Online registration opens Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at 8 a.m. (PST) for the 19th annual Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard World Championships (M2O), presented by Kona Longboard Island Lager. In anticipation of record demand, a new three-week registration window and lottery system will be used to better allocate entries to an international field of prequalified and interested non-prequalified athletes.
Detailed registration information can be found on the official event website Molokai2Oahu.com. Solo and team competitors are encouraged to review all information prior to the open of registration on March 10th.
This year’s race date is set for Sunday, July 26, 2015.
The event is an open-ocean endurance paddleboard challenge open to solo and team competitors who plan to race in either the prone or stand-up (SUP) divisions. Stock and unlimited boards are welcome in the solo and three-person team races. Only stock boards can be used in the two-person team competition.
M2O celebrates the kick-off of the 2015 race announcement with the launch of the first video in a series that will lead up to race day, capturing the experience of crossing the Ka’iwi Channel. To view this video and other inspiring stories from race history, visit the official M2O YouTube Channel.
Paddleboarding fans are encouraged to get the latest M2O news through Facebook, Twitter, Google+. Race day events also will be broadcast live from the Molokai Channel over social media.
For more information visit Molokai2Oahu.com.
Connecting the islands of Molokai and Oahu, this 32-mile race crosses the Ka’iwi Channel, also known as the Molokai Channel. Men and women from more than 15 countries will face strong currents as they navigate the fastest downwind route over one of the deepest channels in the world. Top athletes complete the crossing in less than five hours, riding mid-channel waves that can crest more than 12 feet and carry paddlers hundreds of meters at a time.
M2O starts on Kaluakoi Beach on the north shore of Molokai and finishes in Maunalua Bay on the south shore of Oahu.
Founded in 1997, M2O has grown from a grassroots challenge for the legendary lifeguards and watermen of Oahu to the premiere event for the sport of paddleboarding. The annual race is a deeply personal experience, challenging every paddler’s physical and mental endurance. Every finisher experiences an individual championship.
Valued M2O partners include (alphabetically): Doctor Danger, DotVision, Duke’s, Futures, GreenLayer, Garmin, Hawai’i Tourism Authority, Kona Longboard Island Lager, Kona Red, Maui Jim, Oberto, Ocean Paddler, Outrigger Hotels, Patagonia, Standup Paddle Magazine, Surftech and Waterman’s Applied Science.
