Ramos among big winners at SUP race

While George Ramos was not an official competitor in Sunday’s 17th Annual Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard World Championships, the veteran waterman was indeed a winner just by being present at the race’s finish line.

Ramos participated in the first 15 editions of the 32-mile event — which spans from Kaluakoi on Molokai’s northwest coast, through the treacherous Kaiwi Channel and finishes in Maunalua Bay on Oahu’s south shore — before being forced into a race for his life.

Ramos was diagnosed with thymic cancer nearly two years ago, a rare disease that took doctors months just to pinpoint. He had hoped to enter this year’s race after taking 2012 off, but his immune system and energy levels continue to take hits with treatments aimed at battling the stage-4 cancer.

"I’ve been going through a lot of chemotherapy radiation just to keep me alive, and I’m just living day by day. It’s kind of hard because you want to live, but you want to die at the same time," Ramos said. "You suffer every day, but I’m hanging in there. Just being here pumps up the morale. Normally I’d by lying on my back in bed. I love it out here."

Many competitors dedicated their performances to Ramos, who sat on some rocks lining the holding area where athletes finished. Ramos was there to provide paddlers with a smile, a hug and words of congratulations as participants picked him out of the crowd of hundreds that swelled throughout the day.

Still a competitor at heart, Ramos again expressed interest in making it back to the water to compete.

"My goal is to get through this chemo, and become the oldest paddler (to complete the crossing in competition)," Ramos said. "It’s unreal watching the guys today."

Ramos had one of the best vantage points to witness a monumental upset Sunday as 30-year-old Australian Travis Grant stunned both onlookers and himself by claiming gold in the unlimited stand-up paddleboard division.

Grant, who took home the $3,000 winner’s share, completed the course in 4 hours, 50 minutes, 17 seconds to knock off two-time defending champion Connor Baxter of Makawao, Maui, who finished third, just over a minute behind runner-up Scott Gamble (5:00:53) of Honolulu.

"I really didn’t think Connor was beatable. I don’t know how I won it, but that’s forever now and I’m a Molokai champion," Grant said. "Honestly, I didn’t even want to (compete) this year. I didn’t expect to win it in my first time. There’s no place else like Hawaii; it’s a special place. I can’t believe it."

Grant said he took a rhumb line approach to the crossing, referring to a navigational term denoting a straight line between starting and ending points. He said the route took him out of view of the competition.

"Honestly, it’s not even a dream," he said, "it wasn’t even a consideration to win this race."

Conversely, Baxter and Maui’s Kai Lenny, another favorite to compete for the title, both took a more southerly course and were hindered as they fought strong cross currents when they tried to angle back toward the rugged coastline.

"The line I took today was not one of the better ones, especially with this current. I ended up having to fight the last 8 miles up-current and (against) side wind, and that’s where I lost a lot of ground," said Baxter, who set the course record last year by finishing in 4:13:26. "It’s all good, I just have to paddle harder next year. The only thing I can do is train harder."

More than 300 of the world’s top traditional (prone) and SUP athletes representing 15 countries took part in the grueling test of strength and endurance.

Travis Baptiste claimed the top spot in the stock SUP division after passing the finishing buoys in 5:22:59.

Brad Gaul won the unlimited prone division two years after ending fellow Australian Jamie Mitchell’s 10-year win streak in the category, and finished in 5:05:32. Aussie Zeb Walsh took the stock prone division in 5:46:13.

Terrene Black of Central Coast, Australia, outlasted the competition in the women’s unlimited SUP race, posting a time of 5:40:40. Andrea Moller, who won the race in both 2010 and ’11 and took off last year to become a paramedic and focus on her young family, returned to finish fourth (5:52:24). Brigette Van Aswegen was the lone female competitor to complete the race in the stock SUP category as the South African competitor made the channel crossing in 8:55:00.

Jordan Mercer of Australia claimed the women’s unlimited prone division for the third consecutive year, crossing the line in 6:10:00. Joanna Bilancieri paddled to victory in the women’s stock prone division, grinding out her second consecutive win in 7:12:50.

"It was the toughest time I’ve spent in the ocean, ever," said Mercer, 19, who struggled to hold back tears. "Not having many elements in your favor, it was such a physical and mental test this year. It was make or seriously break today."