MOLOKAI SOLO HANA HOU FOR SPALDING
Mahalo to friend and firefighter Kenyon Smith for the awesome photos from Sunday’s race
Lauren does it again. And again. And again.
CFUM athlete and acclaimed waterwoman Lauren Spalding on Sunday swept the Molokai Solo OC1 Championships, capturing her 10th win.
The solo race begins near the west end of Molokai, crosses the volatile Ka’iwi Channel — considered one of the roughest ocean channels in the world – and finishes at Hawaii Kai on Oahu. The distance is 32.3 nautical miles.
In case you didn’t know, Lauren is CrossFit Upcountry’s superstar athlete. She represented the U.S. in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, participating in the K-2 500m and K-4 500m events.
Lauren’s first workout at CFUM was Helen; she blew coaches away by smoking the benchmark WOD (three rounds for time of 400-meter run, 21 kettlebells and 12 pull-ups) — using strict pull-ups throughout.
What impacts many people most, though, is Lauren’s humility and kindness; she’s well-known and well-respected among various island groups, and yet she never comes off as condescending. The down-to-earth and positive athlete uplifts the community members she represents; and she’s always ready to have a good time. Lauren and Kapono can be spotted at 5:30 p.m. classes during the week. We will set up an autograph table at 6 p.m. (kidding, Lauren).
Congratulations, Lauren! Thanks for continuing to make all of us so proud!