The 2013 edition of Molokai 2 Oahu is less than a week away. Hopefully you followed our game plan for getting you and your board to the start line in one piece. Now we help you get to the finish. Here are our Top 5 tips to complete Molokai in one piece.

1. Eat and drink like you mean it: Nothing will crush your day like bonking because you failed to fuel and hydrate properly. The problem (and we have all done this) is that you feel great when you start and you get behind the eight ball because you are not hungry. Remember: hunger  and thirst are extremely poor way to monitor your energy and fluid needs.  Shoot for 300-500 calories and 20 oz of fluid per hour. Do not forget the electrolytes.

2. Do not change anything drastically this week: Eat what you have been eating. Use the same equipment you have been using. Do not try out a new pair of boardshorts, a new water bottle, or a new type of gel because you talked with some dude before the race and that is what they do. You came this far. Do not change anything this week.

3. Puking does not mean you are tough: if this is your first Molokai and you are prone to seasickness do not make the same mistake that so many paddlers before you have made -take a full or half dose of Bonine. If you are prone to seasickness that is OK. It does not make you any less “tough” or less of a paddler. Not finishing because you are puking and you could have avoided seasickness by popping a pill. That is just silly.

4. The quickest way to get between two points is NOT a straight line: Completing molokai is not all about fitness. You and your boat captain need to be smart when it comes to tides, currents, and wind. Although it is difficult to predict what will happen on race day this weekend the general rule and prediction for 2013 according to veteran paddler George Plsek is:

“If tide is coming in you get pushed South, if tide is going out you get pulled North. Wind is always a factor. Conditions could get junky if the wind is really strong out of the Northeast and tide is pulling North. In that situation conditions will stack up pretty hard. As of today, it looks like for 2013, we will have tide pushing us South for about 2 hrs. After that we get an hour of slack tide. As the tide rolls out we will get pulled North for last 2 hrs of the race. Therefore, it might not be a bad idea to drop South of the line at the beginning. One thing to consider when you are planning your race is that  the  tide swing is only .75ft so the effects of the tide might not be as drastic this year.”

5. When you are halfway there, you are just getting started : Expect conditions to vary tremendously throughout the day. The first mile of the race is pretty chill. After the first mile the winds generally pick up. The real headaches begin at the end of the race. Pace it and save yourself for the last 5-10 miles of the race because that is where things get really hairy.

6. Respect The Channel and keep smiling: No matter how you cut it, Molokai 2 Oahu is grueling. Prior to Molokai Champion Jenny Kalmbach’s first channel crossing,  she received this sage advice that is as valid today as it was back then:

“…go in with no expectations, don’t expect to win, don’t even expect to finish. Keep your spirits high, laugh if you fall and don’t stop smiling. If you stop smiling, it’s going to be a really long day. And the most important thing is to always respect the channel.”

For everyone doing M20 this year – good luck and keep smiling.