Probably the best day of the year to get stuck in a rip current. Photo: Red Bull
Lifeguards have their skills tested every day, but Red Bull recently took that one step further. On Monday, the energy drink company sponsored a life-saving competition in Ventnor City, New Jersey, that drew a horde of lifesavers to take part in a grueling format. A few standouts won a ticket to France in the process.
“What we are basically doing is celebrating the lifeguards that guard us all summer long,” Bruckner Chase, the technical director for Red Bull Surf and Rescue, told CBS News Philadelphia.
Over a hundred lifeguards competed in the event, making up a total of 28 teams. They took part in a four-round elimination format that included swimming, prone paddling, and rowing events. Alongside the team format, a grueling endurance event called the “Red Bull Rescue Relay” took place. Eight men and eight women took part in the invitation-only event, which also included swimming, skiing, paddling, and running. The overall male and female winners were awarded trips to France to compete in the qualifier for Red Bull Ocean Rescue France.
Dan Lenahan and Mitch and Molly Cullen of Sea Grit, New Jersey won the team event. The individual men’s competition was won by Tom O’Neil, of Riis Park, New York. Meanwhile, the women’s individual event was won by Kelsey Cummings, of the California and Diamond Beach Patrols.
