Australian Ben Gulley won the Catalina Ski Race, from Long Beach to Catalina and back, in a time of 51 minutes, 12.61 seconds, for the overall top finish and Men’s Open title on Saturday. Todd Haig, who took second place for the second year in a row, was close behind, finishing with a time of 53:15.97. Orange County racer Gage Goldsmith took third with a time of 53:53.41. Ryder Tovatt (54:55.41) and Carter Robertson (56:06.06) were close behind for fourth and fifth.
Haig has won the event 17 times since 2000. For Gulley, this was his second title in the Catalina Ski Race, having won the event in 2018. The race covers approximately 62 miles, starting and finishing near the Queen Mary, with a turnaround just outside Avalon Bay.
In the Women’s Open division, Demi Fobelets was the top finisher with a time of 1 hour, nine minutes and 56.25 seconds. She was followed by Sophie Rivera with a time of 1:11:58.12 and Sylvia Despiegeleire who finished with a time of 1:13:24.03.
Two racers in the Intermediate Men’s Division posted times under and hour. Samuel Mckenzie took sixth overall and first in the division, with a time of 59:09.93. He edged out fellow division racer Jaali Walsh, who came in at 59:10.20.
In the Expert Men’s Division, Daniel Cotton (1:02:05.05), James Bartlett (1:05:58.37) and Darren Kirkland (1:06:22.37) finished 8th, 10th and 11th overall. Senior Men’s racer Jake Frame came in at ninth overall with a time of 1:02:53.33. Senior Men’s race Nick Patterson was second in the division with a time of 1:08:22.22.
Tanner Haig won the Jr. Boys Division with a time of 1:18:24.58, with Cameron Riley taking second in the division with a time of 1:30:16.44.