After engaging in a furious free-for-all sprint to the finish in the E Lau Hoe long-distance race against rival Outrigger, Team Bradley could finally take a collective breath after notching its third consecutive win in the popular event.

Team Bradley showed it is still the team to beat by clinching back-to-back-to-back E Lau Hoe race titles on Sunday with a winning time of 3 hours, 52 minutes, 8 seconds. Outrigger finished seven seconds off the lead, while Hui Nalu crossed the line third (4:00:14) ahead of Team Maui Jim (4:03:55) and Kawaihae Canoe Club (4:05:08) from Hawaii island.

The victorious crew, coached by veteran paddler Kelly Fey, included Lori Nakamura, Coral Mariano, Claire Ing, Kristin Foster, Alana Goo, Kaulu Lu‘uwai, Nicole Pedersen, Kealani Bartlett, Mahealani Botelho and Andrea Moller.

“We never count anybody out, and Outrigger was close with us the entire way — it was a nice back-and-forth trade-off throughout the course,” Botelho said. “The conditions were really good, pretty flat all the way around, so we had to rely on our training as we get ready for Molokai.”

In what served as the penultimate race of the long-distance season, 46 female crews from across the state completed the 32-mile trek that started at Kailua Beach, wrapped around Makapuu and finished at Sand Island near the Marine Education Training Center. The home stretch toward the finish line set up nicely as Outrigger remained within a canoe’s length of Team Bradley, and the two crews engaged in an all-out sprint, which the defending champs held on to win.

“That finish was intense, almost too intense, but it was a nice battle between both crews and nobody backed down,” said Fey. “Everybody was full of fire, and it was pretty awesome. We expect to face challenges from a lot of crews out there, and Outrigger is very good. We’re going to think on (potential crew adjustments and strategy tweaks) and rest.”

The women now have a week off to prepare for Na Wahine O Ke Kai, the 41-mile Molokai-to-Oahu championship race slated for Sept. 23.

“We’re going to focus on whatever training we have left to do, get ourselves mentally prepared, rest and recuperate from this race and get ready to go in a few weeks,” Botelho said of Team Bradley’s approach to the season’s home stretch.

Outrigger’s runner-up crew featured Anella Borges, Beata Cseke, Hoku Keala, Shannon O’Neill, Kahala Schneider, Rachel Bruntsch, Angie Dolan, Julie Aio, Rachel Kincaid and Liat Portner.

Sunday’s race marked the first full-field long-distance race on Oahu following the cancellation of the Dad Center Race, which was not run on Aug. 26 due to the potential threat of then-Hurricane Lane. Since the regatta season ended on Aug. 4 with the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association state championship at Keehi Lagoon, crews have had the opportunity to participate in Na Pali Challenge held along Kauai’s north shore and the Queen Liliuokalani Race in Kona.

Paddlers enjoyed relatively calm ocean conditions, light breezes and small swells throughout the course, which allowed paddlers to focus on and refine their technique. Cloud pockets along the course also provided some shade from the sweltering heat.

Team Bradley has won 10 of the last 12 Na Wahine O Ke Kai titles including six straight from 2005 to 2010, and still owns the race record time of 5 hours, 22 minutes, 5 seconds established in 2008. The dynastic crew is nearing the level of dominance established by Offshore (from California), which also won the race six consecutive times (1986-91) and raced to victory 10 times out of 11 tries (1986-96).

After Na Wahine O Ke Kai was cancelled in 2015 due to strong winds and treacherous surf, Team Bradley returned to the top of the paddling pack by winning the race two years ago by a six-minute margin over Outrigger, and won last fall by 5 minutes over Outrigger Canoe Club of Australia.

In the final event of the season leading up to the Molokai races, the men will compete in the Henry Ayau Memorial Race on Sunday, which spans from Maunalua Bay to Nanakuli Beach. Team Red Bull, Outrigger and Lanikai are the favorites to take home the hardware if they choose to participate, but crews from Kailua, Hui Lanakila and Hui Nalu are also expected to contend.