Aloha fellow paddlers and friends!  As we are only one week away from the exciting Third Annual OluKai Ho’olaule’a, I wanted to take a moment to introduce a lovely friend and athlete, who has journeyed all the way to Maui from Queensland, Australia, to experience what many are discovering to be the most exciting down wind SUP and ocean race in the world, Jenny Ryan.

I had the pleasure of doing a few training runs last year with her when she was here training for another event, and asked her to write about why this event, the Ho’olaule’a and why it meant so much to her.   Her story is heartfelt and expresses her thoughts on how Maui and our community here has embraced her, as the ocean and land embraces everyone.  She will inspire you and others to hopefully make the same journey to Maui!

Jenny writes: I can remember as kid I LOVED the beach! We lived so close and my mum would take me almost every day. I can remember playing in the ocean and getting tossed round by the waves never being scared. I can remember very vaguely, around the age of 4 having to go to the doctors. Something was wrong with my ears. Little did I know it spelled the end of my ocean love for a decade..

From the age of 4 to 13, I had several ear infections and grommets all was going okay until I was 7. One grommet came out early leaving a hole in my ear drum – and until it healed. I couldn’t dive, swim, etc. So I was always swimming with my head above the waves. I got to the age of 13 and was old enough to have a skin graph operation on my ear to close the hole. The operation was a success and for the first time in many years I was free to swim again. Until about 2 weeks later where I caught an unknown tropical ear infection. My ear would weep nonstop and this continued for about 12 months. Doctors, specialists, Ct scans, bone scans, referrals; no one knew what to do It wasn’t until my specialist suggested an old wife’s tale of Aluminum Acetate that it stopped in 3 days . I was 14 and had lost 70% of my hearing due to scar tissue, but I had the all cleared and within a month I picked up a surfboard.

I started surfing and loved it straight away and it was freedom. I could leave all my problems at the shore go for a surf.and somehow everything would be better.

I have been short boarding on and off for 10 years and gradually over time would see more and more SUPs. I was curious and a close friend was getting into it. He was telling me how awesome it was. Doubtful and curious I had to give it ago.

It was a 10ft Bonga Perkins. I lost count of the number of times I fell in. Persistence paid off and in a few months I was entering SUP surfs comps. Due to the small number of women entering these events..we were always up against the Men. We continued to enter the events and only recently have women surf sup has its own division in all the main surf contests. It’s great to know that in some way I’ve contributed to the progression of Women’s SUP in Australia alongside my fellow competitors/ friends. My proudest moment was placing 2nd in the first Women’s Australian SUP Title and this result enabled me to be sponsored by Laguna Bay Stand Up Paddle.

As SUP started exploding in oz races were starting to become more frequent. After a small fun race, Phil Gregory (aka Iron Phil) approached me – saying I was a weapon of a paddler and that I should really think about getting into racing. If it wasn’t for Phil that day i don’t know if I would be racing now. I started training with Phil for local races and started to build my confidence and strength.. it was during these training sessions I started to hear about how amazing the race scene is in Hawaii.. and about all the races, the people, and just the sup scene in general..

It was NYE 2010 when I decided that I was going to do the International Naish Race. I had only been training one month barely doing 10km and this race was 16km. I set myself a time of 1:40:00 and decided to go for it. Six months of solid training was my lead up and before long I was heading to Maui.

When I first got to Maui the first thing I noticed was the wind! I couldn’t believe how windy it was all the time. We hardly get over 15knots at home. This was something foreign. I did my first Maliko run. I couldn’t believe the runners. It was an amazing experience surfing the swell bumps, seeing turtles, and taking in the amazing coastline of Maui.

It was so inspiring and I was so excited to keep doing these runs. Race day came round so fast. I was nervous, and excited but enjoying every moment. It really started hitting me. This was it. Everything I had been training for was here and now! The prayers were said before we raced. This tradition is something I really admire. It gave me goose bumps. I felt instantly the energy at Maliko.

The race was amazing. I caught some of the most amazing runners of my life and hit my target time of 1:40:42. To say I was happy was an understatement! For me I learned that if you really put your mind to something you can make it happen. It was after this race that my whole belief system changed. I started to believe more in myself and wanted to come back to Hawaii again.

The Maui experience for me was more than racing. I got to meet some amazing people, and also see/ meet some amazing athletes. I had an overwhelming feeling that I belonged. I didn’t feel out of place. I knew I had to come back to spend more time with the beautiful people I had met. The people I met in Maui really made my last trip memorable. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming with open arms. The whole SUP scene in Maui is incredibly different to that back in Australia. There is a very strong competitive edge in Australia. This is not a bad thing, just different.

I didn’t know at the time but during my time in Hawaii, I had anemia. It was only once I got back to Australia that I couldn’t handle the fatigue anymore. I was burnt out, emotionally drained, over trained so I took a break from paddling to make a 100% recovery. This took 5 months. I got back into surfing and started getting into Pilates.

I started back at training in January with Phil. We decided to mix training up a bit. We did lots of ocean training and also flat-water distance. My body was coming back and my desire to compete came with it. I really started to enjoy training again. I started to enjoy training in the ocean.. I got to see so many amazing sunrises, dolphins, and surf great waves on my 12’6 Secret Agent SUP. I also enjoyed the early morning long distance training. Getting up before dawn and hitting the water.

We paddled in the canals on dawn, through several housing estates and also through swamp land. The swamp land was my favorite part – I would often see Kangaroo’s, Wallabies, Cockatoo’s, and other wildlife. It was a great way to start the day. I started to look at races back in Hawaii, and I recalled hearing about the OluKai race.

I started researching this race and started feeling that this was the race I should be entering. This race wasn’t only about competing but it also focused on the tradition that is Hawaii, something that I never got to really experience on the other islands or other races. I wanted to be able to learn about the Hawaiian tradition. For me the OluKai Race was the best opportunity. I decided to make the OluKai race my main race of focus for this year. This event is a measure of how far I have come in the last 6-12 months; a measure of the my strength, and my soul.

Its apart of my journey and I’m following my dream of becoming an athlete. I want to be able to inspire other girls to get out there and give it ago and to be able to follow their dreams and to be able to make them happen. Not just in SUP, but in all aspects of life.      Jenny Ryan

Sincere thanks Jenny for sharing this great story and I look forward to seeing you the morning of the race in our circle of prayer. I wish you all the best in the event and with each race you enter in the future. May Maui and the Ho’olaule’a be as special to you as it to me and thousands of others.  See you on the water!

Suzie Cooney

Jenny’s Accomplishments

Results

2009- 1st – Kirra Surf Stock Paddle Race
2010- 3rd Noosa SUP Race
3rd Roar Industries SUP Race
6th Naish International Paddle Race
2nd Australia SUP Surf Titles
2nd Kirra BOP Race
2011- 2nd Wild Women’s Surf Day
4th Noosa SUP Women’s Division
3rd Noosa SUP Race
3rd Malfunction Sup Surf