The 2015 Molokai 2 Oahu World Championship in 10 Points

1. Travis Grant (4:59:38) takes the Molokai 2 Oahu title for the 2nd time after his 2013 victory.
Here is what Travis had to say about his victory:

” I don’t know what to say. M2O 2015 winner. So hot, so tough, so happy. This race means more to me then I thought. Thank you to everyone that supported me. To win this race again is my greatest achievement. Love life.”

2. 2nd back-to-back win for defending champion Sonni Hönscheid (5:53:18) in the women’s. Last year Sonni was the 1st European woman to win M20, now she is the 1st European woman to win it twice.

3. 2nd position and best M2O result for Kai Lenny (5:15:59). Kai was neck-to-neck with Travis for a large part of the race until the Australian increased his speed in the last 10 miles. 

4. Annabel Anderson took an impressive 2nd place overall (5:57:40), arriving only 4 minutes behind Sonni Hönscheid who was competing in the unlimited category ie with a much longer board.

5. Danny Ching who was expected to compete solo on an unlimited board pulled out from the main category at the last minute and teamed up with Kaihe Chong in a two-man relay. The pair won the relay on their 14′ boards and managed to cross the line 20 seconds before Travis Grant in 4:59:21.

6. Connor Baxter, last year’s record holder of the crossing in 4:08:08, had to retire halfway through the race due to strong back and stomach pains. 

7. Slater Trout is the other big name who retired from the race. Here is what he published on Instagram:
“Well, all I can say is i’m glad thats over. Today was a tough one. The conditions turned out to be as bad as they could be for this race. At mile 25 I was pulled out of the race due to severe dehydration. I wanted to finish but my body wouldn’t let me today. Thank you to my support team & support boat for having my back out there & getting me to shore safely. I’ll be spending the next few days recovering. And I’m already looking forward to redemption next year!

8. Candice Appleby teamed up with 16 year old Noa Hopper and won the mixed relay title with an impressive time: 5:42:52
Here is what Candice said on facebook after the race: “[Noa Hopper] is a stud! I had the privilege of relaying with him this year for his first crossing of the Kaiwi Channel and we had a blast. I guess the conditions were considered pretty rough, but we didn’t really notice cause we were having a great time. Congrats @noahopper on you first crossing. I’m so proud of you! It’s pretty cool that we won too.”

9. The conditions were very tough for everyone. With no wind, no bumps and a steamy heat, this year’s edition was a slow one. This also meant that the unlimited boards were not able exploit their natural advantages over the 14′ boards, as they normally would have in proper downwind conditions. The huge shorebreak crashing at China Walls just before the finish line was the other climatic difficulty of the event. For some it meant a nice surfing ride to the finish, for others a real punishment after hours paddling in the ocean. 

10 . The 2015 Molokai 2 Oahu results:

Men’s Overall

1. Grant, Travis – Honolulu, HI – 32 y.o. – 04:59:38.8 – unlimited
2. Lenny, Kai – paia, HI – 22 y.o. – 05:15:59.0 – unlimited
3. Dews, Lincoln – Buderim, QLD – 19 y.o. – 05:19:18.6 – unlimited
4. Martins, Vinnicius – Armacao dos Buzios, – 19 y.o. – 05:25:14.4 – unlimited
5. Baptiste, Travis – Kihei, HI – 18 y.o. – 05:26:47.2 – stock
6. Casey, James – Collaroy, NSW – 23 y.o. – 05:31:12.1 – unlimited
7. Buillard, Niuhiti – Faa’a Center, – 23 y.o. – 05:38:34.1 – stock
8. Nottage, Matt – Mooloolaba, Nsw – 20 y.o. – 05:41:25.4 – unlimited
9. Araki, Takuji – Aza-Abu,Nago, – 41 y.o. – 05:41:46.0 – unlimited
10. Riccio, Josh – Lahaina, HI – 26 y.o. – 05:45:38.4 – unlimited
11. O’Brian, Beau – Mudgeeraba, QLD – 31 y.o. – 05:50:46.8 – unlimited
12. Murabayashi, Tomoyasu – Miyazaki Aoshima, – 37 y.o. – 05:51:44.1 – unlimited
13. Koopmans, Ethan – Melkbosstrand, – 18 y.o. – 05:53:31.1 – stock
14. Lavie, Remy – Hendaye, – 33 y.o. – 05:57:02.9 – stock
15. Teriitehau, Robert – Maui, HI – 49 y.o. – 05:58:21.6 – unlimited
16. Bradley, Christian – Honolulu, HI – 25 y.o. – 06:02:07.3 – stock
17. Leneil, Didier – Ollioules, – 50 y.o. – 06:06:20.8 – stock
18. Pinheiro, Am?rico – Arraial do Cabo, – 43 y.o. – 06:15:48.7 – unlimited
19. Nagamatsu, Yoshiaki – Makinohara sizuoka, – 39 y.o. – 06:20:26.4 – stock
20. Diaz, Belar – Canary Islands, – 37 y.o. – 06:23:27.3 – unlimited
21. Martindale, James – Honolulu, HI – 42 y.o. – 06:23:30.7 – unlimited
22. Matsuyama, Kosuke – Yomitannakagami Japan, – 35 y.o. – 06:25:01.9 – unlimited
23. Lee, Harry – Jan Juc, VIC – 21 y.o. – 06:28:55.4 – stock
24. Scully, Russ – Burlington, VT – 46 y.o. – 06:30:55.7 – unlimited
25. Glynn, Chuck – Carlsbad, CA – 26 y.o. – 06:32:14.9 – stock
26. Stehlik, Robert – Honolulu, HI – 47 y.o. – 06:34:45.1 – stock
27. Miralle, Don – Encinitas, CA – 40 y.o. – 06:35:12.8 – stock
28. Abbey, Kaeo – Kaneohe, HI – 28 y.o. – 06:39:00.3 – unlimited
29. Horgan, Kevin – Hanalei, HI – 50 y.o. – 06:39:54.4 – unlimited
30. Fukayama, Masao – Sao Paulo, – 40 y.o. – 06:42:29.9 – unlimited
31. Chaer Filho, Antonio – Niter?i, – 39 y.o. – 06:44:44.3 – stock
32. Lopes, Roberto – Haleiwa, HI – 44 y.o. – 06:53:04.3 – unlimited
33. Chang, Jeff – Honolulu, HI – 58 y.o. – 06:54:48.5 – stock
34. Walsh, John – Mendocino, CA – 39 y.o. – 06:56:44.7 – stock
35. McPhail, Scott – Honolulu, HI – 53 y.o. – 06:58:35.1 – unlimited
36. Fitt, Jimmy – Kailua, HI – 38 y.o. – 07:00:27.1 – unlimited
37. Frennet, Arnaud – Pichilemu, – 40 y.o. – 07:05:43.5 – stock
38. Bertish, Chris – Muizenberg, Cape Town, – 41 y.o. – 07:16:37.8 – unlimited
39. Tam sing, Kelly – Honolulu, HI – 44 y.o. – 07:19:16.0 – stock
40. Stevens, Terry – St Thomas, – 49 y.o. – 07:37:21.8 – stock
41. Longo, Vince – Huntington Beach, CA – 44 y.o. – 07:40:50.6 – stock
42. Tsumura, Chikara – Nosoko, Ishigaki Okinawa, – 62 y.o. – 07:42:43.6 – unlimited
43. Drinkward, Neal – Redondo Beach, CA – 52 y.o. – 07:46:28.7 – unlimited
44. Feldman, Brad – Haleiwa, HI – 58 y.o. – 08:20:59.4 – unlimited
45. Arnot, Bob – Stowe, VT – 67 y.o. – 08:22:00.0 – unlimited

Women’s overall

1.  Honscheid, Sonja – Westerland /Sylt, – 34 y.o. – 05:53:18.0 –
2.  Anderson, Annabel – Wanaka, – 34 y.o. – 05:57:40.3 – stock
3.  Strickland-Lum, Penelope – Auckland, – 36 y.o. – 05:59:44.7 –
4.  Kalmbach, Jennifer – Kailua Kona, HI – 32 y.o. – 06:08:21.2 –
5.  Black, Terrene – North Entrance, NSW – 32 y.o. – 06:23:23.7 –
6.  Brazil, Barbara – Salvador, – 41 y.o. – 06:31:33.0 –
7.  Blish, Devin – Paia, HI – 48 y.o. – 06:45:45.5 –
8.  Guimaraes Ribeiro, Lena – Arraial do Cabo, – 34 y.o. – 06:49:41.1 –
9.  Gabehart, Kelsa – Denver, CO – 34 y.o. – 06:50:50.7 –
10.  Moller, Andrea – Haiku, HI – 35 y.o. – 06:51:29.9 –
11.  Hoesterey, Morgan – Irvine, CA – 34 y.o. – 07:05:10.4 – stock
12.  Schubert, Siri – Aesch, – 46 y.o. – 07:25:55.4 –
13.  Lee, Jennifer – Honolulu, HI – 34 y.o. – 07:28:26.0 –
14.  Ouellet, Kerstin – Encinitas, CA – 44 y.o. – 08:28:41.6 – stock

Full results by age category here: http://www.molokai2oahu.com/live/live-results/