Bark Sets Sub-Five-Hour Record in Catalina Classic Victory
Aug 26, 2024 09:09AM ● By Mb News Staff
2024 Catalina Classic finishers gather for their traditional group photo.
Sunday's 32-mile Catalina Classic, the iconic Catalina-to-Manhattan Beach paddleboard race on Sunday, saw speedy times with paddling champion Jack Bark setting a new course record.
Jack Bark finished in an incredible under-five-hour time of 4:54.45.
Bark is a world champion paddler and endurance athlete who has done a 100-mile paddle along with other mega-distance paddles and runs. He the son of legendary paddleboard craftsman and two-time former Catalina Classic winner (and 38-time finisher) Joe Bark.
Carrying on the family tradition, paddler Emily Bark claimed the womens' overall title, finishing in a time of 6:12.13. She was just two seconds ahead of last year's womens' winner Liz Hunter, who finished in 6:12.15.
All told, a total of 127 paddlers completed the grueling 32-mile Catalina-to-Manhattan Beach paddleboard race on Sunday.
Conditions were remarkably better than in 2023, when rough water posed a serious challenge to even the most seasoned competitors. By comparison, last year's overall winner, Scott Clausen, finished in 5:46.27.
Top 2024 Catalina Classic Finishers
Top 2024 Catalina Classic finishers included:
Mens Unlimited:
Jack Bark - 4:54.45
Max First - 5:06.40
Tristan Sullaway - 5:11.47
Mens Stock:
Lansdown Lachie - 5:35.00
Toa Pere - 5:44.19
David Thomas - 5:45.11
Womens Unlimited:
Jasmine Stiles - 7:08.45
Francziska Steagall - 7:20.30
Womens Stock:
Emily Bark - 6:12.13
Liz Hunter - 6:12.15
Finley Murphy - 6:14.12
(Competitors race in either the "stock" or "unlimited" category; with
stock boards being limited to 12 feet. The unlimited boards are
typically 18-19 feet long.)
Classic Paddleboard Race Started in 1955
The
Manhattan Beach International Paddleboard Race, the precursor to the
Catalina Classic, was started in 1955 by Los Angeles County Lifeguard
Bob Hogan and the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce. (Or, as Steve Schlens, winner of the stock race in 2012,
described it, "It started with one lifeguard saying to another
lifeguard, 'Hey, I've got a really bad idea...'")
The
Catalina Classic has since become the premier paddling event of the
year, drawing paddlers from around the country and even the world.
Paddlers
leave Isthmus Cove, Catalina Island, at 6:00 a.m. and paddle 32 miles
to the Manhattan Beach Pier on paddle boards using only their hands to
propel them through the water. Swells, currents, and wind conditions
play into what is notoriously one of the most grueling endurance events
in the world.
The Catalina Classic Paddleboard
Association, a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, donates yearly to
local non-profit organizations that work with youth groups, education,
and water safety. Past recipients include the L.A. County Jr. Lifeguard
Scholarship Fund, The Manhattan Beach Roundhouse Aquarium, the Jimmy
Miller Memorial Foundation, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, and 1% for the
Planet.
