When Randy Brooks joined the Shuswap Association for Rowing and Paddling (SARP) he couldn’t have imagined that one day he would be competing in the world’s most prestigious outrigger canoeing event, the Molokai Hoe Race, and standing on a podium to receive a bronze medal in the Golden Master’s division.
Brooks’ team, Kanaka Canucks, did the 42 miles of open ocean from Molokai to Waikiki beach on Oahu in six hours, 25 minutes.
“Most teams paddle all year round and practise all year round. As a complete team we never paddled together until a week before the race. That’s the reason we’re so proud of what we did.”
The winning team came in at four hours, 57 minutes, and the last one landed in eight hours.
“Out of the 99 boats 35 came in behind us. For a seniors’ master crew, we’re the oldest guys there. The Golden Masters are 60-plus. To have 35 younger crews come in after us – it felt really good.”
Brooks’ team of 12 was made up of top Canadian paddlers, some former Team Canada members, as well an American from New York and two from Hawaii, including Kimokeo Kapahulehua, an elder who teaches paddling and canoe culture. Brooks had met Kimokeo when went to Hawaii a year ago for a paddling clinic.
“My wife, Michelle, and I had gone to Maui and spent a couple of weeks. I spent every day with Kimokeo learning to become a better paddler. He taught me about the history of Hawaiian culture, being one with nature and the water. It made me more confident and gave me an inner strength in ‘the big water.’”
At the time, Brooks asked Kimokeo if he would consider putting a team together for the Molokai race. “He never really responded to that. When we came back I sent him a couple of SARP T-shirts and emailed him. He emailed back and said ‘Let’s go for it. See what you can do for crew members from Canada and what you can’t put together, I will from here.’”
Brooks had agreed to be logistics manager while a paddler in Calgary was organizing a team but he had a lot of training to do.
“Only three of us had never done the Molokai before. Some of them had done it six, seven, eight times, and they’d come in second a couple of times but never first.”
Brooks had started doing 10-kilometre paddles and these quickly turned into 20 km and then 40 km. He would paddle to Sicamous and back, working at keeping up his pace and stamina. He went in a few team races around B.C., always ranking in the top few spots.
The race began at 7:50 a.m. Each of the 99 canoes had an escort boat to carry food, water and extra crew members. Crews in the 50 years or younger category had nine members, those over 50 have 12. Six paddle at a time and when they’re ready to change, they give a 10-minute signal. The escort boat races ahead and those crew members jump into the water and position themselves. When the canoe comes alongside, they grab on and get in as the others go in the water.
“We tried not to change that often; we were changing about every hour.”
As it happened, Brooks was in the canoe for the last part of the race. Those last miles, they gave it their all.
“When we crossed the finish line, I had never been more drained in my life. There was nothing left. I was totally numb.”
But as they crossed they heard the announcers call out “Team Canada” and that made it all worthwhile. “It was pretty cool; it was one of those moments I’ll never forget.”
Even though they were the oldest racers, they’re not ready to rest on their laurels, or even rest at all.
“We’re already starting to talk about next year – what we can do to be better and faster. I’ve already started to train again.”
