The 11th annual Kaua‘i World Challenge started Thursday, hosted by the Kaua‘i Hoe Wa‘a with $10,000 in prizes. The international outrigger canoe paddling event attracts visitors and paddlers from around the globe in the coastal relay competition which takes place
The 11th annual Kaua‘i World Challenge started Thursday, hosted by the Kaua‘i Hoe Wa‘a with $10,000 in prizes.
The international outrigger canoe paddling event attracts visitors and paddlers from around the globe in the coastal relay competition which takes place Saturday.
A warm-up eight-mile paddle launched the event Thursday followed by race registration and carbo load dinner prepared by the Niumalu Canoe Club on Friday.
Paddlers take to the water at the Kapa‘a Beach Park starting at 8 a.m. Paddlers in OC1, OC2 and Surfski teams paddle from the Kapa‘a Beach Park starting line, ending 34 miles later at the Salt Pond Beach Park.
Paddler exchanges take place at relay points along the route, the first being at the Hanama‘ulu Beach Park, 6.3 miles from the start. The No. 2 paddlers take off to Kalapaki Beach, five miles away, fronting the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Beach Club. The final paddler exchange takes place in Po‘ipu fronting the Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club, a distance of just over 10 miles.
The Marriott resorts on Kaua‘i donates water and fruit for the paddlers at both the Kalapaki Bay and the Waiohai Bay exchange points.
Waiting at the finishline, live Hawaiian music entertains supporters and fans while welcoming the finishing paddlers vying for $10,000 in cash prizes shared between the elite division and specific age divisions.
Kalapaki Joe’s prepares a post-race meal.
The Kaua‘i World Challenge is filmed by Hawaiian Xtreme Sports TV by land and sea for telecast to 45 million households nationwide through the Universal Sports Network, an NBC Partner.
Sponsors for this year’s Kaua‘i World Challenge include the Kaua‘i Hand Therapy, County of Kaua‘i, Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau, Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa, Captain Andy’s Sailing, Kalapaki Joe’s, Po‘ipu Beach Resort Association, Kamanu Composites, Island Pacific Mortgage, Kona Brewing Company, Fantasy Shirts, Simply Kaua‘i, and the KQNG Radio Group.
Visit www.kauaiworldchallenge.org for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
