By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
There is simply no substitute for experience. That was especially true when it came to navigating the current in the 45th annual Catalina Classic Paddleboard race—just ask 28-year-old Greg Dunne of The Huntington.
Dunne competed in the event for the third time in four years on August 28 (there was no race in 2020 because of COVID-19), and he finished in six hours, 45 minutes and 12 seconds, which was good enough for 16th place in the Stock Division (shorter board) and No. 51 overall.
The water sport consists of lying or kneeling on a board, and propelling oneself through the waves with a paddle or one’s hands.
Established in 1955, the Catalina Classic is the oldest and most celebrated endurance paddleboard race in the world. The testing, 32-mile marathon, which starts at Catalina’s Isthmus Cove and ends at the Manhattan Beach Pier, attracts paddlers from all around the globe and is known as the “granddaddy” of paddleboard races.
Dunne, who works for Colliers International in commercial real estate, shaved some 48 minutes off his time last summer when he was ninth in the Stock Division (12-foot-long boards or less) and 36th overall in choppy conditions. He first attempted the race as a 25 year old in 2019, finishing in six hours, 30 minutes, and placing seventh in the Stock Class.
Dunne has lived in approximately 20 houses in various Palisades neighborhoods, from the Alphabet Streets to the Highlands to the Riviera and now the Huntington, because his parents work in real estate.
Dunne attended Corpus Christi School, then Loyola High, where he played football and lacrosse. As a kid, he said he enjoyed surfing at Will Rogers State Beach.
He earned a degree in economics at Santa Clara University and makes fitness a priority.
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