Residing in Coronado, California, Dan Mann possesses an unparalleled dedication to surfing and paddleboarding. Having grown up travelling the country with his family, he finally settled down in Coronado, with a deep appreciation and respect for the ocean. This admiration lured Mann into Ocean Lifeguarding in the 1990’s, which in turn led to an interest in competitive paddleboarding. Since then Dan has challenged himself in elite races such as the esteemed 32-mile Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race, where he has finished as high as 3rd.
After years of competing Mann decided he wanted to create a race of his own. In 1996 Mann and his wife, Kara, designed a renowned 11 mile paddleboard race in Coronado, California, called ‘The Loop’. With over 100 annual competitors, The Loop is a challenging yet accessible race for paddleboard enthusiasts. With 6 different divisions, prize money, raffles, and friendly competition, Mann developed a race that encompasses the true spirit of paddleboarding.
Dan describes the joy and excitement of this unique race:
“The Loop is a paddleboard race that I started in 1996 with my then girlfriend (now wife) Kara. The course is unique because it starts in the ocean for about 3 miles and finishes in the bay. And, when you’re done you just paddled 11 miles through a variety of conditions and you are less than 100 yards from where you started. I would do the course with my dad as a simple way to get a lot of miles in as we would train for Catalina (the grand daddy race with roots to pre WW2, 32 miles). There was a lot of comfort with knowing you could take a hard right and be close to your refrigerator within a few minutes.
Friends would do the course and as paddling became more and more popular it became a destination for people who live in IB and North County. There were only about 2 or 3 other consistent (for paddleboard only) races then, so, we decided we needed another race that was shorter and not a hassle to compete in. Simple.
It has been a big hit since. We give away a bit of the cash to some different things like Livestrong… stuff like that. We give back the entry fee to whomever finishes last (so they stay interested) and we have an award for whoever travels the farthest to be in the race. My brother does a drawing for the shirt every year. We have a cool raffle with only pertinent stuff to give away AND it is a raffle only for the people who did the race not the community that buy their way in. The food is good and good for you at the finish.”
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Dan Mann
Residing in Coronado, California, Dan Mann possesses an unparalleled dedication to surfing and paddleboarding. Having grown up travelling the country with his family, he finally settled down in Coronado, with a deep appreciation and respect for the ocean. This admiration lured Mann into Ocean Lifeguarding in the 1990’s, which in turn led to an interest in competitive paddleboarding. Since then Dan has challenged himself in elite races such as the esteemed 32-mile Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race, where he has finished as high as 3rd.
After years of competing Mann decided he wanted to create a race of his own. In 1996 Mann and his wife, Kara, designed a renowned 11 mile paddleboard race in Coronado, California, called ‘The Loop’. With over 100 annual competitors, The Loop is a challenging yet accessible race for paddleboard enthusiasts. With 6 different divisions, prize money, raffles, and friendly competition, Mann developed a race that encompasses the true spirit of paddleboarding.
Dan describes the joy and excitement of this unique race:
“The Loop is a paddleboard race that I started in 1996 with my then girlfriend (now wife) Kara. The course is unique because it starts in the ocean for about 3 miles and finishes in the bay. And, when you’re done you just paddled 11 miles through a variety of conditions and you are less than 100 yards from where you started. I would do the course with my dad as a simple way to get a lot of miles in as we would train for Catalina (the grand daddy race with roots to pre WW2, 32 miles). There was a lot of comfort with knowing you could take a hard right and be close to your refrigerator within a few minutes.
Friends would do the course and as paddling became more and more popular it became a destination for people who live in IB and North County. There were only about 2 or 3 other consistent (for paddleboard only) races then, so, we decided we needed another race that was shorter and not a hassle to compete in. Simple.
It has been a big hit since. We give away a bit of the cash to some different things like Livestrong… stuff like that. We give back the entry fee to whomever finishes last (so they stay interested) and we have an award for whoever travels the farthest to be in the race. My brother does a drawing for the shirt every year. We have a cool raffle with only pertinent stuff to give away AND it is a raffle only for the people who did the race not the community that buy their way in. The food is good and good for you at the finish.”