|
Tahiti's Lewis Laughlin Becomes First Tahitian in 31-Year History to Win Epic
Kayaks Molokai World Championship
 Honolulu - (Sunday, May 20, 2007) --
Tahiti's Lewis Laughlin overcame the most brutal conditions and strongest
international field in the 31-year history of the Epic Kayaks Molokai World
Championships today to become the first paddler from Tahiti to take line honors.
A new course that added five miles to the previous distance of the race was
always expected to add time to the Molokai Channel crossing, but none of the 124
paddlers who set out this-morning could have imagined the time it was going to
take to complete the 37-mile distance.
Gruelling Conditions
Blistering hot temperatures, zero cloud-cover, counter-productive side-shore
winds and minimal ocean swells set a torrid stage for the race. Laughlin, 37,
paddled his solo ocean kayak for five hours, 20 minutes and six seconds to take
the win ahead of four South African paddlers: Hank McGregor (5:22:16); Dawid
Mocke (5:25:27); 11-time champion of this event Oscar Chalupsky (5:42:20); and
defending event champion Clint Pretorius (5:47:00).
Today's race also
featured a men's one-person canoe (OC1) division, as well as women's categories
in both ocean kayak and OC1. Maui's Kai Bartlett was the first male OC1 paddler
across the line (6:07:56), his wife Lauren Bartlett claimed the women's OC1
division (6:54:59), and Megan Quale (Maui) won the women's ocean kayak division
(6:39:39). Only eight paddlers made it home inside of six hours. Thirty-four
paddlers who started out did not officially finish the race, either withdrawing
mid-course or finishing outside of the official eight-hour time limit. Paddlers
from 15 countries took part in today's race.
Laughlin prepared for the conditions
 Lewis Laughlin - pride of Tahiti! (Photo: Pierre Tostee, Covered Images)
Laughlin attributed his win
to being comfortable in conditions that he said were "exactly like we have at
home". Apparently he was the only paddler prepared for them. Many of today's
competitors had never paddled continuously for more than five hours, let alone
six, seven, or eight. Even race icon Chalupsky, who has made roughly 20
crossings of the Molokai Channel, has never taken longer than four hours and 15
minutes to do so."To be honest, I never thought about fatigue, cramps,
or anything, I just went," said Laughlin. "These were exactly like Tahiti
conditions. This is our type of water and I had almost three weeks practicing in
the same conditions prior to coming here.
"The South Africans were super
strong, leading the whole way, but I finally got them at Koko Head
(approximately seven miles out from the finish). I just went for Koko Head, then
straight for Diamond Head, but there wasn't a lot of wave
riding."
"Really hard race"
Runner-up McGregor, 29, spoke for the majority: "I didn't really
prepare for a five-hour race.""After two hours the field sort of spread
out," continued McGregor. "Myself and Dawid Mocke got away and all of a sudden
Lewis showed up. It was a really hard race. We were all pretty much on the same
course."
 Dawid Mocke powering in mid-channel (Photo: Pierre Tostee, Covered Images)
Twenty-nine year-old Mocke, who finished third, said he hit the
wall about 2.5 miles from the finish and was always afraid of Lewis, who gets
stronger towards the end of a race. "It was just a bridge too far," said Mocke.
"That was an absolutely brutal, brutal race. But I'm happy with the race and
very pleased for Lewis. He's such an awesome paddler, very humble, couldn't be a
better person to win."
 Dawid, Oscar, Hank, Clint (Photo: Pierre Tostee, Covered Images)
Forty-four year-old Chalupsky, who placed fourth,
conceded that it wasn't his day. "They were the worst conditions we could ever
hope for," said Chalupsky. "That was the longest time ever for me on this run.
It had nothing to do with the course - the distance - it was all about the
weather."
OC1
Kai Bartlett, the first OC1 finisher and now three-time
champion of this event, said he contemplated loading his rig onto the escort
boat many times throughout the crossing. "That was tough duties out there. Every
hour I thought I was going to put my boat on the escort. If I'm not having fun
I'd normally pull out, but you can't pull out when you're in the
lead!
"This definitely means a lot to me, especially considering
yesterday I was ready to go fishing today instead."
 Kai Bartlett - OC1 winner (Photo: Pierre Tostee, Covered Images)
Bartlett's wife,
Lauren, posted her first victory today, but said she would absolutely never do
the race again under such conditions. "That was the most crazy, hardest,
stupidest thing I've ever done. I must have hit 15 walls! But I had the best
support group - they kept me going, plus I got an extra charge out of hearing
that Kai had won."
Of all of today's paddlers to cross the line,
Australian Lisa Curry-Kenny was the only one willing to commit to returning to
do the race again. She placed second in the women's OC1 division to Bartlett in
a time of 7:04:22. When Curry-Kenny won this race back in 2005, she did so in a
time of 4:46.
"I don't think anyone has done these kind of times before
- we've done the distance, but never the time. It was a total slog. But it was
character building and I want to do it again. I was on the pace - I had Lauren
in my sights the whole time. I've done three hard weeks of back-to-back races,
and considering that, I think I did bloody well today!"
Women's Race
The women's ocean
kayak division was won by Maui paddler Megan Quale, 31, who made her first
crossing of the Molokai Channel today.
 Megan Quale - ladies winner (Photo: Pierre Tostee, Covered Images)
"I was thinking it was going to
take four hours," said Quale. "It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my
life and as I was bonking out there I was thinking that I'll never do this
again! But I had really good people rooting for me and they have been behind me
for months, so I did it for them - especially my sponsor Lahaina Chevron. I
couldn't have done it for myself."
Today's race was made possible by
presenting sponsor Epic Kayaks, who design, manufacture and distribute composite
sea kayaks, paddles, surf skis, K1 and K2 kayaks, and also by the support of the
Park Shore Waikiki Hotel, Lulu's Restaurant Waikiki, and Steinlager.
 Oscar getting 'lei-ed' at the finish... (Photo: Pierre Tostee, Covered Images)
Media
Information:
Jodi Wilmott, in Hawaii: (808) 258-8533.
TOP
RESULTS:
Men's Ocean Kayak:
1. Lewis Laughling - Tahiti - 5:20:06 -
$3,000
2. Hank McGregor - South Africa - 5:22:16 - $1,500
3. Dawid Mocke -
South Africa - 5:25:27 - $1,000
Men's OC1:
1. Kai Bartlett - Maui -
6:07:56 - $3,000
2. Greg Long - Australia - 6:14:24 - $1,500
3. Maui
Kjeldsen - Maui - 6:18:11 - $1,000
Women's Ocean Kayak:
1. Megan
Quale - Maui - 6:39:39 - $750
2. Maggie Twigg-Smith - Oahu - 6:45:41 -
$300
3. Heather Nelson - Washington - 6:49:44 - $200
Women's
OC1:
1. Lauren Bartlett - Maui - 6:54:59 - $750
2. Lisa Curry-Kenny -
Australia - 7:04:22 - $300
3. Arlene Holzmam - Oahu - 7:27:53 - $200
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Thanks Dave