After vowing to “smash” his own record set last year in the Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard World Championships on the innovative hydrofoil watercraft, Kai Lenny overcame the challenge presented by a fellow Maui competitor en route to obliterating yet another benchmark.

Lenny surpassed his mark by nearly 23 minutes and set a course record on the hydrofoil of 2 hours, 29 minutes and 38 seconds to headline the 23rd edition of the Molokai-2-Oahu competition on Sunday. Jeffrey Spencer, an 18-year-old, was actually ahead of Lenny as the competitors traversed the Kaiwi Channel but ended up being passed by the champion down the home stretch before finishing eight minutes off the lead at 2:37:44, and holding off Clement Colmas (2:38:36) of New Caledonia.

“My goal was to do a race with no mistakes, beat my time from last year, and if everything went the way I thought it should, it would lead me to a win,” said Lenny moments after completing his feverish sprint through the finishing buoys. “The Channel was pretty good, it wasn’t as epic as I expected, but Jeffrey had a massive effort and was actually beating me until I was able to dig deep and pass him coming around the point (and into Maunalua Bay) here. A huge congrats to him for being so close, but with this type of race, it’s not over until it’s over.”

>> Photo Gallery: Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard World Championships

Spencer acknowledged he has work to do if he plans on surpassing Lenny in future hydrofoil competitions.

“Coming around the corner at China Walls, you turn into the wind, and there was a little bit of swell today, and I wasn’t able to catch a wave — but Kai caught one, and he connected it all the way in,” said Spencer. “He foiled past me at the finish, but it’s really cool to be so close to Kai and to have been ahead of him for a while.

“It was super fun, and I’ll try to catch a wave next year.”

More than 200 competitors representing 20 countries attempted to traverse the 32-mile course that took paddlers across the wind-whipped Kaiwi Channel from Kaluakoi on Molokai’s northwest coast, through the infamous expanse and finished in Maunalua Bay on Oahu’s south shore.

Some of the world’s top traditional (prone) and SUP athletes from across the globe took part in the grueling test of strength and endurance. According to reports from competitors, officials and escort boat captains on the water, participants braved “ugly, side chop” in the middle of the channel, then took advantage of consistent swells that averaged 4- to 8-feet high, and winds nearing 25 mph with occasional stronger gusts.

James Casey took home the gold in the “unlimited” SUP division. The 27-year-old Aussie missed out on a record time, but was still impressive in claiming the win in 4 hours, 3 minutes and 20 seconds to hold off fellow Australian Michael Booth (4:08:32).

Casey explained that he was motivated by his father, who is coping with a brain tumor, and the athlete said that he has raised nearly $12,000 for cancer research from supporters leading up to Sunday’s race.

“A lot of people put pressure on me, and everyone said I had it in the bag before we started, but Michael Booth is a world champion and true professional, and it was a really good back-and-forth battle,” said Casey. “I kind of limped home, but I paddled the Channel for dad. He wasn’t able to fly here, so I really dug deep for him so I could do him proud.

“This is my fifth year (participating in this race), and I’ve made my way up from fifth to fourth to third, skipped second, and now I’m first. I’m stoked to get this win, and we’ll enjoy it tonight.”

Travis Grant, a 36-year-old Australian who now resides in Honolulu, couldn’t participate after suffering a rib injury when paddling with Outrigger Canoe Club in the Walter J. Macfarlane Regatta on Independence Day in Waikiki. Grant had won two straight and four of the past six titles in the unlimited SUP division.

He set the race record of 3 hours, 59 minutes and 52 seconds in 2017, and last year, posted a mark of 4:23:15 to best two-time event champion Connor Baxter of Maui by more than 15 minutes.

Baxter was also not present on Sunday as the professional paddleboarder is instead preparing to compete next week in the Pan-American Games in Peru.

Josh Riccio of Florida claimed gold in the “stock” SUP division for the third consecutive year after crossing the line in a record-breaking pace of 4:12:08. Lenny previously held the stock SUP record of 4:22:14 after winning that division title in 2012.

Australia’s Terrene Black took home the women’s unlimited SUP division title and completed the course in 4:34:09, while holding off Germany’s Sonja Honscheid (4:55:38).

Stock SUP boards are typically 14 feet long with no rudder, while unlimited SUP boards are around 18 feet long and sometimes include a rudder system, making the latter more conducive to surfing and managing the notoriously daunting waves throughout the channel.

The hydrofoil craft is composed of a small paddleboard with a nearly 3-foot-long “foil” post, or mast, that extends into the water perpendicular to the board with a 2-foot fin resembling a whale’s tail attached. When conditions are right, paddlers ride the hydrofoil a few feet above the water, essentially gliding while paddling and letting the wind provide ample power. When faced with light or nonexistent wind and waves, paddlers are forced to submerge the foil, and paddle, usually in a prone position, to get the craft moving.

Matt Bevilacqua of Australia claimed his fifth consecutive gold medal in the unlimited prone paddleboard division in a record time of 4:20:50 and continues to follow the example set by fellow Aussie Jamie Mitchell’s prolific 10-year win streak in the category that came to an end in 2011. Bevilacqua, 27, bested the race record mark of 4:29:20 that he posted last year, which broke Mitchell’s previous record time of 4:40:31 set eight years ago, and fended off fellow Australians Campbell Guthrie (4:32:52) and Joel Erskine (4:37:40).

“It’s good to set a record like that, and I’m really happy with the time. It was a good crossing,” said Bevilacqua.

“The sport is in pretty good hands with ‘kids’ like Campbell and Joel. We had some really good currents coming home, and that helps because that China Walls section is horrible.”

Aussie Stewart McLachlan claimed his fourth consecutive title in the stock prone division and crossed the finishing buoys in a record time of 4:43:46, surpassing the previous event record of 5:02:43, which he set last year.

Harriet Brown of Australia dominated the women’s unlimited prone division for the third consecutive year by posting a record mark of 4:50:58.

She is halfway to matching the streak of Jordan “Magic” Mercer, the six-time division champion.