MCKC 2013 Schedule

Anybody notice the Maui Canoe and Kayak schedule is up at http://mauicanoeandkayak.org, and how messed up it is? I hope that if other paddlers agree with me, they'll post a comment here and send MCKC and email at mckc@mauicanoeandkayak.org. If you disagree with me, tell me why. Sorry for the long winded rant.

They have the Keanae race back to back with Maui to Molokai again. Before last year the long north shore race was before the Makena race, so that you didn't have back to back long races. The north shore race was included in season point totals, but if they didn't want it included (that's a separate debate that I don't feel so strongly about) they could still have had it before Makena and excluded it from point totals just like they do for the shoreline relay. There are plenty of bye weekends during the season for things to be moved around.

Worse yet, they have Maui to Molokai the weekend before the Molo Solo! What paddler that's putting in the expense and effort to do the Molo Solo is going to want to compromise their performance by doing Maui to Molokai the weekend before? Do we have to choose between the funnest race of the season and the race that's the ultimate test of our abilities? Granted, it was Pa'a who moved the date of the Molo Solo to the weekend Maui to Molokai normally is on, but instead of putting Maui to Molokai one week before, they should have put it 2 weeks before. Previously M2M was the weekend before the Kaiwi relay, but having a long race before a relay is a completely different ballgame than having it the weekend before a solo race.

It just seems to me they weren't taking the paddlers into account when they made the schedule. Was there a good reason for how the schedule is? If so, I'd like to know what it is. I emailed MCKC a couple of weeks ago but they haven't email me back. I know they're all volunteers, I know they're overworked and underthanked. It doesn't bother me so much when they take a long time to get the results out (something a lot of people complained about last year), because I know they're doing their best and I can look up the results online or call a friend later if I have to leave. But when they botch the schedule, that's not okay. Paddling is what it's all about. Are they losing sight of that?

Here's how the schedule is currently:
March 23 Bye weekend
March 30 Makena race (short)
April 6 Keanae (long)
April 13 Maui to Molokai (long)
April 21 Molo Solo (longest)

Here's one option that would make a lot more sense:
March 23 Keanae (long)
March 30 Makena race (short)
April 6 Maui to Molokai (long)
April 13 bye weekend (rest!)
April 21 Molo Solo (longest)

Just look at how they do the Ironman schedule. There are half length Ironman competitions 2 weeks before the Ironman championships, but no competitions anywhere in the world the weekend before, even though only a small percentage of Ironman competitors go to the championships.

Submitted by MalikoJunkie on Thu, 09/27/2012 - 12:10pm



I can think of two really good reasons to have M2M the week before the Moloka'i Solo

1) Travel for non-Hawai'i paddlers: they can plan to be in Hawaii for as few as 8 days and be able to do two channel crossing races.

  1. Logistics: Ship you canoe to Maui (if applicable), paddle M2M, leave your canoe on Moloka'i, return later in the week to paddle it to O'ahu (and either you're home or you ship you canoe home). If MCKC were to add a bye week between the two races then paddlers must decided weather or not they should bring their canoes home to train for the Solo or be separated from their canoe for two weeks.

Bonus reason: who wants to race AFTER the Solo? It's so anti-climactic! If M2M were to attract top paddlers then we could all use the placings to speculate on Moloka'i Solo places on ocpaddler!


#1 Fri, 09/28/2012 - 9:01pm


That's a great schedule for us paddlers coming from overseas we can rent a canoe do the M2 M and spend the week on Molokai tuning up for the solo,
No schedule will please everyone but that one gets my vote and I know a lot of international paddlers feel the same.


#2 Fri, 09/28/2012 - 10:34pm


@malikojunkie
Pretty sure they discussed the schedule changes (at length) at a MCKC board meeting. Which as u noted is run completely by volunteers. So if you want to be a part of making the schedule thats where you should leave your thoughts/concerns... If youre not willing to be a part of the board then just show up, paddle and say thank you at the races.
Every year MCKC ask for new volunteers, new board members and no one ever steps up... But plenty people are quick to point out (perceived) mistakes, slow/inaccurate results, ect ect.
MCKC in my opinion runs the best race series in Hawaii. Free jersey/tshirt when u pay for season, killer grinds at end of each race (no bento box like some other races on other islands), free beer at each race, door prizes and some pretty sick courses.
MAHALO to the under appreciated volunteers who organize races all over the world.
done with my rant about race organizer ranters


#3 Sat, 09/29/2012 - 5:56am


Sorry Tim, yeah, the tone of my post shouldn't have been so harsh. I think the email I sent them a couple of weeks had a nicer tone, but I was a bit miff'd when I wrote that post and they didn't deserve that. I'm sure I struck a nerve with the tone of my post, and being harsh isn't constructive, but neither is telling me to just shut up and paddle. Oh, and actually I have offered to volunteer by offering to help with the website for free (I'm a software developer who does a lot of web based stuff), and with figuring out a timing system (I used to run ski races, and thought perhaps that experience could offer some insight) and they haven't taken me up on either, but that's beside the point... Perhaps it would be most constructive if you looked past the tone and saw the actual content of the post. I did email them directly, but haven't received an email back, so I was hoping posting this here would lead to action being taken to change the schedule before anyone can say, "oops, it's too late, it was put off for too long and now people have already bought their plane tickets." Let me ask you this Tim: Are you going to do long course Keanae, and M2M, and the solo? Even if you are, do you like it that way or would you rather not have them back to back to back?

Regarding non-hawaii paddlers: I think it's awesome that these events attract paddlers from outside Hawaii, however, a vast majority of the paddlers in these events are from Hawaii. I know it's a no-no to say it, but in reality you're hurting more paddlers overall by putting them back to back to back, and even though you're making it more likely that a few more non-Hawaii paddlers will be able to do both races instead of just one, you're making it much more likely that many more paddlers won't do both M2M and Molo Solo, and way less likely that Hawaii paddlers are going to do all 3. And with Keanae, there's not going to be many non-Hawaii paddlers (and not even many non-Maui paddlers) doing it either way, so I don't think the point even applies to Keanae. Why not make Keanae so the most Maui paddlers can do it? Or do they think more off-island paddlers will do Keanae because they're shipping their canoes to Maui anyway for M2M? If so, I'd have to strongly disagree. How many off-island paddlers did Keanae last year? Not many, if at all. Last year it was back to back, and I know several paddlers who did short course because of that, and some who just stayed home because of it.

If M2M is the week before the solo so that traveling paddlers can do both races, that is unique in the sporting world. In Kona, there's no triathlon the weekend before the Ironman championships for traveling competitors (and for that one, a huge majority of the competitors are from outside Hawaii). For the Boston marathon, there's no marathon or half marathon in Boston the weekend before for traveling runners to do 2 races.

Regarding shipping logistics: For the last several years M2M has been before the Kaiwi relay, not the Solo. Doing M2M before the relay is waaay different than doing it before the solo. Do they think that they'll get more people to come to M2M who are also doing the solo than they would if it wasn't back to back? Are they trying to attract the top paddlers by making shipping easier? I'd think fewer people who are doing the solo would do M2M the week before, and if it's 2 weeks before they could still leave their canoe on Molokai. While Pailolo is the most fun race, the Molo Solo is still the most prestigious, and I'm pretty sure making the schedule this way isn't going to attract a greater number of paddlers to M2M.


#4 Sun, 09/30/2012 - 11:36pm


So When is the Race?


#5 Thu, 01/03/2013 - 12:18pm


According to the MCKC website Maui to Moloka'i is on Saturday, April 13, 2013.


#6 Tue, 01/08/2013 - 2:50pm


The MCKC website doesnt have much info about the Maui to Molokai Race on April 13th 2013.

Does anyone know where to go to confirm the details of the race? Where can we go to pre-register and find out about the pre-race dinner time and location?

Any info would be appreciated.

Mahalo,
Hanale


#7 Fri, 04/05/2013 - 11:36am


We have been trying to call and send an email to the contact info provided and got no answer or reply. Still very intersted and hoping to get the details so we can plan accordingly.

Mahalo nui,
Hanale


#8 Fri, 04/05/2013 - 11:39am


Check out the race registration form which has some more information that you might be looking for.

http://www.mauicanoeandkayak.org/pdf/2013_M2M_registration.pdf


#9 Fri, 04/05/2013 - 3:25pm


Mahalo Nui!!!


#10 Sat, 04/06/2013 - 10:31am


Please register or login to post a comment.

Page loaded in 0.123 seconds.