Since its inception in 1997, Jonny Skolnick had dreamed of one day being part of the prayer circle prior to the start of the Molokai-2-Oahu World Paddleboard Championships. At 6:30 a.m. local time on July 29, Skolnick gathered with the hundreds of other competitors for the pre-race pulé, or Hawaiian prayer.

“The whole experience was everything I had imagined and more,” said Skolnick, who completed the 32-mile paddleboard race across the Ka’iwi Channel in seven hours, 26 minutes, 34 seconds.