HONOLULU (AP) – Hawaii lifeguard Sean Monahan successfully defended his title in the Silver Edition Molokai-to-Oahu Paddleboard Race on Sunday, battling choppy seas kicked up by tropical storm Daniel some 250 miles to the east. Monahan finished the 32-mile trek
HONOLULU (AP) – Hawaii lifeguard Sean Monahan successfully defended his title
in the Silver Edition Molokai-to-Oahu Paddleboard Race on Sunday, battling
choppy seas kicked up by tropical storm Daniel some 250 miles to the
east.
Monahan finished the 32-mile trek in five hours, 37 minutes and 33
seconds – 15 minutes short of the course record set in 1997.
Hawaiian
Airlines pilot Dawson Jones was second, finishing in five hours and 42 minutes.
Honolulu lifeguard Guy Pere finished third in five hours, 46 minutes and 56
seconds.
Australian lifeguard Aaron Bitmead was in fourth place with a time
of five hours, 49 minutes and 11 seconds.
In the two-man team division,
Oahu North Shore pair Charlie Walker and Brendan Shea finished first in five
hours, 23 minutes and 10 seconds.
The first women to cross the finish line
at Maunalua Bay in Hawaii Kai were teammates Megan Harrington and Kelly Fey,
with a time of six hours, 38 minutes and 45 seconds.
The competition is
considered the world championship of paddleboard racing. Competitors use their
arms to power 12- to 15-foot boards that are cross between a kayak and a
surfboard.
A record number of 63 entrants completed the course Sunday, race
officials said.
