The 13th Annual Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard Race returned to Hawaii this year, the competition held on July 26th. Considered the world championship of stand up paddleboarding, solo men and women, as well as two-person teams, made the arduous 32-mile paddle across the storied Molokai (Ka’iwi) Channel in pursuit of paddling’s top honor. Along the way they battled tough seas, summer heat, physical and mental limits, not to mention, each other. This year´s long distance mile open ocean race offered a record prize purse of $16,000 and brought all the top athletes in the sport, including record holder Jamie Mitchel (Australian) who won for the 8th year in a row.

Check out the race course!

In an interview he described the race:
“It felt like six hours today,” said Mitchell, who couldn’t believe he came in under five hours. “The first two thirds was good, but that last third… it took forever to get close, then the current, then the backwash. It was definitely the toughest (race) of the last three or four years for me.

“It was real technical today. It wasn’t easy to catch the bumps. You had to be really on your game to get them…The current had a stationary wave effect. You’d be trying to get down it and it would be sucking you back up.

“The last couple of hours was pretty painful for me,” Mitchell added, supported by his cheese-grated feet that bore the brunt of the hard work. “I felt strong, just the conditions today made it a lot harder than previous years.”