Molokai to Oahu Race 2019

[blueplanetsurf]

The race is this Sunday, check this page for the start list and live tracking:
http://www.molokai2oahu.com

Prone Solo and teams start at 7:30 am
SUP Solo and teams start at 8:00 am
Foil Solo and teams start at 9:30 am

I originally signed up to do the race on my 18' x 25" dugout unlimited board.   The forecast looks pretty good with the surface currents and wind going in the right direction.  The winds also look pretty strong and steady.   Last year I really struggled on the dugout when conditions got rough at the end so I decided to change divisions and use a 14 x 28 Bump Rider, which is stable, predictable and fast in the bumps.  The race is always brutal, especially the last 5-10 miles, so using a more stable board should make it a little more manageable.

I got all my gear ready this morning, here are the essentials and screenshots of the surface currents and wind forecasts for 11 am on Sunday, good luck to all competitors!

[blueplanetsurf]

This was our training group on Wednesday, most of us are racing on Sunday.

[Night Wing]

Thanks for the link and good luck to you and all those in your crew who are also racing.

[supnorte]

Good luck to everybody and especially to my friend Miguel Roigé from Barcelona (the guy on the far right).

Keep safe and enjoy!

[TallDude]

I sure you're beat....totally. Love to see your Gopro footage and a race recap when you wake up in a few days

[808sup]

Congratulations Robert!

[blueplanetsurf]

I don't have images or video to share at this time but the race went well for me, here is a quick recap:
Using the 14' Bump Rider was a good choice and I was not surprised to count seven Bump Riders at the start, it's a great board for the channel.
I kept a northerly line as I knew the current would take us south.   I paced myself to make sure I would have something left in the tank for the last 5 miles which are always the toughest part of the race for me.
Usually, my pace slows significantly towards the end but due to the favorable current and wind direction, my mile splits were actually getting faster as I approached Portlock, my fastest splits were under 9 minutes per mile.  I did start cramping in the forearms, triceps and lats at about 24 miles and had to stop.  I took two Pickle Juice shots (that stuff works for me) and swallowed 4 salt pills and the cramps subsided.  A few miles later the cramps came back and I took two more shots and 4 more salt pills and was able to finish the race without too much discomfort.  I did start running south a little too soon and had to paddle hard right to reach Portlock point against the strong wind and current although I was in a better position than the many paddlers to the south of me.  By Portlock point, I had caught up to Remy Lavie who was also on a 14' Bump Rider and was ahead of me for the whole race.  The wind was blowing hard offshore and the tide was high, so I opted to stay close to shore in the partial wind shadow on the right side of Maunalua Bay (see GPS track).  This was a good move and I finished 2 minutes ahead of Remy who paddled in the middle of the bay against the strong headwind.
I finished the race in 5:29 which is a personal record for me, my second fastest time was 5:35 in 2011 on a 17'4 SIC Bullet. 
At the awards ceremony, I was surprised that I did not only win the 50-59 division but finished second overall in the SUP Stock Solo division, behind Josh Riccio who set a new Stock record of 4:12, an incredible feat.   What an honor to finish second stock overall in this event and I even won prize money!

Lots of records were broken yesterday, Terrene bested the women's record by 20 minutes.  The SUP field was smaller than in past years and many of the big names were absent but it was an epic year for the event and many of the paddlers in our local training group participated and had a great race.

Here is my GPS track (the heart rate data is rubbish):
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3892909338

[blueplanetsurf]

here is a short video from my boat captain Ivan Shigaki:
https://www.facebook.com/blueplanetsurf/videos/vb.100000906979095/3137479502958918/?type=2&theater&notif_t=video_processed&notif_id=1564429579397515

[Luc Benac]

Major congratulations. I will tell my friend Arne here in Howe Sound that he can push his Bump Rider harder :-)

[Dusk Patrol]

Hey now you're a "big name" Rob

[JEG]

congratulation Robert and great effort.

[Night Wing]

@ Robert

A credit not just to your skill and training, but a credit also to your design of your Bump Rider.

[Tom]

Congrats Robert

And a big shout out to James Casey, Sunovas team rider, who took 1st. He dedicated this raise to his father who is not doing well with brain cancer

[toolate]

wow Robert! great race!

Does Stock refer to a stock board?
You were right up there with the best!

[burchas]

Epic achievement Rob! Congrats.