There's no doubt that Joel Parkinson is a super fit human being with more paddle endurance than most of us could ever hope to possess. Wes Berg's "One Touch" may have inspired Parko to take up the six-hour challenge of paddling across the 51-kilometre-wide Molokai to Oahu deep-ocean channel, but the downgrading of the Billabong Pro J-Bay opened up a gap in the world tour calendar to compete in the race without affecting his title chances.
During the actual race Parko will be alternating time on the paddleboard with Wes - like a relay out on the high seas. But don't think that an ultra-competitive person like Mr Parkinson won't be wanting to blitz the field, no matter how much he downplays it in this interview.
And if Kelly Slater does decide to enter the race, well, all bets are off...
Footage: Joel Scott/Edit: Sam Norwood
Words : Surfing Life
