2026 LOCAL LEGEND - PETER 'PT' TOWNEND

When runners come to town for the HB Surf City Marathon in early February the event organizers will be honoring Peter “PT” Townend for his lifetime involvement in the advancement of surfing and surf culture here in Southern California and throughout the world, often from his home in Huntington Beach where he has impacted the community through an involvement with the HB International Surfing Museum, Surfing’s Walk of Fame and many other collaborations and passions.

 PT has been chosen to be featured in Surf City’s “Local Legends” campaign in preparation for the event. Race officials have also elected to grace the marathon’s achievement medals with the likeness of PT and his infamous Soul Arch bottom turn. 

PT may well be one of the most significant voices of core surf theory in modern day. He clearly champions efforts to bring the awareness of surfing to a wider audience. As surfing’s liaison in the community PT is a pivotal part of collaborations with local city 

officials on many fronts.

“As our featured Local Legend, the Surf City Marathon is recognizing the influence of the wave-riding life and culture on our own premier event,” says Surf City’s Crystian Kumnick, Managing Director of North America. “We are pleased to recognize PT as the marathon and the sport’s spokesman. PT is a world champion and today is an icon we all know, A tireless person with a vision and the muscle to see it through. It’s truthfully a life marathon. Our Local Legend is for real.”

By the time PT became the first world tour surfing champ in 1976 he had been imagining

and writing about the concept of professional surfing for years. There was no world tour 

or burgeoning surf industry in the early-to-mid 1970s, yet he and friends traveled

the world and surfed in various unconnected events calling it the “Gypsy Tour”. The idea

was that they could “Will” It to happen, if you surf it, the tour will come. What a vision.

Founder of Hurley, Bob Hurley said, “Townend moved to our little surf community

in the late 70s. He was a superstar. A big fish in a small pond. PT made Huntington 

his home. He was kind, humble, supportive and loyal. He has always been a believer in young talent. He has been and continues to be incredibly generous with his knowledge, power and access.”  

 Growing up along the beautiful surf-filled coastline of Coolangatta, Australia, 

he dreamed of the future where a professional surfer could make a “real living,” and 

he has worked tirelessly over decades to help make that happen. His approach to surfing 

has always been progressive. In terms of style, the creation of a surfing maneuver 

doesn’t usually get associated with one person but nonetheless, PT is well known 

globally for his one functional and theatrical gesture on a surfboard in commanding 

waves--“The Soul Arch.”  He was inspired by the 1960s surfer Kemp Aaberg who 

did a similar back-bending arch on his bottom turn, but on a longboard. PT tried it 

out on his pink shortboard with style and flair and it became his signature manoeuvre 

still attributed to him today. ”. His mother gave him a handy tip early on, telling a 

young PT to always use a hot pink color on his surfboard so he would stand out

from others. Today, PT remains all things pink.