Molokai is the kind of race where you take all racing elements: competition, conditions, and distance- and crank 'em all up a few notches. Most of the big dogs are showing up. You have Aussies flying over, competitors from New Zealand, some fierce Hawaiian paddlers, and the best of California's paddle scene all in one place.
Conditions are known for being wild, unpredictable, and a lot harder to manage in that big ocean compared to other races. It's also tied for being the longest distance prone race (with The Catalina Classic) at 32 miles. Figuring out the logistics is a feat of its own- getting a boat, escort, accommodations on Molokai, tickets to Oahu, a place to stay, etc. etc. etc. However, despite the severity of potential conditions, the logistical hoops, and that long, grueling crossing- it's one of the most badass paddling feats that someone can accomplish and we think that every paddler ought to do it at least once in their career.
This year the conditions were typical- washy, bumpy, and getting worse at China Walls as competitors neared the finish. Some super short period swell made the conditions more ideal for the stock division, and we saw the guys on 12's flying past a lot of the Unlimited boards.
At the finish line, before any racers had come in, talk was centered around who would pull the lead- Charlie Verco or Stew McLachlan. The two had rivaled last year as well and Charlie had come out victorious. Would he pull it off again? There was also talk of the stock divison- one of the picks, Lachie Lansdown, had just gotten out of the hospital after coming down with the flu a day before. Initially it seemed that Lachie- five time second place finisher- would not be able to race. However, he decided to start the race- telling someone "either I win or they pull me out of the water". Word of this had spread, so the crowd on the beach was eager to see how he would do.
The first paddler to cross the line, but a good lead, was Charlie Verco, repeating his 2023 performance. The announcers enthusiastically welcomed Charlie into the finish with an "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!" chant. We then heard that chant 8 more times, as 9 out of the top 10 racers were Australian. 15 year old Toa Pere, the one to watch over the next couple years, came out the only American in the top 10, and 5th stock.
This year we saw 6 female solo paddlers cross the line, led by Katrina Madill of New Zealand in the Stock division. Queen of Catalina Liz Hunter followed behind her for second place.
Bronte Hartland came in second overall for the women- the only female Unlimited in the field this year. "It was so fun the first three hours... I almost felt guilty because it was so easy, it was so much fun. You take a couple strokes and just fly along. And then that tide hit and it was just so hard. It felt like it (Oahu) wasn't getting any closer. Then it was just get to the wall and finish strong".
Top Finishers
NAME | DIVISION | PLACE | TIME |
CHARLIE VERCO | UNLIMITED | 1ST | 4:26:28 |
STEWART MCLACHLAN | UNLIMITED | 2ND | 4:29:06 |
CAMPBELL GUTHRIE | UNLIMITED | 3RD | 4:47:28 |
LACHIE LANSDOWN | STOCK | 1ST | 5:09:45 |
BRAYDEN CASAMENTO | STOCK | 2ND | 5:13:21 |
HARRISON STONE | STOCK | 3RD | 5:24:13 |
KATRINA MADILL | WOMENS STOCK | 1ST | 6:24:13 |
LIZ HUNTER | WOMENS STOCK | 2ND | 6:48:20 |
ALLISON SCHILLINGER | WOMENS STOCK | 3RD | 7:02:18 |
BRONTE HARTLAND (UL) | WOMENS UL | 1ST | 6:44:04 |
All Results
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