Jamie Mitchell's six-pack abs tell the story of his physical fitness.

His six-pack of championships tell the story of his physical dominance of the QuiksilverEdition Moloka'i to O'ahu Paddleboard Race.

The Australian continued to dominate the sport, winning the 32-mile race across the Kaiwi Channel for the sixth consecutive year, and in record time. The event, which drew more than 120 entries, is considered the world championship of long-distance paddleboard racing.

Mitchell, 30, completed the course from Kaluako'i Beach, Moloka'i, to Maunalua Bay, O'ahu, in 4 hours, 48 minutes, 23 seconds. It beat the previous record — which he set in 2004 — by nearly eight minutes.

"I knew it was fast because it felt like I was getting to (O'ahu) quicker," he said. "And there wasn't any huge bad patches like there usually is. There was the typical Moloka'i flat, ugly spots out there, but nowhere near as much as previous years."

Mitchell also beat the rest of the field by a record margin. Runner-up Bruce Taylor from Australia placed second at 5:15:00 — more than 26 minutes behind Mitchell.

"Initially, I was going into it to win and give Jamie a shake-up," Taylor said. "But he was too strong today. About the halfway mark, I realized that."

Despite already having won it a record five times prior to yesterday, Mitchell said he trained harder for this edition of the QuiksilverEdition than any previous year.

"I felt the best I ever felt for this race," he said. "I didn't feel fatigued at all. I pretty much trained the hardest I've ever trained the past three or four months for this race, so it's real satisfying to know that the hard work paid off.

"I think that if I was in any sort of shape like I was the last five years, I probably wouldn't have broke the record."

It also helped that there were favorable winds and 4- to 6-foot swells across the Kaiwi Channel.

"I had a couple of good rides where I'd go 100 yards or so, and then connect to another one and go another 50 yards," Mitchell said. "It was definitely fun out there."

Taylor, who was challenging Mitchell for the first time, did not have quite as much fun. He said he contemplated withdrawing from the race several times.

"I come all the way from Australia for this, I'm not going to go home without finishing," he said. "That's all I said to myself 1,000 times over."

Brian Rocheleau from Honolulu placed third overall and was the first Hawai'i finisher with a time of 5:19:52. He said he saw the Australians break ahead early, but he stayed on his own course.

"I couldn't go at their pace, so I was just trying to go at my own pace," he said. "I'm happy with my race. I feel like I had a good race."

Rocheleau said catching Mitchell in future races will be a difficult task.

"He's just phenomenal," Rocheleau said. "He's definitely got the gift out there. He's raising the bar — everybody's trying to chase him."

The women's division was much closer, with Australia's Shakira Westdorp prevailing in her first attempt across the Kaiwi Channel.

Westdorp, 22, completed the course in 5:59:52, to beat five-time champion Kanesa Duncan of Honolulu by 5 minutes, 13 seconds.

"The guys on my escort (boat) kept saying (Duncan) was right there, so I was going as hard as I could," Westdorp said. "But I had no idea where she was."

Westdorp said the rudder on her board broke late in the race, but it got repaired and did not affect her finish.

"It was a lot of fun," she said. "I got a lot of (wave) runners, but I just felt like I was never going to get there."

Keoni Watson of Makaha was the first to finish on a stock paddleboard for the second consecutive year.

In the stock division, all competitors had to use identical 12-foot boards. In the open division, competitors could use boards of any size.

"I kept passing all these open (division) guys, so I guess stock was the call for the day," Watson said. "We had some great conditions. The (wave) runs were unreal."

HORGAN SETS RECORD FOR STAND-UP PADDLERS

Kevin Horgan of Kaua'i relied on a strong finish to set a record in the C4 Waterman stand-up paddle division.

Horgan completed the course in 6:20:59, edging North Shore lifeguard Vitor Marcal by 13 seconds.

Horgan's winning time was more than one hour faster than his time last year, and nearly four hours faster than his time in 2005 — the first year that stand-up paddlers were allowed to enter.

In the stand-up paddle division, competitors stand on the board the entire way and maneuver with a canoe-style paddle.

Marcal led for most of the race, and Horgan took the lead in the final mile.

"It was like trying to run up a sand hill," Horgan said. "But that's where my endurance kicked in.

"That finish was unbelievable. It was so fun. Vitor paddled an amazing race. I think I was just better in the headwind."

Cousins Dave and Ekolu Kalama from Maui was the first team to finish in the stand-up paddle division. They also set a course record with a time of 4:36:55.

They took turns paddling every 20 to 30 minutes.

"There were some really big glides out there," Dave Kalama said. "A couple moments I'm going to remember for a real long time."

The stand-up paddlers started 30 minutes after the paddleboards, so the Kalamas actually passed many of the competitors across the channel.

"You kind of feel like Pac-Man," Dave Kalama said. "Every time you come up to a paddleboarder, it gives you this energy burst. Then it makes you even more hungry and you want to track down the next one."

TOP FINISHERS

OPEN PADDLEBOARD

Elite men: 1, Jamie Mitchell (Australia), 4:48:23. 2, Bruce Taylor (Australia), 5:15:00. 3, Brian Rocheleau (Hawai'i), 5:19:52. Men 29-younger: 1, Justin Mitchell (Australia), 5:42:20. 2, Marc Rocheleau (Hawai'i), 5:54:27. 3, Sean Campbell (Australia), 6:02:45. Men 30-39: 1, Ludovic Dulou (France), 5:36:18. 2, George Loren (California), 5:58:57. 3, Nathan Shore (California), 6:01:29. Men 40-49: 1, Mick Dibetta (Australia), 5:37:15. 2, Chris Owens (Hawai'i), 5:55:05. 3, Dawson Jones (Hawai'i), 5:58:31. Men 50-59: 1, Matt Barnett (Hawai'i), 5:45:41. Men 60-older: 1, Buddy Sheppard (Hawai'i), 6:44:28. Women: 1, Shakira Westdorp (Australia), 5:59:52. 2, Kanesa Duncan (Hawai'i), 6:05:05. 3, Kiyomi Sheppard (Hawai'i), time not available.

STOCK PADDLEBOARD

Elite men: 1, Keoni Watson (Hawai'i), 5:39:48. 2, Kiva Rivers (Hawai'i), 5:52:15. 3, Mikey Cote (Hawai'i), 6:02:37. Men 29-younger: 1, Mike Murphy (California), 6:32:40. Men 30-39: 1, Kai Hall (Hawai'i), 6:04:00. 2, Victor Hemmy III (Hawai'i), 6:16:09. 3, Matt Sack (Hawai'i), 6:22:35. Men 40-49: 1, Jeff Kozlovich (Hawai'i), 8:07:22. 2, Kyoji Fukuda (Japan), 8:29:34. Men 50-older: 1, George Ramos Jr. (Hawai'i), 6:18:16. 2, Dave Yester (Hawai'i), 7:33:03. 3, Bruce Stine (Hawai'i), 7:38:07. Women: 1, Heidi Gutgessell (Hawai'i), 7:35:08.

STOCK PADDLEBOARD, TEAM

Men 59-younger (combined age): 1, Mason Alford/Shaun Jappe, 5:49:12. 2, Kyle Power/Ben Vail, 6:00:14. 3, Kai Lenny/Michi Schweiger, 6:24:38. Men 60-79: 1, Brad Gaul/Michael Porra, 5:24:18. 2, Jimmy Austin/Mike Murray, 5:42:01. 3, Kyle Daniels/Matt Walls, 5:46:04. Men 80-99: 1, Dave Daly/John Gangini, 5:42:45. 2, Matt Friedman/Brian Szymanski, 6:02:52. 3, Peter Burton/Tom Duryea, 6:16:12. Men 100-older: 1, Jack Dysson/Blair Thorndike, 6:28:22. 2, Chris McGuckin/Grahame Tate, 6:38:56. Mixed: 1, Shannon Delaney/Tom Hinds, 6:17:08. 2, Becky Sox/Dan Van Dyck, 6:43:48. 3, Sara Miles/Kohl Christensen, 7:42:05. Women: 1, Talia Gangini/Jocelyn Kempe, 6:33:12. 2, Joanne Ambrosi/Theresa Connelly, 7:11:23.

STAND-UP PADDLEBOARD

Solo with rudder: 1, Kevin Horgan (Hawai'i), 6:20:59. 2, Vitor Marcal (Hawai'i), 6:21:12. 3, Riel Custodio (Hawai'i), 6:42:41. Solo without rudder: 1, Jack Gillen (Hawai'i), 7:36:50. Team with rudder: 1, Dave Kalama/Ekolu Kalama, 4:36:55. 2, Alan Cadiz/Scott Trudon, 5:01:21. 3, Jeremy Riggs/Nabil Vogele, 5:16:27. Team without rudder: 1, Aaron Napoleon/Kamaki Worthington, 5:22:48. 2, Todd Bradley/Brian Keaulana, 5:38:56. 3, Kaya Piburn/Izaak Tyrrell, 6:08:14.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.