Ekolu Kalama turned a long surf session into an emotional victory yesterday.

Kalama won the stand-up paddle (SUP) division of the Rainbow Sandals Moloka'i to O'ahu Paddleboard Race.

The race was created in 1997 as a championship event for traditional paddleboards, which are powered by arm strokes. The SUP division was added in 2005, and now features as many entries as the traditional paddleboards. In the SUP division, paddlers must stand on the board at all times and use a canoe-style paddle.

"This is the Super Bowl of stand-up paddle racing," said Kalama, who is 33 and from Kula, Maui. "It feels great to be on top. It means the world."

Kalama completed the 32-mile course from Kaluako'i Beach, Moloka'i, to Maunalua Bay, O'ahu, in 5 hours, 2 minutes, 6 seconds. It shattered the previous record of 5:54:59.

Jennifer Kalmbach of Kona also shattered the women's SUP record, finishing with a time of 6:18:31 — more than two hours better than the previous mark.

It was Kalama's first attempt at a solo crossing. He and cousin Dave Kalama won the SUP team division in 2006, '07 and '08. This year, they each entered as solo competitors, and Ekolu figured Dave was the favorite.

"I thought Dave was going to be in front and I was going to be chasing Dave all day," Ekolu said. "That wasn't the case. I'm stoked. I don't know what to say."

Ekolu described the victory as emotional because he thought of his late grandfather as he crossed the Kaiwi Channel.

"My grandfather was a canoe paddler and coach, and I know he was smiling down on me from heaven today," Ekolu said.

But he also described it as a fun victory because he was able to paddle into several ocean swells.

"That was like a 5 1/2-hour surf session," he said. "Glide after glide. I don't have to surf for a while. I'm good for about a week."

Guy Pere of Hale'iwa placed second with a time of 5:22:01, and Scott Gamble was third in 5:22:39.

Dave Kalama placed fourth in 5:44:55.

Kalmbach, who was also competing in the SUP solo division for the first time, said she won despite missing a lot of waves.

"I was having a hard time catching the bumps," said Kalmbach, 26. "Had to do a lot of paddling."

She thought she was in second place as she approached O'ahu, but then was informed she was in the lead and used the boost of adrenaline to push her to the finish.

Andrea Moller of Maui placed second in 7:04:24.

The SUP team of Kai Bartlett and Aaron Napoleon actually had the fastest time of the day at 4:45:17. In the team division, the paddlers could take turns on the board.

For complete results from the race, visit http://www.pacificsportsevents.com.