That’s the face of a man who is relieved to be standing where he is. Image: Screenshot
Kai Lenny just dominated the field at the Molokai 2 Oahu race. It’s not much of surprise, considering his past results: he holds the stock record and used to hold the unlimited record. Now he holds the foil record, as well—even though there was no previous record.
The M2O is a special race. It consists of SUPs, traditional paddleboards, and foils. The crossing is a grueling one. It’s 32 miles of open ocean between Molokai and Oahu, complete with big swells and brutal currents. Because it is one of the most difficult races on earth, all the of the world’s best want to be there.
Although this was its 22nd year, it’s the first year a foil division has existed, a fact that Kai Lenny loves. “The experience was insane,” he said shortly after his win. “I’m just grateful to the M2O for allowing us to do it on the foils as another division. It’s a perfect course for it, except for that last part… it’s just torture.”
Just a few weeks ago, Lenny told SUP Magazine he thought he could complete the race in under three hours if the conditions held. As it turned out, they did. Lenny’s final time was a staggering 2:52. Despite his phenomenal time, Lenny still thinks there’s room for improvement. “I wouldn’t doubt in the future that we’re doing this race in two hours and 30 minutes or faster,” he said.
Foiling adds an entirely new element to the race, and it’s one that Lenny is well aware of. “It’s funny, it felt like big wave surfing for two plus hours out in the channel because the swells are really big,” he explained. “We have that outgoing tide that really jacks up the swell. The combination of having that wind push… I was probably going up to 22-25 miles per hour at max and then averaging like 13 miles per hour. It was taking a lot of focus.”
Although Lenny is one of the best watermen on the planet, he hesitates to compare foiling with more traditional methods of crossing the channel. “I just think it’s a completely new discipline,” he said. “It’s hard to compare it to even stand up or prone like this. In my opinion, prone is probably the gnarliest thing you could do across this channel besides swimming. Stand up’s a close second. Foiling is much quicker, but I don’t think it’s that much easier because you’re definitely having to focus at high speeds constantly. It really comes down to reading the ocean really well.”
If Lenny can do one thing well, it’s reading the ocean. With his win at the inaugural foil division, next year he’s probably going to be his own stiffest competition.
