The allure of the Kaiwi Channel is the challenges.

Taking on the conditions. Taking on the competition. And, sometimes the hardest, taking on oneself when pushing to the limits, body and mind.

Sunday’s 37th Molokai Surf Ski World Championships were pretty much a grind from the start off Kepuhi Beach, as paddlers maneuvered out beyond a shorebreak that ran 4-5 feet. Some 30 miles later, the surf had closed out the normal finishing run through Maunalua Bay, forcing paddlers to detour around the reef before reaching the Kuapa Pond finish line behind Hawaii Kai Towne Center.

Dean Gardiner’s record of 3 hours, 21 minutes, 26 seconds — set in 1997 — was never in jeopardy. The only thing that would be broken was Patrick Dolan’s surf ski that snapped in two following a run-in with a 10-foot wave off China Walls as he was making a move to take over third place.

Instead, the "World" part of the race title again held true, with Australian Clint Robinson heading an international field that continued to dominate the event. The 40-year-old Robinson, a five-time Olympian in flatwater kayak, won his third surf ski title in four years, finishing in 3:55:24.

South African Sean Rice made a successful debut, coming in second at 4:00:43. Australian Cory Hill, another first-time competitor, was third in 4:06:04.

It wasn’t until 4:28:27 that a Hawaii paddler finished. Michael Beyer was eighth in the solo division, three seconds behind 12-time winner and defending champion Oscar Chalupsky.

There was plenty of motivation to go along with the marine life Sunday. Robinson cramped up toward the end of last year’s race and "I really stuffed it last year," said the 1992 Olympic K-1 gold medalist. "That is why I came back. It really irked me that I had stuffed something up so much, especially with my level of experience.

"This is the fun part of paddling. The Olympics are something else."

With flat conditions greeting the paddlers, Robinson broke away from the lead pack about an hour in. He was challenged late only by Rice, who caught up, fell back, caught up again and briefly took the lead before hitting a wall.

"I haven’t done this distance before," Rice said. "At about three hours, it hit me. Clint and I were together and then he was gone."

Robinson said there are times when "you have to put your foot down and go," he said. "I was sort of on my own for most of the race before Sean came up. It felt good to be able to pull away."

He said he stayed more outside than usual at Koko Head, avoiding the normally fun inside bumps around China Walls. Dolan, third last year, was gaining on Hill when "all of a sudden, I turned around, I didn’t see him anymore," Hill said. "I was wondering if I had gotten lost."

The 24-year-old found himself alone when finishing third. It has him thinking about not just returning next year, but also putting together a crew for October’s Molokai Hoe six-man race.

As for Chalupsky, he’ll be back in an attempt to add to his record 12 titles.

"I’ll keep on going until I don’t think I can win," the 50-year-old said. "Today, I was up in the lead and then I don’t know what happened. Maybe my age kicked in.

"The conditions … I didn’t prepare for the headwinds. There were some good waves, but not until the end."

Australia’s Miranda Davies won the women’s title (5:18:08), 33rd overall.

Note

Dolan, who was not injured when his surf ski broke in half, was unavailable for comment. He left Sunday night as part of Team Kanaka Ikaika, an all-star crew from Hawaii that will compete in the 103-mile, three-day Tahiti Nui Wa‘a outrigger canoe race beginning Thursday.