Records fall in canoe division
| • | Gardiner meets Moloka'i Challenge, again |
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
New champions meant new records in the canoe division of the Outrigger/Eyecatcher Moloka'i Challenge yesterday.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Kai Bartlett won the men's race for the first time, finishing in a record time of 3 hours, 42 minutes, 37 seconds. Lauren Spalding, entering the event for the first time, established a record in the women's division with a time of 4:28:31.
Kai Bartlett of the Lanikai Canoe Club finished the 32-mile Moloka'i Challenge in 3:42:37, more than seven minutes faster than the previous record. Bartlett caught a series of waves midway through the race to pull away from Lanikai teammate Mike Judd. Bartlett paddled on a canoe he built himself.
The 32-mile Moloka'i Challenge started as a surfski-only race in 1976, but a division for one-person canoes was added in 1994. Yesterday, 48 of the 80 entries paddled on canoes.
Bartlett, who paddles for the Lanikai Canoe Club, took advantage of non-stop wave action across the Kaiwi Channel to claim a convincing victory.
"The winds were there, the tide was good, too; everything was set up for a fast race," said Bartlett, 26. "I just went hard the whole way. The competition is so tough, you have to constantly worry about somebody sneaking up on you."
Bartlett's winning time was almost seven minutes faster than the previous record set by Karel Tresnak Jr. in 2000. Tresnak, who was the three-time defending champion, did not enter yesterday because of a conflicting class scheduled at the University of Colorado.
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| Lauren Spalding, who entered the race for the first time, ended Kelly Fey's eight-year reign as women's champion with a time of 4:28.31. Fey finished second, more than 15 minutes behind.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Mike Judd, Bartlett's Lanikai teammate, placed second for the second consecutive year. His time of 3:47:09 also would have broken the previous record.
Halfway into the race, Bartlett and Judd pulled away from the rest of the lead pack. They stayed on the same "straight line" across the channel until Bartlett broke away from Judd by catching a series of waves.
"We battled for maybe an hour or so," Judd said. "Then there was one section where Kai put a bite on me and was able to hold that lead."
As Bartlett put it: "I was screaming, it was so much fun out there. The surf was just incredible."
Once in the lead, Bartlett figured out that he was on record pace.
"I got all excited and started snapping," he said. "Adrenaline took over."
Bartlett, who placed third last year, paddled on a "Polaris" canoe which he built himself. He also finished an impressive eighth overall, behind only the top seven surfski finishers. Surfskis are designed to travel faster than the canoes.
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| Kai Bartlett set a canoe record in 3:42:37.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Kealii Paiaina was third in the men's canoe division at 3:51:45, followed by Aaron Napoleon (3:52:26) and Maui Kjeldsen (3:54:57).
Giovanni DeFrancesco from Italy placed seventh in the 18-29 age division, and became the first European paddler to cross the Kaiwi Channel in a one-person canoe.
Spalding not only paddled her way to a record, she stopped the amazing streak of Kelly Fey. Prior to yesterday, Fey had won eight consecutive women's titles in the Moloka'i Challenge — from 1994-99, she won the women's surfski race; in 2000 and '01, she won the women's canoe race.
"I have immense respect (for Fey)," said Spalding, 22. "She's an awesome paddler. She's definitely like a hero."
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
But yesterday, Spalding looked like the super hero. Fey came in second at 4:43:56, more than 15 minutes behind Spalding.
Lauren Spalding set a female canoe mark in 4:28:31.
"I had a rough race," Fey said. "I wasn't as prepared as I should have been."
Spalding's time was also more than 15 minutes faster than the previous record set by Fey last year.
"It's definitely been a dream since I was young and it's nice to accomplish that," said Spalding, who paddles for the Hawaiian Canoe Club on Maui. "But going into it, I was not set on winning. I just wanted to have a good race."
• • •
Men Canoe
Overall: 1, Kai Bartlett (Hawai'i), 3:42:37. 2, Mike Judd (Hawai'i), 3:47:09. 3, Kealii Paiaina (Hawai'i), 3:51:45. 4, Aaron Napoleon (Hawai'i), 3:52:26. 5, Maui Kjeldsen (Hawai'i), 3:54:57. 18-29: 1, Tapa Worthington (Hawai'i), 4:04:59. 2, Peter Olson (Hawai'i), 4:11:38. 3, John Guard (USA), 4:15:19. 4, Martin Kealiiauka (Hawai'i), 4:17:01. 5, Mark Frazier (Hawai'i), 4:25:52. 30-39: 1, Raven Aipa (Hawai'i), 3:54:57. 2, Thibert Lussiaa (Hawai'i), 4:02:20. 3, Jim Foti (Hawai'i), 4:02:55. 4, Eric Levora (Hawai'i), 4:02:55. 5, Billy Balding (Hawai'i), 4:22:05. 40-49: 1, Steve Blyth (Hawai'i), 4:02:28. 2, Pat Erwin (Hawai'i), 4:08:28. 3, Sam Alama (Hawai'i), 4:09:46. 4, Mark Cluney (Hawai'i), 4:20:30. 5, Byron Ho (Hawai'i), 4:27:31. 50-59: 1, Kawika Goodale (Hawai'i), 5:00:57. 2, Gregory Kuard (USA), 5:23:54. 60-older: 1, Nappy Napoleon (Hawai'i), 4:47:20. 2, Paul Gay (Hawai'i), 4:48:37. 3, Harvey Aki (Hawai'i), 4:57:40. 4, Gaylord Wilcox (Hawai'i), 5:44:01.
Female Canoe
Overall: 1, Lauren Spalding (Hawai'i), 4:28:31. 2, Kelly Fey (Hawai'i), 4:43:56. 3, Noelani Sawyer (Hawai'i), 4:48:37. 40-49: 1, Ann Farrell (Hawai'i), 5:05:12. 2, Margie Kawaiaea (Hawai'i), 5:13:03. 3, Paula Crabb (Hawai'i), 5:18:40.
