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.
15 year old local boy Toa Pere - approaching China Walls
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, 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.
Lachie Lansdown taking advantage of the short period conditions
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- five time runner up, Lachie Lansdown, had just gotten out of the hospital after coming down with the flu a day before. Initially it seemed that Lachie 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.
Stew McLachlan chasing down Charlie
Charlie Verco - Back to back champ
The first paddler to cross the line, with a few minute lead, was Charlie Verco, repeating his 2023 performance.
"It feels a lot more real this year. Coming across it was such a tight race the whole way - Stewie is such an incredible paddler, we were just battling against each other for 3 hours. I knew Stew likes to go out hard… we went out really fast before we settled into our rhythm and then we separated - I went north and he went South and whoever had the runners at the time would be in front. I was really fatigued at that 3 hour mark and then I got a few runners and started having fun again and that brought me back to life. And that was when I started to pull away a bit"
-2x champ Charlie Verco
Top 3 in mens unlimited: Charlie Verco, Stew Mclachlan, Campbell Guthrie
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. Stew McLachlan crossed 2 minutes and 38 seconds behind Charlie- the two Aussies had a considerable gap over the rest of the field after they redlined across the entire channel. Campbell Guthrie took 3rd about 20 minutes behind Charlie and Stew.
Lachie Lansdown finally got his Molokai win, all while fighting the flu- proving yet again that his technical ability on a board can out class the best. Lachie built up enough of a gap on 2nd place Brayden Casamento to not rely entirely on his fitness (or lack of on race day due to his health) to get him through the last few miles.
Stock winner Lachie Lansdown greeted by unlimited winner Charlie Verco and 3rd place unlimited Campbell Guthrie.
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.
"Good luck to anyone racing Toa over the next few years- kid is an animal and only getting faster."
-Lachie Lansdown.
Toa powering to the finish
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 finish.
Katrina Madill 2024 Champ
Liz Hunter 2nd place Stock
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".
Bronte Hartland - unlimited womens 1st place
Congrats to all who raced this year. Looking forward to seeing all the competition next year, old and new. We have a feeling next year the field will be bigger and better than ever.
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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