Racing for legendary lifeguard

About 300 swimmers raced off Corona del Mar State Beach on Saturday in honor of Don Burns, a legendary Newport Beach lifeguard who watched over local beaches for 47 years before his death 16 years ago.

Burns also coached football at Newport Harbor and Costa Mesa high schools and taught high school math and physical education from 1953 until he retired from the Newport-Mesa Unified School District in 1984.

Proceeds from the one-mile race go toward the Don Burns Scholarship Fund, which helps local seasonal lifeguards pay for college.

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— Brianna Bailey