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Tresnak, Kukea tops in
Oahu championships

CANOE/KAYAK

Linda Aragon
Special to the Star-Bulletin

Karel Tresnak Jr. is still the man after winning the 18-mile one-man canoe Oahu Championships yesterday.

Nalu Kukea took the top men's and Maile Chong took the top women's kayak divisions.

Kelly Fey won the women's canoe race.

Most racers agreed that the start was the best part of the Makai Pier to Magic Island race.

After riding swells to Haunama Bay the remainder of the course, "it was not the sleigh ride that we were expecting," said fourth-place canoe finisher John Foti.

But competition stayed fierce for Kukea, who said he battled fellow kayaker Billy Robello throughout much of the race.

"I was kind of worried," Kukea said. "Billy was ahead and we went back and forth for a while until I passed him at Aina Haina. Usually he's pretty strong at the end. So, I kept going hard."

That paid off for Kukea, who was the first overall finisher with a time of 1 hour, 57 minutes and 29 seconds. Robello was second at 1:58.33.

Tresnak won his race in 2:04.47, far ahead of second-place finisher Mark Rigg with a time of 2:07.30

Third-place winner Kai Bartlett said it was a constant fight for his position at 2:07.45 after exchanging leads with Foti for most of the race.

"I was pretty stoked with my performance considering I had been sick this week," Bartlett said.

"These guys just took off at the start," said Tresnak, who was in 12th place at the beginning of the race. "There was some surf. It was pretty fun.

"I went outside at Hawaii Kai and made up some ground. Then I had to take a sharp right turn (to come inside around Waikiki)."

Yesterday's Oahu Championships was the eighth race this year in the Kanaka I Kai Ka season for one-man, two-man and kayaks. The racing association's state championships will be held May 14, followed by the Molokai Challenge World Championships solo crossing race May 28.

The racing series started in 1976 predominately as a kayak event, however the times have clearly changed now that solo canoes dominate the field. Yesterday, 78 canoes were on the short course, and 61 canoes entered the long course. In the kayak divisions there were 26 long course racers and 19 short course racers.

Fey had her first win this season on a one-man canoe with a time of 2:29.54. Paula Crabb was second in 2:40.17.

Fey said she attributes her win to the absence yesterday of top women paddlers, such as Donna Kahukui, who is preparing for a three-day paddle around Oahu.