Talk about dedication.

There was no stopping 88 paddlers who braved the wild winds, choppy waters and pouring rain Sunday morning for the first “Adler Paddler,” a 2.8-mile race around the Long Beach Harbor to honor Sunset Beach stand up paddler Steve Adler, who passed away unexpectedly last March at age 40.

Friends, family, and supporters showed up bundled in warm clothing early morning on the shores of Leeway Beach in Belmont Shore, where organizers had tents set up filled with raffle prizes. Adler, a surfboard glasser and strong racer in the Orange County SUP community, died from an aneurysm in a vessel near his heart.

The fundraiser event raised money for his 14-year-old son Clark’s college fund, as well as the John Ritter Foundation. The actor- whose wife came to the event- died of the same illness. The event – which was free to enter – raised about $8,000 from raffle tickets and donations.

“It’s just inspirational,” said Robert Howson, a friend of Alder and owner of Seal Beach surf shop Harbour Surfboards.

CLICK HERE FOR A SLIDESHOW FROM THE EVENT:

Adler had started seriously racing Stand Up Paddleboards about six years ago, and many who showed up were fellow racers and friends.

Organizer Jodie Nelson, who was in the process of starting the The Sup Spot with Adler before his death,  was blown away by how many people showed.

“It’s an amazing turn out. The weather is not ideal, but to see  people come out to support Steve and the John Ritter Foundation, it just speaks to the roots of this community,” Nelson said. “Steve was a guy who would give the shirt off his back, he was the nicest guy. He was so patient and great with everybody. He loved the sport of Stand Up Paddling, he loved sharing it. I think he would be proud of how the event came out this year.”

She said the event wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the many sponsors who helped out with the raffle. Many surf companies with little ties to the SUP community – such as Hurley, RVCA and Matix – stepped up with donation items. Others big in the SUP community such as Quick Blade and Ron House  gave big donations for the raffle.

Billy Kho, of Mission Viejo, was the lucky raffle winner after nabbing the grand prize – a Ron House Riviera racing board worth about $1,700.

“I felt like it was Alder karma helping me,” said Kho, who was supposed to race from Catalina to Dana Point with Alder before his passing. “They donations were pretty insane. Everyone came together and rallied.”

Kho said the paddle was challenging, but fun. Just as the racers hit the water, the rain started pouring.

“The wind was really wreaking havoc on a lot of the paddlers,” he said. “When we started, the wind was on our backs. When we went under the bridge, there was 20-to-30 mile per hour winds against us. Even though the weather didn’t cooperate, everyone had a good time. ”

For more information or to donate, go to paddlewithpurpose.com.

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