From Maui to Moloka'i to O'ahu to Kaua'i.

That's the course paddlers have been taking over the past few weeks.

Tomorrow's stop is Kaua'i for the Expedia.com Kaua'i World Challenge, which has become one of the favorite events for paddlers because of the rewards.

"Out of all the races we do, this is the one that caters to the paddlers more than any other," Maui's Kai Bartlett said. "There's prize money, you get a pasta dinner the night before, there's a party after the race ... it's really first class."

More than 200 paddlers are expected to participate in tomorrow's race, which features one-person canoes and surfskis, but follows a relay format.

Each team has two paddlers, and the race course is divided into four legs. One paddler must complete legs 1 and 3; the other paddler must complete legs 2 and 4.

The first leg goes from Wailua Beach to Hanama'ulu Beach (5 miles); the second goes from Hanama'ulu Beach to Kalapaki (5 miles); the third goes from Kalapaki to Po'ipu (12 miles); the fourth goes from Po'ipu to Salt Pond (12 miles).

"It's a great course, especially if the conditions are right," Bartlett said. "You can get some really good surf runs if the wind is with you."

Bartlett and partner Patrick Dolan are considered one of the top teams in the one-person canoe division. Other contenders include Mike Judd/Greg Long, Danny Ching/Tyson Poppler, Mark Frazier/Butch Keahiolalo, and Kea Pa'iaina/Tapa Worthington.

The top five teams receive prize money, including $2,000 to the overall winners. There is a $20,000 total prize purse, and age-group winners will also receive money.

The Nate Hendricks/Karel Tresnak Jr. team is not entered. They won the Kaiwi Channel Relay World Championship on Sunday.

Several international paddlers are entered in the surfski division, including the South African sibling tandem of Herman and Oscar Chalupsky.

There is also a division for two-person canoes.

Many of the top paddlers will travel back to Moloka'i next week for the Moloka'i World Solo Championships.

"I think everybody knows that Moloka'i (solo race) is the big one, and so it might be bad timing to come and do this (Kaua'i) race the week before," Bartlett said. "But this is more of a fun race, and if you can pick up some money along the way, even better."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.