Competitors make most of conditions
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Conditions and conditioning were the keys to victory in the Kanaka I Kai Ka State Championships yesterday.
The state championship for solo paddling on canoes and kayaks featured strong but favorable trade winds, a rising south swell, and more than 200 elite paddlers.
In the end, one familiar champion, Karel Tresnak Jr., was joined by three surprising ones — Sean Monahan, Sue Brown and Jane McKee on the victory stand.
Surfskis
For Monahan and Brown, the lure of love proved to be more powerful — and successful — than the lure of trophies.
Monahan won the men's surfski division and was the first overall finisher. He completed the 23-mile course from Makai Pier (off Sea Life Park) to Sand Island in 2 hours, 30 minutes, 36 seconds.
Brown, Monahan's girlfriend, won the women's surfski division in 3:04:18. Because they prefer to train with each other on the weekends, they rarely enter contests.
Monahan described the conditions as "epic," and he responded with his first victory of the year.
"It was big and rough, but I like that," he said. "If it had been flat, I wouldn't have entered."
Monahan surfed into the lead past Mike Beyer just after Hanauma Bay and never relinquished it.
"I never turned back to see where he was," said Monahan, 33. "I was too focused on riding all the (waves)."
Beyer placed second at 2:33:06, followed by Aaron Creps (2:36:23) and Steve Kelly (2:37:46).
Brown, 33, won despite falling off her surfski twice in the early moments of the race. "I was still going hard," she said. "I just never knew I was in the lead."
Chalk that up to inexperience. Yesterday was her first race of the year. Maggie Twigg-Smith, last year's state champ, was second at 3:06:08.
One-person canoes
Tresnak has developed a reputation as the paddler to beat when the waves are running. He did not disappoint yesterday in winning the men's canoe division.
"It was actually a little bigger than what I prefer — some of the (wave) faces were 10 feet," said Tresnak, 22. "But if you got a good one, it was a 300-yard ride."
Tresnak finished in 2:33:47 for his third state title in four years. Mike Judd was second at 2:35:04, followed by Maui Kjeldsen, last year's state champ, at 2:36:39, and Aaron Napoleon at 2:36:41.
Tresnak fell off his canoe twice in the rough water off Sandy Beach, and trailed the leaders by as much as 300 yards.
"In these conditions, I knew I could get back in it if I found a good line," he said.
He did. Off Portlock, Tresnak paddled close to the shoreline to avoid the rough current on the outside. By Diamond Head, Tresnak raced into the lead by 100 yards and kept increasing it the rest of the way.
McKee was one of only three entries in the women's canoe division. She finished in 3:30:13 for her second state title in as many years and states. Last year, she was the California champion.
"If I was going to get better at this sport, I knew I had to come here," said McKee, who moved to Kailua in December. "And today was everything I had hoped for."
