Ocean City lifeguard Artur Menezes competes in the one mile race.
Atlantic City took the title, while the Ocean City Beach Patrol placed fourth on Friday in the 50th Annual Dutch Hoffman Memorial Lifeguard Races in Wildwood.
All 15 beach patrols from Atlantic and Cape May counties competed in the doubles row, paddleboard, swim, one mile run and singles row races.
This was considered the first of the "Big Three" lifeguard races involving all beach patrols. The second of the "Big Three" races will be held on the Decatur Road beach in Margate on Friday, Aug. 2 at 6:30 p.m.
In what was arguably the most exciting race on Friday, OCBP veteran Bryan Theiss won the paddleboard race, barely edging out the Brigantine competitor to score five points.
Ocean City's Bryan Theiss wins the paddleboard race.
In a tight doubles row race, the first five boats crossed the finish line within a few seconds of each other, with OCBP’s Matt Garbutt and Paul Boardman just missing out on any points.
OCBP’s Brian McGroarty came in fourth in the swim race, scoring two points. Ocean City’s Artur Menezes, competed in the one mile run.
In the singles row race, OCBP’s Kevin Perry had a strong performance, but just before crossing the finish line, his boat and the Longport boat collided, preventing either boat from finishing in the top 5.
In the end, the OCBP team finished in fourth place with seven points.
Ocean City's Kevin Perry at the start of the singles row race.
Following are the race results:
Doubles Row:
1st - Ventnor
2nd - Atlantic City
3rd - Margate
4th - Longport
5th - Wildwood Crest
Paddleboard:
1st - Ocean City (Bryan Theiss)
2nd - Brigantine
3rd - Wildwood
4th - Wildwood Crest
5th - Longport
Swim:
1st - Longport
2nd - Atlantic City
3rd - Wildwood
4th - Ocean City (Brian McGroarty)
5th - Brigantine
Ocean City's Bryan Theiss, right, edges out a competitor to take first in the paddleboard race.
Ocean City lifeguard Artur Menezes, center, competes in the one mile race.
