SWIMMING : Lifeguard Makes a Splash on Donohue Show

For three straight years, Paul Donohue was undefeated in 1,000-meter swim races in the Bud Light Ocean Festival Series, a summer-long competition for Southern California lifeguards.

Despite his winning streak in swimming, the Thousand Oaks resident decided to train for other events such as the grueling ironman event, a 15-minute competition that combines swimming, board or ski paddling and dory-boat racing.

Donohue, ranked fourth overall after four weeks, does not regret his decision to de-emphasize swimming.

“I’m pushing 27 now and it’s time to expand my horizons a little bit,” Donohue said. “The swimmers coming out of college are in the peak of their careers and their times just keep getting faster and faster. The times they’re doing now were unfathomable to us when we were in college.”

Donohue, a part-time Los Angeles County lifeguard, has won two 1,000-meter races this summer. His five-man ironman relay team is ranked first overall and has won three out of four weeks.

“He worked out real hard throughout the winter and it’s really showing,” said Barbara Lose, Festival Series scorekeeper.

Despite Donohue’s performances, he has a long way to go to catch three-time champion Mitch Kahn, a San Clemente sunglasses salesman. Kahn has 134 points to Donohue’s 70. Donohue’s training partner, Mark Valance of Thousand Oaks, is ranked third overall with 75 points. Valance is in the top 10 in two-man dory racing.

In the overall competition, as many as 150 lifeguards can earn points in seven events--swimming, paddle board, two-man dory boat racing, surf ski, ironman, musical flags (a flag-grabbing sprint race) and ironman relays.