Survivor Beach to ‘SUP-port’ Quest to Conquer Cancer June 2

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UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center will host the 7th annual Survivor Beach on Sunday, June 2. The event, which has become a La Jolla tradition, will feature a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) competition, beach festival with food trucks and more. Hundreds of community members will gather for the morning event in solidarity in the fight against cancer.

Last year, more than 300 people attended Survivor Beach, which honors those who have fought cancer, as well as the family, friends and caregivers of those with cancer. New to the event this year will be open and elite stand-up paddleboard races, as well as SUP clinics. Survivor Beach will also feature a brief program with comments from a cancer survivor sharing his inspirational story. The following beach festival will include a dance performance by Heali’i’s Polynesian Revue and a live DJ. Participants can also line their surfboards along the sea wall on the beach in front of Scripps Institution of Oceanography as a visual display of their support in the quest to conquer cancer.

For the sixth year in a row, Survivor Beach is sponsored by biotechnology company Genentech, which discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions, including cancer.

“Set along the gorgeous coastline of La Jolla, Survivor Beach demonstrates the power and strength that results from coming together to fight cancer,” said Alex Panici, chair of the 7th annual Survivor Beach. “This year, Survivor Beach offers added fun with stand-up paddleboard events for everyone from the most elite to the newest paddlers.”

The event precedes the annual Luau and Longboard Invitational in August, which will raise funds for research, patient care, and outreach and educational programs at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, the region’s only National Cancer Institute-Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The beach festival will feature a performance by Heali’i’s Polynesian Revue

“Survivor Beach is a meaningful illustration of the community’s support in the battle against cancer,” said Scott Lippman, MD, director of UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. “The generosity of our community members and corporate partners is essential to our efforts to find new ways to defeat cancer. At UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, we are dedicated to translating promising scientific discoveries into new, better options for our patients.”

Participants will also have the chance to win a pair of tickets to the annual UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center Luau and Longboard Invitational set for Sunday, August 18. The Luau and Longboard Invitational has raised more than $5.5 million to fund groundbreaking cancer research at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.

Survivor Beach will begin at 6 a.m. and continue until 12:15 p.m. at the beach in front of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. The beach festival is free and open to the public. The cost to participate in the open race is $25. There is a $50 entry fee for elite racers, who will be racing for a prize purse up to $1,000. For information and to register, please visit survivorbeachsup.org.