Please tell me someone hacked the Olamau facebook page and this post is not true:
"Aloha Olamau Race fans and Participants,
We are sorry to report that we are canceling Olamau 2014. Olamau race will resume on June 8, 9, 10th of 2016! We look forward to an Amazing race in 2016 with well over $100,000.00 in Cash and prizes! Our mission is to create one of the finest races in the World, with passionate and enthusiastic paddlers and supporters that allows for innovation, technology, custom shapes and designs in progressing Unlimited and Outrigger paddling. Stay tuned for updates on the 2016 Olamau race, participating crews from around the World, sponsors, and broadcasting partners for Olamau 2016! Mahalo for your support and cooperation and get ready for a huge Olamau 2016!"
Submitted by ALM on Sat, 01/18/2014 - 3:43pm
so this year and 2015? seemed like it was ready to take off. hope it comes back in 2016. both my kids will be in school, i'll be older than dirt, and looking to make sure i'm still alive by doing some kind of insane race.
olamaurace.com still shows the clock counting down to the 2014 edition though...
#1 Sat, 01/18/2014 - 11:35pm
The time clock is still counting down to the date in 2014, and you're still able to register...Maybe it was some sort of glitch?
#2 Mon, 01/20/2014 - 5:06am
noticed it's been removed from the ocpaddler upcoming events list. this is totally speculation, but here's my best unsolicited opinion/guess.
paddling connection won Hawaiki Nui this year. It is the first time they've beaten OPT, EDT, and Shell Va'a at the same time. were they the only top tahitian crew to not send any paddlers to Olamau? maybe the international paddling calendar finally reached critical mass. the top paddlers were trying to train and peak for too many events. my bet is the top crews want to have a good showing in Hawaiki Nui.
Olamau, in their wisdom, will go to a two year cycle like Tahiti Nui. this way their race can alternate years with the Tahitian race that has a spot saved on the international calendar. Plus this is an open time of year on the Hawaiian schedule. this enables the best crews in the world to compete in both Olamau and Tahiti Nui without training for too many big races. so 2014 is postponed to avoid conflict, 2015 is a Tahiti Nui year, then 2016 is an Olamau year. the every other year cycle enables Olamau to keep the same budget and yet double the prize money!
everyone wins. all the races get more competitive, more crews travel to compete, prize money gets bigger. sweet!
again this is all just a guess. i drank a ton of coffee on the way to work and was daydreaming whilst i drove. also couldn't think of any other reason to cancel two years in a row.
EDIT: was just informed that olamau officials announced at their race they're transitioning to every other year. rick james.
#3 Mon, 01/20/2014 - 10:17am
Your critical thinking and deductive reasoning is second to none JC_9.
#4 Tue, 01/21/2014 - 6:27pm
except that skipping 2 years doesn't make sense. if the race is to be held every other year, why cancel this coming year, when this should be the year to hold the race?
#5 Wed, 01/22/2014 - 10:22am
swell, paddling the V1 season abroad and Olamau and Hawaiki Nui and Moloka‘i on the same end of the calendar doesn't work for athletes. changing a race date a matter of months before an event is nearly impossible when handling an event on the scale of Olamau. so from two points of view it makes total sense.
#6 Wed, 01/22/2014 - 1:49pm
I second what Joe is saying. JC9 got this locked down.
#7 Wed, 01/22/2014 - 12:09pm
J - did you stay at a Holiday Inn?
#8 Wed, 01/22/2014 - 10:29pm