Suzie Trains Maui BLOG

Kyle Ellison, author and athlete on Maui writes about the day, he himself entered the 5th Annual Naish Paddle Championships and how Dave Kalama, Team rider for Naish, all around extreme waterman, takes the win.    Thanks Kyle for sharing this great story:                                                       

Kalama takes Crown at 5th Annual Naish Paddle Championships

Seven minutes and 23 seconds. That was the pace per mile of legendary Maui waterman Dave Kalama in this past month’s Naish Paddle Championships held on the 9.54 mile course from Maliko Gulch to Kahului Harbor.

When you think about it, there are a lot of people who can’t even run a mile in 7:23. In fact, in last year’s Hana Running Relays, 109 of the 127 teams failed to have a faster mile pace than 7:23. Far more complex than putting one foot in front of the other, a downwind run on a stand-up paddleboard requires balancing on an oversized board nearly a mile offshore, all the while being buffeted by 20 knot winds and weaving amidst rolling ocean swells that are hell bent on flipping you over. Needless to say, the competitors who tackle the annual Maliko Run are considered to be some of the finest water men and women on the planet

 Walking through a rain-soaked Maliko Gulch on the morning on July 18^th, the entire coastline along the rock strewn beach was a veritable Who’s Who for some of the world’s top watermen. Names like Kalama, Kerbox, Trudon, Mitchell, Moller, Alexander, and Menelau all intermingled with other local entrants in preparation for what is considered by many in the sport to be one of the finest downwind runs on the planet.

With a record 204 entrants from 6 countries competing in both the stand up and prone paddle divisions, for the first time in the event’s history a staggered start was issued inside of the bay in order to accommodate the ever-growing number of participants. In the end, however, it was Dave Kalama who crossed the finish line first at Kahului Harbor in an overall time of 1:13:48, a mere 23 seconds ahead of Ha’iku’s Livio Menelau.

Menalau—who actually edged out Kalama in this past May’s OluKai paddleboard race held on a shorter course—in a nod of respect to one of the sport’s pioneer’s simply attributed his second place finish to the fact that “the difference between me and Dave is that he is Dave…he is one of the best paddlers in the world”.

Kalama on the other hand—who was unable to finish last year’s event due to a broken piece of equipment—admitted he was “very happy” to be able to come back and win this year’s event after so much hard training since last year’s race. With respect to being able to win such a prestigious race on his home island of Maui, Kalama let on to the sentiment that “if you’re smart you cherish times like these, because they don’t come around very often”.  Perhaps prophetically, Kalama likened the sport’s explosion in popularity to that of longboard surfing in the 1950s and ‘60s, where you not only have a new sport that appeals to a wide range of people, but one in which the myriad capabilities, innovations, and advancements in the sport are seemingly endless. Continue reading Kalama takes Crown at 5th Annual Naish Paddle Championships by Kyle Ellison

Jamie Mitchell photo Jimmie Hepp

It was an amazing day and terrific finish! Before the race however, rain squalls passed through that threatened us, as we stood under the Naish tents. We had a staged start inside the gulch this time and it was a little hectic on the holdling line! Next to me, good friends, and people from around the globe attended including paddle board champion Jamie Mitchell. Our local favorites, Dave Kalama, Scott Trudon, Connor Baxter, Buzzy Kerbox, Andrea Moeller, Karen Wrenn, Julia Schweiger, and many other outstanding athletes and friends, too many to mention, and some novice caught lots of glides and the wind finally came up nicely averaging about 20 mph.   (results below, after photos)

Dave Kalama & Scott Trudon

Race Start: Maliko Gulch to Kahului Harbor:   9.54 Miles

Results: 

  From the Maui News:  Eight-time defending world paddleboarding champion Jamie Mitchell competes in Sunday’s Naish Maui International. Mitchell was the top paddleboard finisher, covering the 9.54 miles from Maliko Gulch to Kahului Harbor in 1 hour, 17 minutes, 16 seconds. The top female paddleboarder was Becci Gardiner in 1:50:41. SECOND PHOTO: Dave Kalama heads to his third stand-up title in the Maui International – he finished in 1:13:48. Andrea Moeller was the fastest female stand-up competitor, in 1:22:11.

Maliko Gulch to Kahului Harbor (9.54 miles) Continue reading Naish 5th Annual Paddle Board and SUP Championships Maui July 18, 2010 Race Results and Slideshows

Besides being one the world’s best surfers and stand up paddlers, Buzzy Kerbox is one of the best, most experienced surf  instructors I know. He’s coached me and his tips and experience were awesome.  His knowledge and expertise as a professional waterman will take you to new levels, whether you are visiting Maui and want to get to your feet fast and have a great time, or if you’re a serious competitor.

Buzzy teaching on Maui

“I offer private and small group surf lessons for beginners to experts.  I have been teaching for over ten years and have got thousands their first rides and coached others to their first National titles. I know how to make surfing as easy as possible and fun for all ages. I also teach SUP from beginners to coast runs.”

Here are some photos of Buzzy surfing JAWS and stand up paddling! :

Buzzy is also a professional photographer. Here’s a shot he took of Robby Naish and Jason Polakow at JAWS:

Call Buzzy for your first and best surf adventure on Maui, or if you want to experience our N. shore and do a SUP down winder he can be reached at:

808-870-8449   or visit his website at:       http://www.kerbox.com/shopcontent.asp?type=home

See you on the water!

Aloha,

Suzie Cooney, CPT

www.suzietrainsmaui.com

Post Race Interviews: Kody and father, Buzzy Kerbox share their race adventures, sunburns and smiles. These athletes are true competitors and humble waterman. Look out for Kody in the years to come!  Looks like Victor and Zane had a great day too! The pictures are awesome. Nice to have your life long friends and ohana out there. Love the ones of the transitions! Buzzy’s interview to follow photo gallery.Suzie

 Kody:

 Suzie: What was your finishing time and how do you feel about the effort you put forth? Your goal was to hit the 6-hour mark. Are you pleased or do you think you could have done better? Continue reading Post Race Interviews with Buzzy and Kody Kerbox Rainbow Sandals Molokai to Oahu Channel Crossing on July 26, 2009

Courtesy of Ultimate Paddler

Race Results: RAINBOW SANDALS MOLOKAI TO OAHU PADDLEBOARD RACE PRESENTED BY HONOLUA
SUNDAY JULY 26 2009

Continue reading Race Results and Finishers of the Rainbow Sandals Molokai to Oahu Crossing Paddleboard SUP Event

Just as Buzzy and Kody were catching the ferry to Molokai, I was lucky to catch Buzzy today before they left, to see how they felt about Sunday’s race! Buzzy and Kody both answered a few questions about the big day!  Here’s a few photos of Kody and Buzzy at the finish of the Maui’s last race this month: The Naish 4th Annual Maui Paddleboard Race