Katie Lee Hosts 2019 Hamptons Paddle for Pink Race Saturday

Television food critic, cookbook author, and novelist Katie Lee is hosting 2019’s The Hamptons Paddle for Pink stand-up paddle board (SUP) race, launching from Havens Beach in Sag Harbor this Saturday, August 3 at 8 a.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

In addition to those getting up on paddle boards and participating in one of three WPA-sanctioned point races designed for paddlers of each skill level and age—including three-mile (Recreational) or six-mile (Elite) races, and a kids race—supporters who cannot attend may “virtually paddle” by registering to fundraise for the cause. A beach-side breakfast and other activities will also be available for spectators. Registration and sponsorship options are available online.

Co-chairs of this year’s event include Maria and Larry Baum, Lisa Pevaroff-Cohn and Gary Cohn, and Jackie and Bippy Siegal. As host, Lee will race alongside notable guests, such as Paddle Diva Gina Bradley, Jennifer Levene Bruno, Stacey Griffith, Pat Kiernan and Sandra Ripert, among the more than 100 other spectators and paddlers. An avid paddle boarder, this is not the first year Lee has taken part in the fundraising event.

Since it was founded in 2012, The Hamptons Paddle for Pink has become a staple of the summer fundraising circuit and has raised $10.5 million for the BCRF. Its founders, BCRF Board Member Maria Baum and her husband Larry, and Lisa and Richard Perry decided to use paddle boarding to raise money for breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship after the sport proved to be an outlet for Baum during her own breast cancer battle.

Saturday’s race, directed by Main Beach Surf & Sport with support from East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue, allows three board classes: 14-foot, 12-foot-6-inch and under 12-foot-6-inch. All paddlers must wear lifejackets, and they will be provided with safety whistles—no one will be permitted to paddle without them.

To register, donate, or become a sponsor visit The Hamptons Paddle for Pink website hamptonspaddleforpink.org.