NA PALI RACE

A visually & physically breath-taking ocean race for SUP, Traditional Paddleboard, OC1 & OC2  paddlers.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Kauai’s breathtaking Na Pali coastline tops the bucket list of every distance ocean paddler. This remote coast is best appreciated from the ocean… the highly protected Kalalau Valley, towering convoluted sea cliffs, and stretches of tropical coastline otherwise inaccessible. So it is with much excitement this year that on August 4, two prestigious races will join forces for an unprecedented journey that features all disciplines of paddling.

The Na Pali Race – an elite paddleboard race for standup paddlers, traditional paddleboarders, OC1 and OC2- will join with the annual Na Pali Challenge canoe event – for OC6-man canoe teams. This will round out a mammoth weekend for paddle sports with the State Canoe Sprint Races scheduled the day prior – Saturday, August 3, at Hanalei Bay – also on Kauai’s North Shore.

The Na Pali Challenge OC6 race will start first – 8am at Hanalei – and travel 39 miles to a finish at Waimea. All other classes of the Na Pali Race will follow, making staggered starts from Haena County Beach Park, traveling 17 miles to Polihale State Beach Park. Expect finishers to arrive between 1pm and 3pm.

“I am very excited to have these events run simultaneously this year,” said Evan Valiere, Na Pali Race event organizer.

“It is a special opportunity to have this many paddlers on Kauai island, sharing their passion for paddling and the ocean. Many paddle athletes participate in a variety of disciplines, so this is the perfect opportunity for them to pick their preferred equipment and celebrate the exhilaration of paddling the Na Pali.”

The Na Pali Race will continue its support of the Na Pali Coast ‘Ohana – a grassroots non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the natural and cultural heritage of the Na Pali Coast State Park. There will be a donation drawing with great prizes and a portion of event proceeds will be donated to the Na Pali Coast ‘Ohana.

Na Pali Race Productions, LLC is also proud to announce the $13,000 prize purse for 2013. Thanks to the generous contributions of our sponsors and the support of the Kaua’i paddle community we are able to continue promoting an elite paddleboard race and charity event!

Please view website for more event information at napalirace.com. There will be updates about how to enter, prize purse breakdown and awards, logistics such as board shipping, caddy service, shuttle van transport, and race rules and safety.

The Na Pali Challenge OC6 Race can be found at: http://www.gicra.com/Napali_Challenge/

Info for the State Canoe Race can be found: hcrapaddler.com .

NA PALI 17 MILE RACE RECORDS:

Men’s Paddleboard: Hogan Kania (California) 2:55:09, 2011

Men’s SUP: Livio Manelau (HI) 2:22:30, 2010

Women’s Paddleboard: Kanesa Duncan-Seraphin (HI) 3:00:52, 2011

Women’s SUP: Mariko Strickland (HI) 3:09:17, 2011

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