Moloka'i-2-O'ahu Paddleboard World Championships Goes Virtual

Moloka'i-2-O'ahu Paddleboard World Championships (M2O) opened registration for its M20 Virtual race to celebrate paddling worldwide. M20 Virtual is a 16-mile ‘Anyone, Anywhere, Anything Goes’ event that will take place over the three-day July 24^th-26^th.

M2O, the prestigious annual 32-mile race across the Ka’iwi Channel that connects the Hawaiian Islands of Molokai and Oahu, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 global crisis. Each year, M2O attracts over 250 of the world’s best paddlers from 20 countries to attempt the ultimate paddling feat — the crossing of one of the world’s most unpredictable bodies of water.

“We are overwhelmed by the positive response to our virtual offering,” said Shannon Delaney, Executive Director of the Moloka'i-2-O'ahu Paddleboard World Championships. “In the first week of registration we have a record number of paddlers signed up from over 25 countries and 23 states. This response is a testament to the bucket list status of the race and its broad appeal throughout the global paddling community. In this unique time, we are thrilled to offer a virtual platform to encourage paddlers to get back on their boards, canoes, or surfskis and celebrate.”

The virtual race can be done on any board or craft in any body of water under any safe conditions. The event urges those who have completed M2O in past years to recruit family, friends, and newcomers to the sport, and provide instruction and encouragement. Paddlers  who can participate in the suggested time frame will have the option to upload their 16-mile race files anytime during July 24^th-26^th window for unofficial results and to share their experience, including information on where they paddled, what they paddled,  the weather and surf conditions. No awards just bragging rights shared online and on M20’s social media platforms race weekend.

All entrants receive an official M2O Swag bag with race t-shirt, race hat, M2O camp mug and sponsor goodies. The entry fee of $60 includes shipping. Entries close June 15^th to allow participants to receive their gear in time for the 3-day M2O Virtual race weekend. REGISTRATION INFO  and links to register can be found on the event website.

NEW RACE VIDEO released with registration info.

“While we can’t gather in Hawaii, all of us are keen to paddle and celebrate come the end of July — a weekend that means so much to so many every year and in some respect defines our summer” said Mike Takahashi, Co-Founder of M2O. “It’s nice to have an event that fills the vacancy, allows us to take a deep breath, and get back in the water with everyone, even at a distance on our traditional race weekend.”

The event encourages participants to share their paddle and check in race weekend. Stories and videos captured will be highlighted post-race video.

About the Moloka'i-2-O'ahu Paddleboard World Championships - Founded in 1997, M2O has grown from a grassroots challenge for the legendary lifeguards of O?ahu to the premiere event in the sport of paddleboarding. The race annually crowns world champions in the two disciplines of traditional (prone) and stand-up (SUP) paddleboarding. In 2018, a hydrofoil division was added to welcome the evolution of technology in the SUP. Connecting the islands of Moloka'i and O'ahu, the 32-mile race crosses the Ka'iwi Channel, also known as the Moloka'i Channel and Channel of Bones. Men and women from more than 20 countries will face strong currents as they navigate the fastest downwind-route over one of the most beautiful and powerful channels in the world. Top athletes can complete the crossing in less than five hours, riding mid-channel waves that crest more than 12 feet and carry paddlers hundreds of meters. M2O starts in Kepuhi Bay on the northwest shore of Moloka'i and finishes in Maunalua Bay on the southeast shore of O'ahu. The annual race is a deeply personal experience, challenging every paddlers’ physical and mental endurance. Every finisher experiences an individual championship.