No two races are the same and Hayden Copping knows the 2023 Prone Paddleboard World Championships in Hawaii will be no different on July 30.
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The Port Macquarie lifeguard flew home 12 months ago with an impressive second-place finish after a challenging 38-kilometre paddle at the 2022 event which circumnavigated the Hawaiian coastline.
Fast forward a year and Copping is focused on going one step further in the traditional race from Molokai to Oahu although competitors will be required to travel a further 14 kilometres.
"Last year we circumnavigated, but this one is a straight race start to finish," he said.
"We're in about 200 metres of water where there could be some big wind swell and everything in between will be out there so it should be fun."
He had a brush with a three-and-a-half metre tiger shark in the race last year, but admits that will be the furthest thing from his mind.
"You've got to put that in the back of your mind and forget about it," he said.
"They're out there and there's a lot of other things out there as well. I'll be more focused about myself and the competitors around me and try to get to Oahu as quick as I can."
Copping said the race was a prestigious one although it was made up of a "weird" dynamic as it brought both surf club and surfing culture together.
"It's the pinnacle," he said.
"Some of the top surfers on the WSL tour have done this race and some of the best paddlers in the world have all done it so to complete it will be a feat in itself."
The 24-year-old won't have to battle last year's winner Stewart McLachlan as the previous five-time winner will compete in a different division.
He does, however, believe he has the ability to triumph.
"There's new contenders and still a lot of people I haven't met and there's a lot of guys coming from Australia and the world so we'll see, but I've got a belief I can take this out now," Copping said.
A lot of his training has involved run-out tides at Town Beach which could be the key to any success.
"I've been trying to get where the runs will stand up a little bit more," he said.
"I've been doing a lot of flat water because we could have crazy big surf or it could be dead flat and if it's dead flat the race could take forever.
"I've been trying to get the miles into my arms."
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