With the return of the Molokai Hoe World Championship presented by the Hawaii Tourism Authority following a four-year hiatus, a slew of fresh competitors will join veteran outrigger canoe paddlers on Sunday in what has become the sport’s “Super Bowl.”
The 68th running of the men’s world championship race ends a four-year streak of cancellations caused by factors out of the control of race organizers and competitors. From 2000 to 2022, the race was halted out of an abundance of caution around the COVID-19 pandemic; in 2022, a modified race was held on Oahu to allow more time for the Molokai community to prepare for its hosting kuleana. Last year, the race was called off to allow those affected by the devastating Maui wildfires an opportunity to grieve and start the recovery process.
According to registration data provided by race officials on Monday, 75 crews will make the 41-mile trek from Molokai’s Hale O Lono Harbor to Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki on Sunday, including squads from Hawaii as well as teams from Arizona, California, New York, Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan and Tahiti — including two-time defending champion Shell Va‘a, which has won 12 of the past 14 Molokai Hoe competitions.
“I’m looking forward to the overall experience out in the water with so many people who share the same passion,” said 18-year-old University of Hawaii freshman Brandon Nicolas, who will be competing in the Molokai Hoe for the first time as a member of Imi Ola Canoe Club’s junior (15-18 years old) squad.
“I’m a part of one of a few crews that are represented by all kanaka and kama‘aina of Hawaii in this race that really perpetuates the culture of our home, and it’s truly a privilege and an honor to participate.”
Competitors in the ultimate test of strength, endurance and strategy will face unpredictable winds and waves in addition to the varying currents throughout the treacherous Kaiwi Channel.
Wednesday’s National Weather Service forecast called for a south swell to arrive on Thursday and possibly linger into the weekend, producing potentially “sticky” conditions as paddlers navigate the vast channel.
Shell Va‘a set the course record in 2011, finishing in 4 hours, 30 minutes and 54 seconds — nearly eight minutes faster than the previous record, which it also held. After claiming its eighth straight Molokai Hoe crown in 2013, some Shell paddlers remarked that they would continue chasing the outrigger canoe paddling world championship “until we die.”
However, Shell’s run for nine straight titles was denied in 2014 when Tahitian competitor EDT Va‘a, which paddles under the banner of a competing energy company, claimed the Molokai-to-Oahu crown. After Shell Va‘a reclaimed the Molokai Hoe in 2015 and 2016, Red Bull Wa‘a emerged in 2017 to best the two-time defending champions by 31 seconds as the Kona-based crew blended a crew with paddlers from Hawaii and Tahiti.
Following its trend, Shell Va‘a bounced back in 2018 and took its anger out on the competition en route to winning its unprecedented 11th title in 13 tries by nine minutes and five seconds ahead of runner-up Red Bull Wa‘a. Shell then racked up win No. 12 in 2019, the final running of the race before the four-year pause, in runaway fashion, besting Team OPT of Tahiti by nearly 13 minutes.
A “refreshed” Shell Va‘a crew features four returning paddlers from the 2019 championship squad, including Iorama Teahu, who chuckled along with his teammates on Monday at the prerace registration gathering as paddlers from other crews joked that Shell “needs to share” the championship as the Tahitians entered the room.
“We’re very excited to be back, and we want to win this big race,” Teahu said. “It’s an honor to race in the Molokai Hoe, it’s legendary. This is the Super Bowl of the sport.”
Lanikai Canoe Club still holds the distinction as the last crew comprised completely of paddlers from Hawaii to win the Molokai Hoe after triumphing in 2005. The competition continues to evolve as more crews from around the world attempt to conquer the battle in the channel.
“We’ve been training all year for this and tried to find similar conditions at home to practice in. Now let’s see what will happen,” said Vigo Khoury, a member of Brazil’s Sampa Canoe Club, who is competing in the Molokai Hoe for the first time.
All participating canoes are outfitted with GPS trackers that allow supporters to track friends and family along the journey at pseresults.live; the website also features real-time results as canoes cross the finish line.
The race will be broadcast live on KHII (Ch. 5) on television and khon2.com.
