Adam Buckley living the Dream. Photo by Nick Meistrell. (www.nickmeistrell.com)

“I knew I came out strong,” Adam Buckley said. “And by the time I hit five miles I just kept my head down and kept going. I didn’t look back, and I didn’t want to hear anything from my boat crew about where anybody was.”

The straight ahead strategy paid off for the 32-year-old, Hermosa Beach paddler who had an unremarkable, 19th place finish in his first Catalina Classic paddleboard race last year.

Despite a headwind, bumpy water and taking what he afterwards acknowledged was too high a course, Buckley arrived at the Manhattan Beach pier finish line Sunday morning 23 minutes ahead of his last year’s time and seven minutes ahead of second place finisher Brian Rocheleau, of Hawaii who finished fourth in the Classic last year.

Buckley took an early lead out of Catalina Island’s Two Harbors, followed closely by Anthony Vela, a Los Angeles County lifeguard who was competing in his first Catalina Classic.

See full story at Easyreadernews.com.