Five Days Until the 32 Mile Catalina Classic

Five Days to Catalina

 

Just five more days. Five days until the 32-mile Catalina Classic. At this point, there are only two paddles left on my training schedule: today's six miles and a four-mile paddle on Thursday. Then that's it. The training will be done.

 

The next time I get on my board, I'll be starting the Catalina Classic. It's a strange feeling. I got up pretty early this morning knowing we were supposed to have toes in the water at 6:30 a.m., but somehow time slipped away from me and I ended up running late. I was the last one to park at the harbor parking lot, yet somehow I was the first one ready to go—paddle gear on, board on my head, standing there waiting for everyone else. Funny how that happens.

 

There was a lot of conversation about the Classic this morning. People were getting their gear organized, talking about logistics, and making sure everything was dialed in. Most of the people around me have done this before. Like Tommy, is getting ready for what I think is his 20th Catalina Classic.

 

Me? This is my first. And I have a lot of open tabs in my head.

 

The Logistics

 

One of those tabs has been figuring out how to get my board to Catalina. My 17'6" prone paddleboard is actually bigger than my 17-foot boat, so my boat captain, Steph, asked if I could find someone else to bring the board over. I thought that wouldn't be too difficult. It turned into a bit of an adventure.

 

Months ago, I had asked Tommy's boat guy, Adam, if I could put my board on his boat. He said yes. Then I found out he was going over a week early, and somewhere along the way things got messy. Maybe I was a little wishy-washy about my commitment to getting the board on his boat. Maybe he forgot. Either way, he now has four boards and something like twelve people on his boat, so adding my 17'6" board wasn't really an option.

So I started asking around. There are a lot of boats going to Catalina for this race—roughly 160, since every paddler needs an escort boat. Surely there had to be room somewhere. I asked the Paddle Dawgs. Jordy checked with his boat guy. No dice.

I circled back to the TNT—Tuesday N Thursday—Harbor crew. Amy said she could fit my board, but I'd have to get it to her at Redondo Harbor at 9 a.m. Friday. 

 

Ugh. LZ and I were still planning on taking Adam's boat over, which meant we'd need to be in Newport at 6 a.m. Friday. I asked a few more people. Lots of silence. So with all of that chatter going on in my head, I was really looking forward to today's paddle.

I just wanted a few easy miles in the water with my friends.

 

Six Easy Miles

 

I turned on my Insta360 and just let it run as we headed toward the launch dock.

Maya asked me again how I get onto my board from the dock, so I demonstrated it. I actually got a pretty cool clip of the whole thing. I might turn that into a YouTube Short later.

 

Once we got on the water, everything felt easier. The conditions were good. The water was nice. And for the first time in a while, I wasn't thinking about trying to get more miles into my arms. I was thinking about efficiency. I've been working on finding what a sustainable race pace feels like. My goal is something around 4.3–4.5 mph at roughly 70% effort. If the current is helping, that same 70% effort might put me closer to 4.7 mph.

 

That's what I was feeling today. I paid attention to my body. I consciously relaxed my neck and shoulders. I focused on not wasting energy. I wasn't trying to fight every ripple or little wave. Instead, I worked on finding the right speed and stroke to move over them or ride with them. Just smooth. Just efficient.

 

Amy pulled away pretty early, but I was perfectly happy hanging with Brent and Maya and having some good conversations. At about three miles, we all stopped and chatted for a bit. On the way back, I focused on my pace and how my body was feeling. The wind was at our backs, and there were stretches where the water became completely glassy and smooth. Those are the moments I love. 

 

I love watching the water part at about 39 degrees off the tip of my board as I glide across the surface. For a few miles, there was nothing to think about except paddling.

And that was exactly what I needed.

200 Miles

 

Somewhere out there, I started thinking about my numbers for the month. By the end of August, I'm going to be somewhere around 215 ocean miles. More than 200 miles in one month. That's a huge accomplishment for me. And it's probably the kind of personal best that's going to be pretty hard to break in the future.

 

I also got plenty of good video today—both knee paddling and prone paddling. I already know I'll use some of those clips later, probably mixed with the audio messages I've been collecting from friends and family. Those messages have become something really special to me. They're going to be part of my race-day strategy. When things get hard—and I'm sure they will—I'll have those voices to listen to.

 

The Messages

 

Andrew Burke sent me an audio message today that really got me choked up. He's been watching my Instagram stories. I've been posting clips and resharing things from last year's race, and I think he finally understood the magnitude of what this 32-mile race really is.

 

But the thing that hit me the hardest was something very simple. He told me he'd set alarms on his phone for the race. Every hour. And every half hour. He wanted me to know that throughout the entire race, he'd be thinking about me. He'd be there. Even though he wouldn't physically be on the water, I'd know he was there cheering me on.

That one got me.

 

Even writing this now brings the tears back. Not overwhelmed. Just... welmed. That's probably the best word for it. I'm just really, really moved by the support my friends and close family have shown me so far. And honestly, I think that's enough motivation to get me across the channel and to the finish line.

 

The Right Captain

 

Even my boat captain, Steph, is excited about this race. This is probably—no, it is—the biggest collaboration he and I have ever done. We've surfed Pipeline, Off the Wall, Waimea Bay, and Sunset together on the North Shore of Oahu. We've shared plenty of adventures over the years. But this feels bigger.

This time he's in my corner. He's not just another guy watching from the beach. He's my captain. He's part of the team that's going to get me from Catalina Island to Manhattan Beach. And after everything I've been trying to figure out with my board, I finally got another reminder that I picked the right person.

 

When I told Steph about the possibility of needing to get my board to the harbor at 9 a.m. Saturday—even though I'd be in Newport at 6 a.m.—he just said, "No problem."

His solution was simple. Drop the board off at his house the night before. His son could load it onto his wife's car, she could drive it over and meet them, and they'd take the board off the top when they got there.

 

Just like that. Problem solved. That instantly took a huge amount of pressure off my shoulders. Sometimes you don't realize how much mental space a problem is taking up until someone helps you solve it.

 

Five Days

 

So here I am. Five days from the start of the Catalina Classic. The official race is the 49th annual Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race, and on Sunday, August 30, paddlers from around the world will leave Isthmus Cove on Catalina Island at 6:00 a.m. and make the 32-mile crossing to the Manhattan Beach Pier.

 

We'll be lying prone or knee paddling on paddleboards ranging from 12 to 19 feet long, using only our hands to propel ourselves across the water. No paddles. No shortcuts. Just 32 miles of ocean, with swells, currents, wind, and whatever else the Pacific decides to give us.

 

A year ago, I did the 2 mile Catalina Cup race while others were doing the 32 mile Catalina Classic. My longest paddle session was just a few miles. Now I'm five days away from attempting 32. I'm nervous. I'm excited. I'm still working through those open tabs in my head. But I'm also ready.

 

And I know I have an incredible group of people behind me. My friends. My family. My training partners. And my captain. I've got the right people in my corner. Now there's just a little more paddling to do. Then it's race day.

 

Tracker #80

 

Tracker #80, that's the number to look for. And if you're watching the live coverage or following the GPS tracker on August 30th, know that every time you see #80 moving across that map, there's a whole lot of people all around the world moving with me.

 

See you in five more days.

 

 

Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race 2026 (see all 164 entries)

Catalina Classic 2026 Livestream

Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race

The Race starts at 6:00 Am sharp and the live stream will begin at 7:00 am (Pacific time)

CAT IC	Isthmus Cove	N 33° 26.534′	W 118° 29.907′
R-10	Palos Verdes	N 33° 46.371’	W 118° 26.210′
MB PR	Manhattan Pier	N 33° 53.00′	W 118° 24.876′

From Isthmus Cove to R10

True Bearing: 8.8° (rounds to 9°)
Distance: About 20.3 nautical miles (23.4 statute miles)

From R10 to Manhattan Pier

Heading: 9.48° (roughly due north, slightly tilted east)

Distance: About 7.1 nautical miles (8.2 statute miles)