Gardiner meets Moloka'i Challenge, again
| • | Records fall in canoe division |
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
The final results of yesterday's Outrigger/Eyecatcher Moloka'i Challenge once again could have been labeled the Dean's list.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Dean Gardiner of Australia won the 32-mile surfski race for a record-tying ninth time yesterday. He completed the course from Kaluako'i Beach, Moloka'i, to the Hawai'i Kai Towne Center in 3 hours, 24 minutes, 52 seconds.
Dean Gardiner won the 32-mile Moloka'i Challenge in 3 hours, 24 minutes, 52 seconds. He tied Oscar Chalupsky with his ninth surfski title.
Like Gardiner, Hawai'i's Nicole Pedersen repeated as a champion. She won the women's surfski division in 4:17:34.
Favorable trade winds, consistent ocean swells and a pushing tide contributed to a relatively fast crossing of the Kaiwi Channel. Gardiner's winning time, however, was more than three minutes shy of the course record he set in 1997.
"It was probably one of the best (races) I've been out there," said Gardiner, 37. "There were parts that were just total fun, no hard work involved at all."
Gardiner, a lifeguard Down Under, has won the Moloka'i Challenge six of the last seven years, including the last two. He is now tied with Oscar Chalupsky of South Africa with nine titles.
The race is considered the world championship of solo ocean paddling.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Chalupsky has not entered the event the last two years.
Hawai'i's Nicole Pedersen defended her women's surfski title in 4:17:34.
Instead, Australians dominated the leader board by taking five of the top six places. Brothers Martin and Grant Kenny of Australia placed second and third, respectively. Lewis Laughlin of Tahiti was fourth, followed by Australians Matt Rees and Damien Daley.
"There were two segments to my race," Gardiner said. "I raced Matt Rees for the first half of the race, and then I found Martin (Kenny) after halfway and we raced together."
Martin Kenny kept pace with Gardiner for most of the course before faltering near the end. He finished in 3:27:24, while Grant Kenny came in at 3:30:27.
"There was about a five-minute period where my forearms were cramping and so I stalled a bit," Martin Kenny said. "Right at the same time, Dean got on some really big waves and picked up a huge lead. I knew it was over then."
Timely swells
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Gardiner said he caught "three massive swells" to pull away from Martin Kenny by about 400 yards.
Australian Dean Gardiner wins the surfski division.
"Once I knew I had (the lead) on him, I went as hard as I could," Gardiner said.
The ocean turned flat in the last few miles of the course, throwing Gardiner off the record pace. Still, it was the fourth fastest winning time in the 27-year history of the event.
"You can't afford to give Dean any kind of a gap like I did," Martin Kenny said. "He's just too good in these conditions."
Brian Rocheleau of Hawai'i Kai placed seventh overall and was the first Hawai'i finisher at 3:41:36. He was entering the prestigious race for the first time.
Gardiner, meanwhile, said he would probably return next year to pursue victory No. 10.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
"Winning it nine times now, I don't really have to win it anymore," he said. "Although I want to win it one more time."
Hawai'is Nicole Pedersen claims the women's surfski title.
Pedersen, who paddles for the Outrigger Canoe Club, was even more dominant in the women's race. Around one hour into the race, she already built a half-mile lead.
"It gave me a chance to try and relax on the waves and catch as many as possible," said Pedersen, 33.
She said she took "a straight line" across the Kaiwi Channel and lost sight of her pursuers shortly after her quick start.
Her winning time was 15 minutes short of the course record, but almost 11 minutes faster than yesterday's runner-up, Megan Harrington-Jones (4:28:16). Maggie Twigg-Smith was third at 4:28:48.
• • •
Men Surfski
Open: 1, Dean Gardiner (Australia), 3:24:52. 2, Martin Kenny (Australia), 3:27:24. 3, Grant Kenny (Australia), 3:30:27. 4, Lewis Laughlin (Tahiti), 3:31:11. 5, Matt Rees (Australia), 3:35:25. 18-29: 1, Damien Daley (Australia), 3:41:12. 2, Brian Rocheleau (Hawai'i), 3:41:36. 3, Michael Beyer (Hawai'i), 3:49:23. 4, Rod Taylor (Australia), 3:51:10. 5, David Buck (Hawai'i), 3:52:30. 30-39: 1, Mark Sandvold (Hawai'i), 3:45:55. 2, Darcy Price (New Zealand), 3:51:20. 3, Tim Twigg-Smith (Hawai'i), 3:59:32. 4, Brian Mulvaney (USA), 4:08:33. 5, Chris Starbird (USA), 5:20:06. 40-49: 1, Jim Faulkner (Australia), 3:56:47. 2, Christopher Bond (Australia), 4:11:23. 3, John Hoogsteden (Hawai'i), 4:21:29. 4, John Dixon (USA), 4:39:46. 50-59: 1, Jimmy Kincaid (Hawai'i), 4:04:56. 2, Bruce Borstel (USA). 60-older: 1, Brian Graber (Australia).
Women Surfski
Overall: 1, Nicole Pedersen (Hawai'i), 4:17:34. 2, Megan Harrington-Jones (Hawai'i), 4:28:16. 3, Maggie Twigg-Smith (Hawai'i), 4:28:48. 30-39: 1, Mary Smolenski (Hawai'i), 4:33:43. 2, Susan Brown (Hawai'i), 4:37:06. 3, Jennifer Thompson (Hawai'i), 5:40:48.
Two-person Surfski
Mixed: 1, DeAnne Hemmens/Patrick Hemmens, 3:52:36.
