Catalina Classic 32-mile Paddleboard Marathon on Sunday
In the absence of any previous Catalina Classic winners competing in this year’s race, local favorites are expected to meet their toughest competition from Hawaiian and Australian paddlers. The 32-mile race starts at 6 a.m. Sunday at the Isthmus on Catalina Island and is expected to finish about 11 a.m. at the Manhattan pier. The local favorites in the unlimited division are orthopedic surgeon Brad Thomas and Los Angeles County Lifeguard Anthon Vella. Thomas won the eight mile Hennessey U.S. Paddleboarding Championship in July, defeating last year’s Catalina Classic winner Adam Buckley. Vella won the Father’s Day Rock to Rock, a 22 mile race from the Isthmus to San Pedro. But the two will be challenged by Hawaiian paddler Brian Rocheleau, who placed second in last year’s Catalina Classic and 8th in last month’s 32-mile Molokai Channel Paddleboard race, and Australian Mick Porra, who at age 50, placed sixth last month in the 32-mile Molokai race. Sea lions on the R10 Buoy urge on Brad Thomas in the 2011 Hennessey's U.S. Paddleboard Championships. Photo by Ciley Carrington In the stock division (12-foot boards, under 20 pounds), Sunday’s two favorites will each be recovering from…
Read this story on easyreadernews.com