Beach, in San Pedro. The race is known for strong winds and rough water. Cabrillo Beach is known as Hurricane Gulch and popular with windsurfers.
But Saturday’s westerly winds were light and the water flat, conditions that appealed to Matheson.
“I’d rather grind it out than ride swells,” said Matheson, who paddles primarily on his knees.
The smooth conditions also favored Walters, who at 6-foot-3, is tall for a stock board (12 foot) paddler.
Both Matheson and Walters said they plan to compete in the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race in late August. Matheson finished seventh in last year’s Classic. Walters said he has not decided if he will race in the stock or unlimited division. The Classic also starts at Two Harbors, but is 10 miles longer. It finishes at the Manhattan Beach pier.
Cat Maliki, the only female racer, finished in 4:55:59 on a stock board.
Olympus Board Shop owner Jeremy Godo Kiss was the first SUP finisher, with a time of 4:32:45, on a 14-foot board.
Approximately 40 paddlers competed in the race. For more photos visit EasyReaderNews.com.
