New Faces Take the Title at Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race
Aug 30, 2026 06:55PM ● By Jeanne Fratello
(Catalina Classic racers pose with their paddleboards after the 2026. Photo via Evelyn Schmitt. Used with permission.)
Sunday's Catalina Classic Paddleboard race from Catalina to Manhattan Beach saw new victors take the top spot in each category.
(Finn Aune reaches the finish line. Photo via Evelyn Schmitt.)On the men's side, Finn Aune, age 23, won the race in a time of 5:27.07 in the unlimited (over 12 feet) category, followed Shane Gallas, 29, in a time of 5:31.09. (Aune came in 15th place in 2025; Gallas did not race last year. Jack Bark, the winner from the last two years, came in 13th this year.)
In the stock category, Harris Henderson, 19, came in first in 5:53.16 and Ryan Frazee, 28, came in second in 5:56.08. (Neither competed in last year's race.)
(Emily Bark crosses the finish line. Photo via Evelyn Schmitt)On the women's side in the unlimited category, Emily Bark, 27, came in first in a time of 6:22.09 and was followed by Amy Dantzler, 62, in 6:44.55. However, the stock winners on the women's side actually arrived second and third overall : Sydney Brouwer, 24, in a time of 6:36.44 and Kayla Coscino, 24, in 6:37.36. (Last year, Bark, Coscino, Dantzler, and Brouwer came in second, third, seventh, and eighth, respectively.)
(Crowds wait near the Manhattan Beach Pier for the finishers to arrive. Photo via Evelyn Schmitt.)The race, known as the "granddaddy of all paddleboard races," has paddlers leaving Isthmus Cove, Catalina Island, at 6:00 a.m. and paddling 32 miles
to the Manhattan Beach Pier on paddleboards 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.
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.
The event is organized and run by the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Association, a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. The 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.
