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Kai Lenny continues to live on the edge when it comes to the latest and greatest in wave-faring technology, whether he’s surfing big waves on a traditional surfboard or navigating the swells on a stand-up paddleboard (SUP).
The 25-year-old waterman from Maui can now add hydrofoil world champion to his extensive, eclectic resume.
Lenny foiled the competition, and set the inaugural course record on a hydrofoil of 2 hours, 52 minutes and 58 seconds to headline the 22nd edition of the Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard World Championships on a picturesque Sunday morning. Nathan Van Vuuren of South Africa was the closest hydrofoil competitor to Lenny, and finished nearly 25 minutes behind the winning mark.
“Foiling is much quicker, but I don’t think it’s easier because you definitely have to focus at high speeds and read the ocean,” Lenny said. “I saw a manta ray out there that had to have been 10-to-12 feet across, it was like a carpet out there in the ocean. It was cool to do this course because this is where all the other records have been set, from canoe paddling to surfski and prone and SUP, so you can compare” the different disciplines.
Hundreds of competitors from around the world attempted to traverse the 32-mile course that took paddlers across the Ka‘iwi Channel from Kaluakoi on Molokai’s northwest coast, through the infamous channel and finished in Maunalua Bay on Oahu’s south shore.
The hydrofoil craft is composed of a small paddleboard – Lenny’s is a custom-made 5-foot, 9-inch vessel – with a nearly 3-foot-long “foil” post that extends into the water perpendicular to the board with a 2-foot fin resembling a whale’s tail attached. When conditions are right, paddlers ride the hydrofoil a few feet above the water, essentially gliding while paddling and letting the wind provide ample power.
Down the home stretch, Lenny actually laid out prone on his stomach, and used his arms to power the board as, when the board sits on the water, more resistance is created as the fin and foil drag below the surface. At peak stretches with the wind and surf at his back, Lenny said that he reached speeds near 25 mph.
He was so far ahead that, during a rehydration break, Lenny took a Taco Bell burrito handed to him from the escort boat, and enjoyed a few bites in peace before refocusing to manage the race’s home stretch — he had time to savor the meal, whereas most competitors woofed down energy bars, gels and other snacks during the race.
“Foiling is still so new, there’s a lot to chase after,” Lenny said. “My goal is to come back next year and smash this record — I think I can do it faster and faster. This is just the beginning for this sport, especially in the open ocean. This race legitimizes (foiling) as a sport, and it solidifies the competition for the future — I’m not crazy, it’s really fun.”
Lenny did not compete in the event last year as the waterman prepared for 20- to 25-foot surf at the Puerto Escondido (Mexico) Challenge as part of the World Surf League Big Wave Tour; Lenny went on to win that event.
More than 100 of the world’s top traditional (prone) and SUP athletes from across the globe took part in the grueling test of strength and endurance. According to reports from competitors, officials and escort boat captains on the water, participants took advantage of consistent swells that reached 10 feet high, and 15- to 20-mile-per-hour winds.
Travis Grant, a 35-year-old Australian who now resides in Honolulu, claimed gold for the second consecutive year, and the fourth time in six tries, in the “unlimited” SUP division. He set the race record of 3 hours, 59 minutes and 52 seconds last year, and this time around, posted a mark of 4:23:15 to best two-time event champion Connor Baxter of Maui by more than 15 minutes.
“It’s a ‘happy pain,’ and the experience is hard to explain; I just went as straight (between the islands) as I could, and didn’t turn around to look back,” Grant said. “It was all smiles on the way in. It’s really cool to have so much local support.”
After taking a quick breather, Grant was asked if he would consider taking on Lenny on a hydrofoil in next year’s competition.
Grant replied: “I’ve done this race six years in a row, and I have four first-place and two second-place finishes. I’ll be 36 next year, so you know what, why not try the hydrofoil now, I’ll never be able to do it (later in life at this high level of competition). I’m a little heavy for it at 180 pounds when all the ‘kids’ doing it are 100 pounds dripping wet, but I think I can do it. It’s new and different, and I can be part of the race without all the pressure. Don’t hold me to it please, but the sport’s in good hands.
“Kai Lenny is phenomenal, he’s 10 years younger than me, and I look up to him. I’ll see if I can keep up with him. I’m stoked.”
Stock SUP boards are typically 14 feet long with no rudder, while unlimited SUP boards are around 18 feet long and sometimes include a rudder system, making the latter more conducive to surfing and managing the notoriously daunting waves throughout the channel.
Josh Riccio of Florida claimed gold in the “stock” SUP division for the second consecutive year after crossing the line in 5:01:27. Lenny still holds the stock SUP record of 4:22:14 after winning that division title in 2012.
Matt Bevilacqua of Australia claimed his fourth consecutive gold medal in the unlimited prone division in a time of 5:05:27. Bevilacqua, 26, set the race record mark of 4:29:20 last year.
Aussie Stewart McLachlan claimed his third consecutive title in the stock prone division, and crossed the finishing buoys in 5:33:26. He still holds the event record of 5:02:43, which he set last year.
Harriet Brown of Australia dominated the women’s unlimited prone division for the second consecutive year by posting a mark of 5:51:32.
“I was just trying to stay calm and focus on surfing as many runs as I could,” said Brown, who had a difficult time walking after the grueling effort.
Australia’s Terrene Black took home the women’s unlimited SUP division title, and completed the course in 5:25:27, while holding off Germany’s Sonja Honscheid (5:32:36) and last year’s winner Penelope Strickland (5:57:09) of New Zealand.
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