Run-swim race is a perfect tribute to fallen Newport Beach lifeguard Ben Carlson
As a junior lifeguard instructor, Ben Carlson was known for pushing his students — especially during challenging run-swim races that started from the Balboa Pier.
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A race for “Ben Carlson Day” was held in his honor Saturday near the junior lifeguard headquarters on the fifth anniversary of the fallen lifeguard’s death. Carlson died July 6, 2014, while doing a rescue in big surf off the Newport Beach coast.
Saturday’s race drew junior lifeguards, fellow guards from Newport Beach and other agencies, friends and others to do what Carlson loved most — compete at the beach.
This year would have marked 20 years of lifeguarding Newport’s coastline for Carlson, who grew up in Rancho Cucamonga. A big-wave surfer, Carlson became one of Newport Beach’s best lifeguards, and the only one in the city’s history to lose his life protecting the coast.
About a week ago, Newport Beach officially recognized July 6 as Ben Carlson Day.
On Friday, July 5, the Ben Carlson Memorial and Scholarship Foundation awarded two young lifeguards and college students — Jessica Moore, of Tustin, and Tanner Curnow, of Fallbrook — $10,000 scholarships during an event at the Balboa Yacht Club. In total, the foundation has awarded $125,000 in scholarships in the past five years.
The duo were chosen because they exemplify Carlson’s attributes: They are hard-working, athletic and ambitious, with a strong focus on education and a passion for lifeguarding.
Other efforts of the foundation include water safety seminars, educational tools such as kiosks that will soon be put up along Newport’s coast to warn about hazards, a children’s coloring book and helping to get rescue equipment to coastal areas in need around the world.
A “Ben Did Go” fundraiser is planned for July 27, where about 40 people will join an invite-only paddle from Catalina to Newport Beach, with a goal of raising $40,000. A community celebration after the 30-mile paddle is planned for 5 p.m. at the Ben Carlson statue near the Newport Beach Pier.