More than 100 teams of one- and two-paddler outrigger canoes and surf skis (canoes without an outrigger) started the 34-mile relay race from Wailua Beach to Salt Ponds Beach on Kauai Saturday morning. Billed as the largest canoe and surf ski race in the world, the Second Annual Steinlager-Pahio Resorts Kauai World Challenge drew many top paddlers from Hawaii, California, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and Rarotonga.
Paddlers slog through
Kauai raceLess-than-optimal conditions make
for a grueling contest
LIHUE » "Tough, brutal and ugly" was one participant's description of strong winds that tortured more than 200 paddlers for all but 10 miles of Saturday's 34-mile Steinlager-Pahio Resorts Kauai World Challenge Race.
Coming on the heels of the Molokai Challenge, the Kauai World Challenge drew 101 teams from Hawaii, California, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and Rarotonga, paddling from Wailua Beach on Kauai's East Shore to Salt Pond Beach on the West Shore. The race was a relay, with each paddler (or pair of paddlers in the doubles) driving the boat in two of the four legs of the race.
Kauai World Challenge
Winners in the Steinlager-Pahio Resorts Kauai World Challenge Race:Aaron Napoleon and Kea Paiaina, from Oahu, placed first overall in the single paddler men's category. Napoleon came in first last year as well, with a different partner.
Mike Judd and Tapa Worthington came in second overall in the men's category.
Lisa Curry-Kenny, former Australian Olympic kayak team member and winner of the 2004 Starbucks Kaiwi Channel Relay, and Robyn Saultry dominated the women's category, finishing in 5:52:01. Lauren Spalding and Cherisse Kelii came in second in 5:56:26.
Among the all-star competitors was Lauren Spalding, of Maui, who learned last week that she had been chosen as a member of the U.S. Olympic Kayak Team that will compete in Athens this summer.
The roster for the second annual race also included Chris Maynard and Michael Murray, ranked as Australia's two best paddlers, on the same team. Lisa Curry-Kenney, a former Australian Olympian, led another team.
But the wind dominated the race. Last year, the best teams finished the same course in just over three hours. This year's top teams finished in between four and five hours, and paddlers were scattered over miles of ocean. Spalding, whose boat finished second among the female crews, arrived at Salt Pond Beach in just under six hours.
The last paddler came in 7 1/2 hours after the start of the race.
"The poor soul, I don't think his strokes were more than 2 inches," said event publicist and former paddler Jenny Fujita. "He was completely done in."
Tranquil conditions at the start were disappointing to many of the paddlers who try to position themselves to surf as many waves as possible to gain speed.
The first relay change came at Hanamaulu, still in calm water. But as the racers reached the Lighthouse at Nawiliwili Harbor, the second switch took place, and paddlers got a large south swell that had not been present only an hour before.
Despite the swell, the wind remained calm on the third leg until they passed Kipua Kai. Then an unseasonal northwest wind hit them. The farther they went, the worse it became.
Throughout the last two legs, paddlers not familiar with the Kauai coast pulled alongside the media photography boat, and all asked the same question: "How far?"
In one case, the response was, "The next point."
The paddler said, "Oh, that's right ahead."
"No, the next point after that."
"Oh."
Landing at Salt Pond Beach through a ragged surf was the final challenge. A few canoes flipped end over end. But there were no casualties and everyone finished the race. Some of the stronger paddlers took their boats over to a shower and washed them off. But many were too tired and just pulled their boats up on the beach.
