In shape or not, Karel Tresnak Jr. is still the man to beat when it comes to solo canoe paddling.

He proved that yesterday, winning the OC-1 (one-person canoe) division of the Kanaka Ikaika O'ahu Championship in convincing fashion.

Tresnak completed the 16-mile course from Makai Pier to Kaimana Beach in 1 hour, 55 minutes, 4 seconds.

"I had a good run on the outside," he said. "It seemed like the current was with me a bit more out there."

Andrew Penny finished a distant second in 1:57:54. Danny Ching was third in 1:58:24.

"I don't know what (Tresnak) was on, but he was flying," Penny said.

Around 150 paddlers participated in the race, and most of them used one-person canoes.

In the surfski division, Geordan Purdy placed first with a time of 1:53:38. Steve Kelly was second in 1:54:13.

Surfskis are generally faster crafts than the one-person canoes, but Tresnak stayed near Purdy and Kelly the entire race.

"I got to within about 100 yards," Tresnak said. "They were pretty close, but when it gets flat like that, those guys march away."

Light winds and gentle seas contributed to a relatively slow course.

"It was kind of a technical race — it was flat with little bumps," Penny said. "You just had to maneuver and position the boat and look for any kind of trough and stick the nose of the canoe in it and hope for the best."

Penny held the early lead among the canoe paddlers, but Tresnak eventually passed him off Hanauma Bay.

"From that point on, I think he felt comfortable and found his rhythm and away he went," Penny said.

Interestingly, Tresnak and Penny are training partners this year, and have been entering relay races together. Last week, they placed second as a relay team in the Catalina Challenge in California.

Penny said yesterday's race was similar to a practice run because "when Junior is paddling, it's hard to keep up with him."

Tresnak, 26, is a six-time winner of the Moloka'i Challenge World Championships. However, he is contemplating not entering this year's world championship race.

"Still debating whether or not to put myself through that kind of stuff again," he said.

Arlene Holzman was the first female to finish in the OC-1 division with a time of 2:19:12. Mary Smolenski was second in 2:23:12.

Holzman was unaware of her victory, mostly because she was gauging her race by the male paddlers closest to her.

"I kind of put my head down and go," she said. "I know who I'm supposed to be around as far as the guys are concerned, so that's my benchmark."

Maggie Twigg-Smith was the first female to finish on a surfski.

Yesterday's race was part of a two-month stretch of championship long-distance races. Upcoming races include:

April 22 — Kanaka Ikaika State Championship;

April 28 — Starbucks Maui Challenge;

May 6 — Starbucks Kaiwi Channel Relay;

May 12 — Kaua'i World Challenge;

May 20 — Moloka'i Challenge World Championships.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.