A near-record total of 110 canoes will be on the starting line for today's Moloka'i Hoe men's championship race.

Yesterday was the final chance for teams to register for the 41-mile race across the Kaiwi Channel.

The record for participation in a Moloka'i Hoe is 111 set in 2007.

"I'm surprised we got this many," race director Stan Dickson said. "With the economy the way it is, I was thinking we might not even get 100."

The Moloka'i Hoe is considered the world championship of long-distance outrigger canoe paddling for men's teams.

Each crew is allowed to have nine paddlers on its roster (crews in the masters 55 and masters 60 divisions can have 12), so the 110 teams equates to more than 1,000 paddlers.

This year's field includes teams from around the world, including Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Tahiti, and even Russia.

"Every year we get teams from Australia and Tahiti and Canada, but we were surprised when we saw Russia," Dickson said. "It means people are paddling everywhere."

All 110 canoes will line up side-by-side for today's 7:30 a.m. start at Hale O Lono Harbor, Moloka'i. The massive starting line has some teams concerned.

"You really don't want to get tangled at the start and ruin your whole race right there," Outrigger Canoe Club coach John Puakea said. "It can get crazy when you have that many (canoes) taking off at once. You just have to be smart."

Canoes that make "false starts" can receive a time penalty (usually a 10-minute deduction).

Dickson said there will be several official boats patrolling the starting line to assure a fair start for all the canoes.

"It's going to be hard," he said. "We're going to try our best. Hopefully all the (canoes) are lined up on time so we can start it."

Among some of the other storylines:

• The masters 60 division was added to the event this year. In that division, all 12 paddlers on the roster must be age 60 and older.

Prior to this year, the oldest division was masters 55.

There are also masters divisions for 40-older and 50-older crews.

• The race will be streamed live via the Internet at www.molokaihoe.org. It is the first attempt at live coverage of the Moloka'i Hoe.

The coverage is scheduled to start around 7:20 a.m. There will be a 90-minute break in the coverage as the canoes hit the midway point of the race.

The stream will resume around 10:15 a.m. to cover the finish of the race.

The coverage is being provided by Ocean Paddler TV, which will also produce a 30-minute television show for the race on OC-16 later this month.

• A perpetual trophy has been created for the overall winner of the Moloka'i Hoe. The last time a perpetual trophy was awarded for the race was in the early 2000s, when Bank of Hawaii was the sponsor.

Dickson said the trophy — an 8-foot wooden canoe paddle — will be kept by race officials. However, he said a team that wins the Moloka'i Hoe three years in a row (starting this year) will be allowed to take the trophy.

Tahiti's Shell Va'a is the three-time defending champion of the Moloka'i Hoe, and is considered the overwhelming favorite again this year.

Top Hawai'i contenders include Outrigger, Team Primo, Lanikai, Team Livestrong, Hui Nalu, Hui Lanakila, Keahiakahoe and Kailua.

The last Hawai'i team to win the Moloka'i Hoe was Lanikai in 2004 and '05.

• Pure Light Racing will enter the race for the second consecutive year.

Pure Light Racing is a team of adaptive — or physically challenged — paddlers. Last year, the crew completed the course in just under eight hours.