With Maui on their minds, Wailea men win Duke Kahanamoku Race | News, Sports, Jobs

May 2024 · 4 minute read

The Wailea Canoe Club crew of Daniel Chun, Kekoa Cramer, Dane Dudoit, Kevin Dudoit, Triston Kaho‘okele-Santos, Joshua Kekupa‘a Nae‘ole, Nalu Sampson, Kekoa Santos and Austin Talley pose for a photo in Waikiki after winning the Duke Kahanamoku Long-Distance Race on Sunday. Marjie Kahookele-Pea photos

It was with heavy hearts that the Wailea Canoe Club men went to Oahu for Sunday’s Duke Kahanamoku Race, a 24-mile trek from Kailua to Waikiki.

The Wailea crew of Daniel Chun, Kekoa Cramer, Dane Dudoit, Kevin Dudoit, Triston Kaho’okele-Santos, Joshua Kekupa’a Nae’ole, Nalu Sampson, Kekoa Santos and Austin Talley won the event in 2 hours, 53 minutes, 18 seconds, which was 2 minutes, 7 seconds in front of second-place Paddlers of Laka.

The Kahanamoku race finishes at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the same finish line as the Molokai Hoe world championship race that was canceled for the fourth straight year last week.

“It’s a nine-man race and it’s a rather rougher course because you go around Waimanalo and then Makapuu and then do the Sandy Beach area beyond past Spitting Caves and you finish through Hawaii Kai in the flatter waters of Waikiki,” veteran Wailea steersman Kekoa Cramer said. “So it kind of tests all your skills and different combinations in terms of surfing and paddling in the front, different lineups. It’s a pretty tough race.”

Cramer said winning the race helped the crew forget for a few hours the devastation of the wildfires on Maui and then the resulting cancellation of the Molokai Hoe.

The Wailea crew makes its way around the east side of Oahu.

“It was a tough week for us, it was a tough week for everybody on Maui,” Cramer said. “So, real somber. Nalu Sampson lives in Lahaina. A lot of us were helping different families, maybe you know, either up in Lahaina or we have a lot of families that came from the fire, maybe down in Kihei or Upcountry or even from Kula. Dane’s mother-in-law lost her home, so everybody was helping out where they could, you know, helping out the paddling community.”

Cramer added, “Like everybody else on Maui it was a difficult time, it was hard for us to practice and focus. Obviously our focus shifted — it shifted to just being good humans and helping out. I think that’s what paddling teaches everybody. … We remind ourselves all the time, paddling is more than just competing. It’s a way of living life.

“Everybody had their position and if we all take care of our kuleana then the boat moves forward in a rather smooth way.”

The Molokai Hoe is always the ultimate race for the Wailea men. The race had been canceled each year since 2020 due to COVID-related issues.

“It was Wednesday or Thursday morning we got the news that the Molokai Hoe was canceled,” Cramer said. “We already knew the rest of the Maui races were going to be canceled because obviously you have to drive through Lahaina and we didn’t think it was cool to trailer canoes through there, probably wouldn’t even be able to.

Wailea paddlers join hands after their win Sunday.

“Then Molokai Hoe, we thought there was a 50-50 shot and we haven’t had it in like three or four years. Obviously we look forward to that race every year, but without having that with the fires and people struggling on Maui with jobs and then no Molokai Hoe, it was like, ‘Wow, are we even going to go over and do this race?’ “

Then the encouragement came from their Maui friends and the decision to go was solidified for the Wailea nine.

“Everybody was like, ‘What are you guys going to do? You gonna go race and go represent our island?’ So it kind of gave us some fire,” Cramer said. “We went over there as our small team and did the best we could, got to enjoy the ocean, kind of just paddle.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

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