“The Redondo Rocket”

The 2015 running of the Catalina Classic Marathon Paddleboard race is upon us and it is looking to be a slug-fest. Anything can change in a few weeks, but it’s hard not to notice that the prevailing weather pattern has been hot and humid. Add to that the fact that there has been almost no swell and you have a recipe for an ‘all arms’ race of epic proportions.

The completely stacked roster of paddlers is also impressive in every way. The entire field is exceptionally fit and seem to have taken advantage of the temperate conditions in winter to hammer their training programs—sprints, distance days, group paddles, and a notable number of fast races with some spectacular results. It. Is. On.

Drumming up excitement for this year’s running is not hard. Our hammer, once again, is Reno “The Redondo Rocket” Caldwell, and we have big expectations for him. I’m not going to say what those expectations are (it’s kind of like a banana on a boat, if you know what I mean), but I will say that The Rough House, skippered by inimitable Mark Urkov will be working overtime to support, push, cajole, and, if needed, ‘aggressively encourage’ Reno to give it all has.

The race is nothing short of epic, so it is worth giving a recap of last year’s outstanding effort (read more). Oh, one more thing, this event could not go off without the dedication of a few selfless paddlers (who forgo racing), the volunteers, and, importantly, the sponsors who make it happen over a long weekend. Check out the history of the race, updates, and images from the race at the links below.

Catalina Classic Facebook page
@farandawey (for weekend pics and race-day-updates)
Catalina Classic Website (for a final list of paddler entries)

–BT