As he prepared to cross the treacherous Kaiwi Channel, kayaker Sean Rice made a promise to himself to save his energy before starting the “party.”
Rice’s strategy paid off and he was finally able to celebrate after claiming gold in the solo “surfski” kayak division at Sunday’s 42nd annual Maui Jim Molokai Challenge presented by the Kanaka Ikaika Racing Association. The 32-mile race spanned from Kaluakoi Beach on Molokai’s west coast to Maunalua Bay in Hawaii Kai and included some of the world’s top kayakers and one-person canoe athletes battling as individuals and teams for a portion of the $18,000 prize purse.
After rounding China Walls and passing Portlock as the leader of the pack among the nearly 200 competitors who entered Sunday’s race, Rice crossed the line in 3 hours, 43 minutes and 8 seconds and bested fellow South African Hank McGregor (3:46:07) — a three-time champion and defending titleholder in the event — and Australian Cory Hill (3:46:50). The win was Rice’s first in the event after he finished second to McGregor in 2016, something that motivated him down the stretch.
“It was a brutal race — sloppy and choppy stuff. I’m so happy to finally win this thing, it’s a tick-off-the-box that I’ll remember for a long time,” Rice said. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t take a ‘stroke of anger’ for the first two hours, and I really had to keep myself back. I played a conservative game, then it was time to party.
“This is my fourth crack at this race, and I was shouting to myself the whole way ‘You cannot lose!’ I guess I’ve got to come back next year to defend my title; it will take me about a year to recover.”
Competitors made their way through the Kaiwi Channel, which competitors said was relatively flat, choppy and accompanied by light winds. Calm conditions greeted paddlers as they rounded Koko Head and passed through the channel markers designating the path to the finish line. The highly anticipated “King Tide” did not play a role in the finish, as the water mark was even lower than usual for races that finish at Maunalua Bay.
“It’s a fantastic race, it’s unique,” McGregor said. “Anyone who crosses the channel should feel that they’ve accomplished something, it’s an honor to be out there.”
Hill, whose race ended prematurely last year after his surfski crashed into the rocks that make up China Walls, commended Rice for “demolishing” the competition with a ramped-up pace down the stretch.
“This is the biggest race we have in surfski; you’re in Hawaii with the wind and the waves, it’s grueling,” said Hill as he pointed out the large blisters that had developed and burst on the palms of his hands. “There’s nothing too fun about it, but you come back year after year wanting more.”
Patrick Dolan (3:58:16) placed sixth overall in the solo surfski competition and was the top Hawaii finisher just three weeks after winning the Kaiwi Solo World Championship, another trek from Molokai to Oahu, on his one-man canoe.
“Another crossing in the books, it was definitely a tough one. In Hawaii, this is the only chance we get to compete against guys (of this caliber) and that competition makes the race what it is,” said Dolan, who estimates he’s completed at least 20 Kaiwi Channel crossings throughout his kayaking and paddling career. “I am grateful for these opportunities because you never know what is going to happen in life. Every time you can race in this channel, it’s special.”
Sunday’s race also served as a final tune-up run for the summer outrigger canoe paddling regatta season, which gets underway next weekend. Dolan plans on competing with Team Primo again in preparation for the long-distance season, including an international race in Tahiti next month.
Molokai Challenge
From Kaluakoi Beach, Molokai to Maunalua Beach, Oahu
Surfski 1
Solo Top 15—1. Sean Rice, 3:43:08; 2. Hank McGregor, 3:46:07; 3. Cory Hill, 3:46:50; 4. Jasper Mocke, 3:51:45; 5. Clint Robinson, 3:53:13; 6. Pat Dolan, 3:58:16; 7. Oscar Chalupsky, 3:58:51; 8. Lewis Laughlin, 4:03:38; 9. Wayne Dunbar, 4:05:08; 10. Dane Sloss, 4:06:13; 11. Todd Boreland, 4:09:44; 12. Greg Barton, 4:11:30; 13. Greg Cooper, 4:14:39; 15. Borys Markin, 4:16:00.
