Waterman

The same day the Olympic men’s triathlon took place (as Slowtwitch readers know) there was another race -- smaller in scope but interersting just the same -- The Carb-boom Palomar Challenge. But that wasn’t all.

Alas, we can't be everywhere, but we do have our network of informants who report back when something Slowtwitch-worthy occurs. Hence our report on the Waterman Team Challenge.

Lifeguards competed in this first-year race, but if the event-director is equal opportunity expect tri-geeks to horn in next year. A lifeguard-specific starting line notwithstanding, one of our sport’s own – longtime triathlete Mark Montgomery – competed as well. He’s also one of their own -- Mark’s a full-time year-round lifeguard, and although he swims, bikes and runs, he also paddles, rows a dory, and does similar lifeguard-type stuff.

The Waterman Team Challenge is raced in pairs (although there are wimp categories of 5- and 6-person teams as well). It starts with a man on a paddleboard. These are similar to surfing longboards, and to get the best mental sense of a paddleboard imagine a ‘60s Frankie Avalon hanging ten. The first leg of the Waterman requires a team member to paddle 7-miles from Cabrillo beach – in the L.A. Harbor -- to the Abalone Cove in Palos Verdes. This is no mean feat, because paddlers usually race on their knees. 7-miles of this is hardly possible without amputation immediately ensuing mid-quadrucep. If you paddle on your stomach to save your knees you'll then require rotator-cuff surgery. But that’s the race, so pick your poison.

The paddler touches off to his teammate, who mounts an ocean kayak for 8 more miles around the Palos Verdes point to Torrance beach.

Next, both team members row a 2-person lifeguard dory to Hermosa Beach pier, 4 to 5 miles further on, jump out of the dory, and re-enter the water, making for the end of the Hermosa Beach pier. During this leg, one swims, one paddles. At the end of the pier both make a straight shot to the Manhattan pier (a mile-and-a half distant), round it, and swim in: a 2-mile leg in all. Not finished yet...

One of the duo begins the 6-mile soft-sand run to Dockweiler beach, turns around, and heads back to Hermosa pier. At Manhattan pier the second team member joins his teammate and both must finish together in Hermosa.

The race covers the entire coastline known as the South Bay, and includes all the disciplines used in lifeguard competitions.

Mitch Kahn and Mark Montgomery paired to win the race this year although both are over 40 and obviously therefore can't be very fast anymore (right?). These two combine to hold just less than 100 national lifeguard championships, and Montgomery may add to that about 60 triathlon victories. Kahn is the Nolan Ryan of competitive lifeguards, and also competed in the Barcelona Olympics in Kayaking. They started as teammates playing polo together at Chico State in 1978. Montgomery is now a career lifeguard for the Los Angeles Fire department and Kahn is a Fire Paramedic in Orange County.

They completed the Waterman Team Challenge in 4:42:30, 17-minutes ahead of Scott Dietrich and Mel Soleberg, who won the senior division (30 to 39 years old). "We went head to head with the 6- person team [where a fresh athlete started every event] until the last 45 minutes," said Montgomery. "But the earlier events began to take their toll on our bodies." They still beat the 5-person team, though.

Event director Kyle Daniels was quite happy with the inaugural event. "We expect a much bigger turnout next year once the word goes out to all the lifeguard agencies." Lifeguard agencies! What about the tri-clubs?!