Linda Kaiser and Wendy Minor are entered in Sunday's Kona Brewing Co. Moloka'i World Championships paddling race, but they don't expect to be anywhere near the lead pack.

"We're not doing this as a race," Kaiser said. "We're in it for the adventure."

Approximately 100 paddlers are expected to compete in the race, which is considered the world championship of long-distance solo ocean paddling. The 32-mile course starts at Kaluako'i Beach, Moloka'i, and finishes at Koko Marina.

Most of the competitors will race solo on either a surfski or one-person canoe. Kaiser and Minor will compete as a team on a two-person canoe (it's like comparing a standard bicycle to a tandem bicycle).

Only a few competitors each year enter with a two-person canoe, and Kaiser and Minor are the first all-female team to try it.

"Just to finish would be a huge accomplishment," Minor said. "It's not a matter of if we can do it, it's how long it will take."

The fastest solo paddlers will complete the course in approximately 3 hours, 30 minutes. Kaiser and Minor could take twice as long to finish.

"I just hope they don't forget about us and pack up everything and leave before we get there," Minor joked.

Their goal is put into perspective by their ages and lifestyles.

Kaiser is 53 and an avid swimmer and tinman triathlete. Minor is 58 and one of the top-ranked ironman triathletes in the world for her age group.

Paddling is a form of cross-training they started together three years ago.

"I got to know (Minor) through the triathlons and so one day I asked her if she wanted to train with me on a two-man (canoe)," Kaiser said.

Minor had around 10 years of previous experience paddling with the Hui Nalu Canoe Club. Kaiser had no paddling experience until she got in a canoe with Minor.

According to Minor, most of their first practice session was spent "upside down in the water."

But in the second practice session, they went for 12 miles — a remarkable distance for "novice" paddlers.

LINDA KAISER

Last October, Minor became the oldest woman to ever complete "The Double" — finishing the Ironman World Triathlon Championship in Kona, and then the Xterra World Championship on Maui a week later.

Last July, Kaiser swam across the Kaulakahi Channel — a 20-mile stretch between Kaua'i and Ni'ihau. She has also finished all 23 Tinman Triathlons held on O'ahu.

Still, they consider Sunday's race to be one of their biggest challenges, in part because they are doing it together, and not alone.

"You can't take a break to stop and stretch," Minor said. "Once you get in that boat, you have to keep going until you reach the finish line."

Kaiser added: "I think this will be the hardest thing I've ever done. It'll be harder mentally than anything else. When I swam 20 miles last summer, I was fine with it because I knew I could do it. With this, I realize I'm not that good so there's doubts in my mind."

Minor and Kaiser said they are prepared for the long trek. Shortly after triathlon season ended last October, they started training on a canoe.

WENDY MINOR

Two weeks ago, they completed a five-hour practice run, covering more than 20 miles.

They are both self-employed — Kaiser has a pool-cleaning service; Minor owns a food and water testing laboratory — and that allows them to practice together at least three times a week.

"The biggest challenge for us is the ocean," Minor said. "Each time you go out, you learn something."

After Sunday's race, Kaiser and Minor plan to resume triathlon training.

"We'd like to see more women get involved in sports," Kaiser said. "And paddling is one of the best ones you can do. It's an incredible body workout — you use everything from your nose to your toes. I'd like to keep at it until I'm 100."