FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, July 31, 2005
AUSTRALIAN MITCHELL CLAIMS FOURTH MOLOKAI WIN
Hawaii’s Kanesa Duncan Posts Solid Women’s Victory
HONOLULU – Capping off a fourth season of undefeated paddling, 28-year-old Australian lifeguard Jamie Mitchell (Queensland) posted his fourth consecutive win of the 32-mile Quiksilveredition Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard Race today, finishing ahead of 117 other starters. It was a hard-fought victory and Mitchell’s winning time of five hours, five minutes and nine seconds was nine minutes outside of the record he set last year (4:56:03). Second place was Honolulu lifeguard Brian Rocheleau, with a time of 5:07:34; third was Nathan Henderson (Australia – 5:17:47); and fourth was California’s Ryan Addison (Malibu – 5:18:34). The first stockboard (shorter, 12-foot board) finisher was Eric Meech (La Jolla, CA – 6:04:21), and the first women’s stockboard finisher was Kanesa Duncan (Honolulu – 6:16:26).
Starting out from Papohaku Roadstead on Molokai at 7:30am, conditions were great for the first few hours with small but long-running swells in the 2-4 foot range and consistent trailing Tradewinds of around 15 knots. But by the final two hours, organized runners gave way to chaotic conditions and currents for which the Kaiwi Channel is infamous and the race became a mind game.
“Those last two hours were just horrendous,” said Mitchell. “It was really unorganized, backwashy. It felt like the current was raging against us. Mentally it feels like you’re going nowhere. What kept me going was not wanting to lose! I hate losing.
“The current just felt like it was pushing against us the whole way. It was hell. Halfway through I was thinking this was going to be the best run ever, but the last two hours were really painful. It seemed that trying to get to land took forever today.”
While it’s safe to say that Mitchell has had a stranglehold over paddleboard racing the past four years, today’s race definitely signaled a return of competition. Hawaii’s Brian Rocheleau was a serious contender and the difference between him and Mitchell amounted to less than two-and-a-half minutes, or approximately 4.5 seconds per mile. These two paddlers took different courses across the channel today, yet still came in within a whiff of each other.
“There were some nasty spots out there, but there was also a lot of water going our way,” said Rocheleau, 29. “I was going as hard as I could and it came out how it came out, but I felt good about my race, so I’m really happy. That last stretch is just bad. You get the headwinds blowing in your face and you feel like someone’s pulling a line on the back of your board.”
Rocheleau this year incorporated the knee-paddling technique that has seen Australian paddlers dominate for the majority of the nine-year history of this race – a style that is foreign to local paddlers. “I was probably knee paddling about 30 per cent of the time,” said Rocheleau. “It definitely helped to be able to get up and knee paddle – to use different muscles. I hope to incorporate that more next year.”
For Californian Ryan Addison, who finished fourth, it was his first experience with the Molokai Channel and at just 13 minutes short of the winning time, it was an excellent performance.
“It was brutal,” said Addison. “I knew it was going to be hard. My first thing was just to make it. At about mile 18 I just bonked. My arms cramped and I was done. I kept pounding the fluids and tried to work it out. Then Brian passed me. I felt like I was just sitting still like some buoy in the channel – and that plays mental havoc. I’m used to flat water in California, so it was definitely challenging.”
Fellow Californian Eric Meech was elated with his performance, winning the shorter 12-foot stockboard division.
“This was my first Molokai – first time solo, first time stock, and first win,” said 36-year-old Meech. “My board worked fabulous.”
Only two women set out solo today, both paddling stockboards. Honolulu’s Kanesa Duncan posted a solid victory, coming in 12 minutes ahead of Australian favorite Hayley Bateup. Duncan and Bateup have competed against each other six times previously with Bateup always the victor. But today, it all went
Duncan’s way. Impressively, she was the fourth overall stockboard finisher, placing well ahead of most of her male counterparts.
“I made my goal,” said Duncan, 29. “I really did compete against the guys this year and I’m stoked. It feels really good to beat Hayley. I’ve race against her about six times and she’s always gotten me. Today the conditions were good, it was a good race and I was able to perform well.”
Two-man teams are also a part of this race, and today the first team to cross the line was that of Australian pair Hayden Smith and Bruce Taylor – both newcomers to the channel. They defeated a highly experienced Hawaii team of Jimmy Austin and Dolan Eversole with a time of 5:12:46 over 5:19:09.
For the first time there was also a “Beachboy” style stand-up paddle division, taken out by Oahu’s Brian Keaulana and Todd Bradley in a time of 5:42:31.
The Quiksilveredition Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard Race is considered to be the world championship of long distance paddleboard racing. In all, 118 paddlers set out today – 38 of them going solo. Only three did not finish.
Paddleboards are streamlined boards ranging in length from 12-17 feet and are designed to ride open-ocean swells. They are arm-paddled in a prone or kneeling position.
RESULTS:
OVERALL FINISHERS – ELITE: UNLIMITED MEN’S 29&UNDER
1. Jamie Mitchell (Aus) 5:05:09 1. Mike Menkewicz (Pearl City) 5:56:59
2. Brian Rocheleau (Hon) 5:07:34 2. Justin Mitchell (Aus) 6:01:15
3. Nathan Henderson (Aus) 5:17:47 3. Shun Kobayashi (Japan) 7:00:16
MENS 30-39 MENS 40-49
1. Ryan Addison (Malibu, CA) 5:18:34 1. Mick DiBetta (Aus) 5:28:11
2. Guy Pere (Sunset Bch, Haw) 5:25:00 2. Chris Owens (Sunset Bch, HI) 6:18:58
3. Matt Sack (Kaaawa) 5:53:42 3. Clark Abbey (Kaneohe, HI) 7:03:48
MENS 50+
1. Matt Barnett (Sunset Bch, HI) 5:56:15
2. Buddy Sheppard (Sunset Bch, HI) 6:34:54
STOCKBOARD MENS ELITE STOCKBOARD MENS 29&UNDER
1. Eric Meech (La Jolla, CA) 6:04:21 1. Mitsunobu Gohda (Japan) 7:23:33
2. Ernie deSilva (Kauai) 6:05:13
3. George Ramos Jr. (Sunset Bch, HI) 6:12:34
STOCKBOARD MENS 30-39 STOCKBOARD MENS 40-49
1. Ludovic Dulou (France) 6:17:23 1. Kamuela Aea (Oahu, Haw) 6:24:37
2. Erik Barton (Honolulu) 6:44:27 2. Nick Carroll (Aus) 6:59:26
3. Dustin Morris (Kailua, HI) 7:44:00 3. Blair Thorndike (Maui) 7:12:16
WOMEN ALL AGES
1. Kanesa Duncan (Oahu, Haw) 6:16:26
2. Hayley Bateup (Aus) 6:28:44
STOCK TEAM MENS 59&UNDER (combined ages)
1. Hayden Smith/Bruce Taylor (Aus) 5:12:46
2. Jimmy Austin/Dolan Eversole (Honolulu) 5:19:09
3. Kiva Rivers/Gavin Sutherland (Honolulu) 5:33:30
STOCK TEAM MENS 60-79 (combined ages)
1. John Gangini/Victor Hemmy III (Maui/Oahu, Haw) 5:30:17
2. Mikey Cote/Kenny Rust (Honolulu) 5:48:41
3. Chad Feiler/George Plsek (CA) 6:09:23
STOCK TEAM MENS 80-99 (combined ages)
1. Bud Denatoni/Tony Hotchkiss (CA) 5:53:52
2. Charlie Buckingham/Ralf Sifford (Maui) 5:58:55
3. Peter Burton/Michael Lind (CA) 6:01:36
STOCK TEAM MENS 100+ (combined ages)
1. Johnny McCandless/Jack Dyson (Maui, Haw) 7:16:40
2. Peter Martin/Douglas Poseley (Maui) 7:23:12
MIXED TEAM
1. Katie Wright/Chad Noble (HI/Aus) 6:08:35
2. Jane Cairns/Dave Yester (CA/HI) 6:41:39
3. Iwanami Chitose /Jun Ikeda (Japan) 6:54:05
STAND-UP “BEACHBOY” STYLE:
1. Todd Bradley/Brian Keaulana (HI) 5:42:31
2. Archie Kalepa/Dave Parmenter (Maui) 5:45:35
3. Andrea Moller/Maria Souza (Maui) 6:56:33
