Swimmers in the 1K and 1-mile swim take off for the first buoy as two paddle boarders watch the competition. (James Crosby Photos)
The first Reef and Run of the season came to East Beach on Thursday, welcoming a host of local runners and swimmers competing in three events.
Lifeguards collect the buoys after the Reef and Run swims, which benefit the Santa Barbara Junior Lifeguard program.
In honor of summer solstice, the event organizers decided to make the season-opener free for competitors.
Brook Armstrong won the 500-meter ocean swim while Renaud Gonthier came in first in the longer 1k swim. In the 1-mile swim, Stewart Reid edged Jerry Mahoney by two seconds to take the top spot.
Katherine Warren was the fastest female in the mile swim, placing 15th overall with a time of 22:02.
Reef and Run has 11 Thursdays on its 2012 schedule. The event had been held on Tuesdays for its first three years but changed to Thursdays on a regular basis for this season.
Reef and Run swimmers emerge from the water and sprint for the finish line in Thursday’s season-opener
Waouh ! Mon fils ! Tu es vraiment impressionnant ! Bravo, quand on devine ce que cela demande d’énergie ! Bisous bisous bisous ! Je ne te ferais pas le coup de “il est beau mon fils”, même si j je le pense un peu…Mais mon fils, il est surtout volontaire et courageux. Belle lutte mon grand ! Je vais essayer d’être à la hauteur ! Je t’aime.
Maman.