Red Bull Wa‘a paddles fastest, but not first

While it has endured three name changes in as many years, Red Bull Wa‘a has maintained a consistent presence on the winner’s podium.

Red Bull Wa‘a, a Big Island-based crew that recently underwent a name alteration, claimed its third consecutive Henry Ayau Memorial Race title on Sunday and affirmed its position as one of the top teams to beat amongst Hawaii competitors in anticipation of the Molokai Hoe, which is three weeks away.

However, due to a rule technicality, Red Bull Wa‘a was temporarily disqualified for using paddles that weren’t approved by the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association, the race’s governing body. Red Bull representatives explained that the violation resulted from a misunderstanding of the rule, and OHCRA officials will hear an appeal in the near future to conclude the matter.

“That (paddle) rule doesn’t make any difference, they would have won regardless of the paddles they used,” said Hui Nalu paddler Travis Grant. “Red Bull is the team to beat in Hawaii this year … Team Primo of Maui is solid, too, so they’re going to duke it out and hopefully we’ll be right there in case they make any mistakes.”

Other Hui Nalu paddlers noted that regardless of any technicalities, Red Bull won the race by a comfortable margin and deserved the victor’s medals.

Red Bull Wa‘a navigated the 32-mile course spanning from Maunalua Bay in Hawaii Kai to Nanakuli Beach Park in 3 hours, 45 minutes and 7.46 seconds — nearly six minutes ahead of the closest competitor within the pack of 53 crews that entered the event. Hui Nalu (3:51:11.75), the winner for now until Red Bull’s appeal is heard, crossed the line second, while Namolokama O Hanalei of Kauai (3:53:30.81) took third ahead of Outrigger (3:54:30.30).

Red Bull’s squad included Keakua Nolan, Daniel Chun, Kyle Ching, Trey Cox III, Kainoa Tanoai, Chevise Conte, Ikaika Hauanio, Haamatai Leon, Puni Freitas and Kekoa Kau. Hui Nalu’s crew featured Jimmy Austin, Kapono Brown, Kaihe Chong, Kekai Kamakawiwo‘ole, Mario Mausio, Hayden Ramler, Kekoa Santos, Brandon Woods and Grant.

“Hui Nalu is a solid group and they pushed us, it was a good race,” Conte said. “There’s a lot of training involved, we spend a lot of time away from our families, and we train before and after work. But, our goal is to get to the professional level that the Tahitians are at.”

The Red Bull team has been going non-stop for the past three-plus weeks as the crew competed in the Queen Liliuokalani Race on Sept. 3 in Kona then jetted to California to race in the Catalina Crossing, which spanned from Catalina Island to Newport Beach on Sept. 10. After returning to Hawaii on Monday, Red Bull Wa‘a endured four straight two-a-day practice sessions before resting on Saturday in advance of Sunday’s competition.

“We’re getting better every time out,” said Hauanio, one of the veteran members of Red Bull Wa‘a. “We want to create legitimacy for Hawaii paddlers (compared to the dominant Tahitians) and improve every week, every month, every year.”

Red Bull Wa‘a is based in Kona and had formerly raced as Livestrong — the namesake of embattled cyclist Lance Armstrong’s charity — then switched monikers to Mellow Johnny’s (Armstrong’s bicycle shop in Austin, Texas), before changing to Na Koa O Kona last season. This year, the popular energy drink sponsored the crew, which has high hopes of catching the Tahitians, who have continued to dominate the sport on a global level.

The race served as the final official tune-up for the 64th Annual Molokai Hoe, which caps the men’s long-distance season on Oct. 9, and crews used Sunday’s opportunity to shore up strategies and tweak paddler rotations in preparation for the momentous race across the Kaiwi Channel.

Paddlers endured the sweltering heat under a near cloudless sky, and light breezes provided some respite from the unyielding sun. According to paddlers and officials on the water, competitors enjoyed steady winds at their backs for most of the race, but the course smoothed out as crews made their way west and turned glassy after passing Barbers Point. Hui Nalu took an inside line to take an early lead, but Red Bull put together a series of strong runs to catch and surpass the challengers.

“Now we go back to the drawing board, do our homework and keep training hard. Our goal is to stick with the Tahitians as long as we can and hope for the best,” Conte said.

Team Primo, which won four consecutive Henry Ayau events from 2010-13, did not participate on Sunday. Instead, some of Primo’s paddlers — as well as a host of other local crews expected to compete in the Molokai Hoe — raced in Saturday’s Pailolo Challenge, a 25-mile race between Maui and Molokai. The Henry Ayau Race record of 3:29:41 set in 2003 by Team New Zealand/Hawaii remained intact after Sunday’s run.

Team Primo set the record for the fastest time by a Hawaii competitor at the 2011 Molokai Hoe (4:42:59). The squad was formed in 2009 with the primary goal of stopping Tahiti’s Shell Va‘a, the winners of nine of the last 10 Molokai Hoe races, including a run of eight consecutive titles from 2006-13.

The distance season consists of four races on Oahu — two men’s and two women’s events. The season culminates with the Na Wahine O Ke Kai and the Molokai Hoe: the women’s and men’s versions of the 41-mile Molokai-to-Oahu race considered the sport’s world championship. In distance races, crews are accompanied by motored escort boats and are allowed to substitute paddlers along the way to provide athletes with breaks.

The women have the first shot at making the trek from Molokai’s Hale O Lono Harbor to Waikiki Beach on Sunday. The defending champion Waikiki Beach Boys aim to claim a second consecutive and third Na Wahine O Ke Kai title in five crossings, while Team Bradley — winner of eight of the last 10 Molokai-to-Oahu championships — looks to supplement its impressive run. Outrigger, Hui Nalu, Lanikai and Kailua are also expected to contend for the prestigious crown.