Rob Rojas Wins the O'Neill SEA Paddle

The 5th annual Surfers' Environment Alliance (SEA) Paddle was held this past weekend in New York City. The 26.5-mile race was met with favorable conditions and stiff competition.

Rojas overpowers the elite field in the 26.5-mile SEA Paddle NYC. Photo courtesy of O'Neill.

Read about Rob's win at the San Clemente Ocean Festival.

New York CIty, New York - O'Neill is proud to congratulate its own Rob Rojas for his impressive performance at today's O'Neill SEA Paddle NYC, claiming first place overall with a lightning-quick time of 3 hours and 56 minutes.

The win marks Rob's 20th professional victory of his four-year racing career, and fourth as a member of O'Neill's athlete roster.

Rojas came into the race training on a new 14-foot board, a required size for the elite race. This new board size, or New York City's elements, didn't deter the 37 year old, who finished under the iconic Brooklyn Bridge well ahead of Annabel Anderson (4 hours, 13 minutes) and Thomas Gallagher (4 hours, 16 minutes).

Set against the backdrop of midtown Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn, more than 200 elite and amateurs started from Pier 40 on the West Side, making their way north around the island, finishing on the East Side.

"The O'Neill SEA Paddle NYC was very, very challenging, but well worth it," added Rojas. "Crossing that finish line at the Brooklyn Bridge meant a great deal to me. I wanted to perform well in New York City, make my sponsors proud and win for two important causes - autism and SEA. It's great to accomplish all three goals at once."

Some of Rojas' previous wins came at the 2010 Hennessey's International Paddleboard Championships in San Diego, the Hennessey's US Championships, Hobie Hennessey's Waterman Challenge, Waterman's Sunscreen Paddle for Humanity, Catalina Challenge relay and Tahoe-Nalu Distance Race.

"We knew that Rob was one of the best paddleboarders out there, so this win doesn't come as a big surprise, but it's still great to see him claim a big win in New York," said O'Neill's Steve Ward. "No matter the sport, there's something very impressive about elite athletes who can perform at their best on the world's biggest stage."

The O'Neill SEA Paddle features both an elite and amateur division, all in the name of charity. Last year, the NYC paddle raised a total of $400,000, with proceeds distributed amongst Surfer's Environmental Alliance and several Autism organizations.

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