Kaia Hedlund

Kaia Hedlund, President of the Waikiki Roughwater Swim Committee, Inc.

Kaia Hedlund at the Safety Conference

Kaia Hedlund is an American swimmer and race director from Long Beach, California.

Open Water Swimming Highlights

• She served as the president of the Waikiki Roughwater Swim Committee, Inc. and race director for the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, one of the America's most popular open water swimming events annually listed in the World's Top 100 Open Water Swims list and America's Top 50 Open Water Swims.
• She is president of Kaico Sports and the associate director for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, and the former athletics director at Chaminade University of Honolulu and a board member of Swim With Mike.
• She is the race director of the 2021 Naples Island Swims in Long Beach, California.

Education

Hedlund earned her master’s degree in physical education and sports management from California State University, Fullerton in 1986, and her bachelor’s degree in physical education and recreation from University of Southern California, officially begins her position on Aug. 21.

Coaching, Teaching and Administration

• Hedlund has served as executive director for the Long Beach Aquatics Festival and as director of special projects for the Big West Conference. From 1990 to 2000, she served as assistant director of athletics for the University of Hawaii at Manoa and from 1983 to 1990, as associate director of athletics and senior woman administrator at University of California, Irvine.
• Hedlund also served as head coach for women’s swimming at the University of California, Irvine and assistant coach for women’s swimming at USC. She has more than 20 years of experience teaching primarily at the college level. Hedlund swam four years for USC, played water polo, paddled outrigger canoes and continues to swim at the master’s level. She is also director for Swim with Mike – Hawaii – Raising Funds for the Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship Fund.

Family

Hedlund is married to Gary Wible and is a resident of Long Beach, California.

2014-2015 World Open Water Swimming Series

1. aQuellé Midmar Mile in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in February. Race director Wayne Riddin
2. Miami Mile in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. in April. Race director Jonathan Strauss
3. El Cruce in Cancún, Mexico in May. Race director Rafael Hernández
4. Jax Coco Shek O Challenge in Hong Kong in July. Race director Doug Woodring
5. Henley Mile in Henley-on-the-Thames, United Kingdom in July. Race director Tom Kean
6. Hellespont and Dardanelles Swim in Turkey in August. Race director Simon Murie
7. Aichi Crossing in Nagoya, Japan in August. Race director Yutaka Shinozaki
8. BCT Gdynia Marathon – Open Race in Gdynia, Poland in August. Race director Tomasz Pąchalski
9. Waikiki Roughwater Swim in Oahu, Hawaii in September. Race director Kaia Hedlund
10. Swim The Island in Italy in October. Race director Matteo Testa
11. The Five in Hong Kong in October. Race director Doug Woodring
12. King and Queen of the Sea in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in December. Race director Pedro Rego Monteiro
13. Stroke for Egypt in the Red Sea, Egypt in December. Race coordinator Mohamed Marouf

2015-2016 World Open Water Swimming Series

1. Cold Half Extreme Marathon Swim in Hong Kong. Race director Doug Woodring
2. aQuellé Midmar Mile in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in February. Race director Wayne Riddin
3. Miami Mile in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. in April. Race director Jonathan Strauss
4. El Cruce in Cancún, Mexico in May. Race director Rafael Hernández
5. Swim Challenge Cascais in Cascais, Portugal. Race director Jorge Paulo Pereira
6. Jax Coco Shek O Challenge in Hong Kong in July. Race director Doug Woodring
7. Henley Mile in Henley-on-the-Thames, United Kingdom in July. Race director Tom Kean
8. Vibes & Scribes Lee Swim in Cork, Ireland in July. Race director Joe Donnelly
9. Hellespont and Dardanelles Swim in Turkey in August. Race director Simon Murie
10. BCT Gdynia Marathon – Open Race in Gdynia, Poland in August. Race director Tomasz Pąchalski
11. Waikiki Roughwater Swim in Oahu, Hawaii in September. Race director Kaia Hedlund
12. International Masters Open Water Swim in Shizuoka, Japan in September. Race director Yutaka Shinozaki
13. Cruce Aguas Abiertas Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica in September. Race director Joe Bernini
14. Swim The Island in Italy in October. Race director Matteo Testa
15. The Five in Hong Kong in October. Race director Doug Woodring
16. King and Queen of the Sea in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in December. Race director Pedro Rego Monteiro
17. Stroke for Egypt in the Red Sea, Egypt in December. Race coordinator Mohamed Marouf

External Links

• Solo versus Relay Records in the Channels
• Ryan Bullock, Kathleen Hohwald Win 3-mile Naples Island Swim In Long Beach
• Ryan Bullock To Defend Title At Naples Island Swim In Long Beach
• Kaia Hedlund Talks About The Waikiki Roughwater Swim On WOWSA Live
• From 1970 To The Present, The Waikiki Roughwater Swim
• Swim with Mike website
• Aquatic Aloha All Around
• Waikiki Roughwater Swim
• A WSC T-shirt Contest In Hawaii
• You Are An Old-time Swimmer If...
• Kaiwi Channel Swim 2.0, Insanely Interesting
• 2014 Waikiki Roughwater Swim T-Shirt Design Contest
• Six And More...Or Fewer
• What's Going Through Your Head In The Open Water
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Hong Kong Takes Centre Stage For First New F1 Series
• How Lynne Cox Impresses The World
• Kilo, Ignacio, Jimena To Make Waikiki Really Roughwater
• Marine Law In The Waikiki Roughwater Swim
• Waikiki Much Too Roughwater
• Swim With Mike, 36 Years Of Helping Others
• Got A Question? Got A Complaint? Got A Problem?
• Statistics Of The Waikiki Roughwater Swim
• 2018 Waikiki Roughwater Swim T-Shirt Design Contest
• WOWSA Launches Free Global Calendar