Morgan Hoesterey: Female Stand Up Solo Unlimited Division of Quiksilver Edition Molokai Race

[singlepic=5115,188,125]After finishing 4th at the recently concluded Molokai Paddleboard race, I had a chance to talk to Morgan Hoesterey, the only female paddler for the SUP solo unlimited division. Morgan said that her stint in this race was just to step up to the challenge; she never expected anything from it. Using a 14rsquo; board without rudder, Morgan would definitely go for one with rudder in next yearrsquo;s race. In her first solo attempt in this event, she said it was an incredible feat but it was all worth it. The reason-ldquo;It was a goal I set for myself so I was just trying really hard to finish it.rdquo; I give Morgan a lot of credit. I lasted about 20 minutes in the Molokai Channel and 8 hours seems like torture. She also has overcome some pretty scary health challenges...a tumor in her leg while still in college. Check out the interview.#160;#160; [gallery=183]#160; Transcript:Evan Leong: This last downwinder, when you train normally?Morgan Hoesterey: Well kind of, for stuff like downwinder; I go with, or when, who ever will take me with them. Whoever will tolerate me I guess? (0:00:13.9) I don't like to do it by myself so before the Molokai thing I was training off with Jeff. He will call and he will let me call with him which is really nice. Whatever he does or wherever Jeff go he tolerates me, I'll go with him. (0:00:30.4)Evan Leong: That's cool.Morgan Hoesterey: Yes I like chasing after him. (0:00:32.6)Evan Leong: So before you did the Molokai race, when did you start stand up paddle surfing? (0:00:43.0)Morgan Hoesterey: The first time I was ever on a stand up paddle board was in like November of 2007, like around Thanksgiving time. (0:00:51.7)Evan Leong: Really, not even like half, maybe about half a year ago. (0:00:57.3)Morgan Hoesterey: Yes. I had this like: I'm going to do the Molokai races like around March and everyone thought I was crazy, and no one really took me very seriously. And finally like April, I've got upset for not being taken seriously, so I was like ok, "I will show everybody". And it was all like down hill spiral from there kind of thing. (0:01:18.9)Evan Leong: What kind of background do you have in sports?Morgan Hoesterey:I was a swimmer for UH (0:01:24.2) I did like the whole of the Olympic trial thing in all that no intention to win and stuff. But in 2004, I had like a big tumor pulled out of my leg and it kind of ended the swimming career for me. (0:01:40.1)Evan Leong: Did that affect you having a stand up for that long? (0:01:43.5)Morgan Hoesterey: No. It's fine now. It was just at that time like it was kind of a peak point in my whole swimming career thing, so the knee thing came at a really inconvenient time so that maybe was one of the reasons why I like stand ups so much, because I can do stand up. And it kind of replaced that whole thing. (0:02:03.3)Evan Leong: Did you surf too or not really? (0:02:06.2)Morgan Hoesterey: Yes, a longboard. (0:02:07.7)Evan Leong: What kind of training did you do to prepare for the Molokai?Morgan Hoesterey: Well I tried to go into downwind run like at least three times a week. And then finally went on two or three like really long ones. Like one time I went with Jeff and and that guy Kevin (Seid), who got 3rd, the guy from Everpaddle. (0:02:28.7)Evan Leong: How far did you go?Morgan Hoesterey: We went for a 20 mile run. We went from Backyard to Mokuleia? (0:02:34.8)Evan Leong: On the North shore.Morgan Hoesterey: Yes. That was first long one that I did and then the other one from Sandy's (Beach) to Ala Moana Bowls (0:02:43.9)Evan Leong: OkMorgan Hoesterey: And I did that only three times.Evan Leong: So you didn't train that much then?Morgan Hoesterey: I didn't do that many super distance things, but I tried to do a lot of endurance and stuff, like apply what I used to do for swimming. (0:02:59.0)Evan Leong: What kind...