Manhattan Beach Native Wins the Catalina Classic

The Pacific Ocean has been South Bay native Adam Buckley's playground since the age of 5. And after crossing 32 miles of open surf at the 35th annual Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race on Sunday, using nothing more than his arms to propel forward on a well-crafted fiberglass paddleboard, it's safe to say that Buckley felt like a kid all over again.

His domination in taking first place in the tournament was so thorough that after the obligatory photos and congratulatory hugs, Buckley, 32, took a well-deserved seat on the sand, looked around and asked if anyone else had finished. The answer was no. 

"I was leading from the beginning, coming out of Two Harbors," Buckley said. "For the first five or six miles, Anthony Vela [who took third place] was right with me, but I decided to go north and I lost track of him. I knew I was in the lead after that and I just put my head down and kept going."

Competing in the unlimited division, Buckley paddled his way to a winning time of 5:34:06. And in the process, he bested his next closest rival by nearly seven minutes. The unlimited division is for boards weighing more than 20 pounds. 

"I told my escort guys not to tell me anything that was going on," Buckley said. "I just wanted to concentrate on paddling and getting to the finish."

Buckley added that he had some trouble grasping the magnitude of his accomplishment after leaving the Isthmus of Catalina Island at 6 a.m. and then, hours later, finally reaching dry land at the race's finish.

"I never thought I would win this race," he said. "I cannot believe I won the Catalina Classic."

Buckley grew up in Manhattan Beach, attended Mira Costa High School, and now resides in Hermosa Beach. After watching some of the older surfers he grew up with compete in the race, by the age of 12, Buckley knew that he, too, wanted the distinction that comes with being a Catalina Classic finisher. 

Upon capturing the crown in only his second attempt, Buckley credited his newfound success to an increase in his training volume.

"I started paddling three months earlier than usual, back in March," he said. "I was able to get my technique dialed in, and I became more comfortable everyday. The group of guys I paddle with regularly were also a huge help in pushing me, and I was able to get better and better after every session."

The Catalina Classic is considered the biggest race in the sport of paddleboarding, and Buckley had no trouble describing what it meant to finish first: "In this sport, for me, this is the ultimate," he said.

Tom Duryea, 45, of Coronado, Calif. came into his fifth Catalina Classic with high hopes after winning the stock division on two previous occasions, and he won the division again with a time of 6:14:00. Stock division is for paddleboards less than 12 feet in length.

"I wanted to give it a really good shot," said Duryea about his plans to win this year's race. "I knew coming in, it would be tough especially against guys like Shane Scoggins [4th place] and Eric Abbott [5th place], both those guys are red hot this year so I knew I had to be on."

With his time, Duryea reached his 3rd title in the past five years and finished in 10th place overall. Duryea said a shorter board and his paddling style were helpful in battling this year's surf conditions.

"I use a high-cadence paddle with a high turnover, so it benefits me to compete on a stock board," Duryea said. "There were a lot of bumps on the water… I was able to go up and over them with greater ease."

After the 32-mile paddle across choppy, cold water, Duryea didn't hesitate for a second when asked about the best part of the race: "The finish," he said. "It makes all that paddling worth it the minute you touch the sand."

And the rich history of the classic makes his win that much sweeter, he added. "This race is the benchmark from what all other paddleboard races are measured by."

Unlimited Division Top 5

Adam Buckley 5:34:06

Brian Rocheleau 5:41:03

Anthony Vela 5:47:06

George Plsek 5:48:26

Jay Miller 5:51:51

Stock Division Top 5

Tom Duryea 6:14

Matt Sullivan 6:17:15

Jay Sheckman 6:17:27

Shane Scoggins 6:18:59

Eric Abbott 6:24:28

A total of 88 paddlers were scheduled to compete in the race.