I have to give serious props to the guys — all five of them — who showed up at HB pier early Sunday morning to compete in the Huntington Beach Longboard Crew’s 22nd annual Pier Paddle.

I have to confess: I fully planned on showing up, but looked out my window at 7 a.m. and saw the pouring rain. I shivered, pulled my covers back over my head, and went back to sleep.

BUT - I chatted with race organizer Gary Sahagen, who gave me a quick summary of the event.

“It was pouring rain. Under the pier, it was blowing sideways, there was nowhere to hide,” he said.

This year’s winner was Jordan Schaefer, who paddled in the rough conditions at a time of 9 minutes, 40 seconds. His younger brother Matt came in second.

It’s a pretty low-key event, lasting only about 15 minutes. The rules are basic, whoever paddles around the pier first wins.

Last year, about 20 people showed up (the weather was much better), but there was one year in the ’90s with similarly bad conditions when only one person showed up.

Gary couldn’t help laughing at the fact that there was all of one person watching from the soggy sand, asking paddlers “aren’t you guys cold?” They normally give out six trophies. But since five people only showed up, Gary (who didn’t participate because he’s had ongoing back problems) got to keep one.

After the paddle, the guys headed over to help in the beer garden for marathon runners, no doubt taking a few sips to warm up their bods after the paddle.

Way to show up, fellas.

- Laylan

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