After relinquishing its Hawaiian Airlines Molokai Hoe title for just the second time in 12 tries last year, Shell Va‘a is back again in its familiar canoe dubbed “Lightning” as the Tahitians try to prove that the winning method discovered by 2017 winner Red Bull Wa‘a does not strike twice.

About 100 crews – 98 were registered as of Thursday – will make the 41-mile trek from Molokai’s Hale O Lono Harbor to Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki on Sunday, including squads from Hawaii, California, Connecticut, Washington, Australia, Canada, France, Singapore and Tahiti. Participants in the ultimate test of strength, endurance and strategy will be faced with unpredictable winds and waves in addition to the varying currents throughout the treacherous Kaiwi Channel.

After claiming their eighth straight Molokai Hoe crown in 2013, some Shell paddlers stated that they would continue chasing the outrigger canoe paddling world championship “until we die.” The quietly confident Tahitian athletes also noted that they needed to “win 10 in a row, then we can stop.”

The Shell Va‘a squad could initially back up its assertive statements after setting the course record in 2011 as the paddling powerhouse finished in 4 hours, 30 minutes and 54 seconds — nearly eight minutes faster than the previous record, which it also held. However, Shell’s run for 10 straight titles was denied in 2014 when Tahitian competitor EDT Va‘a, which paddles under the banner of an energy company, claimed the Molokai-to-Oahu crown.

After Shell Va‘a reclaimed the Molokai Hoe championship in 2015 and 2016, Red Bull Wa‘a emerged last year to best the two-time defending champions by 31 seconds.

Red Bull Wa‘a previously raced as Livestrong — the namesake of embattled cyclist Lance Armstrong’s charity — then switched monikers to Mellow Johnny’s (Armstrong’s bicycle shop in Austin, Texas) before changing to Na Koa O Kona, then taking on the Red Bull brand’s moniker and color scheme after the energy drink sponsored the crew.

Lanikai, the last Hawaii-based team to win the Molokai Hoe, in 2005, is another homegrown favorite come Sunday and is looking to improve upon last year’s third-place finish — it was the top-finishing crew composed entirely of Hawaii-based paddlers. Lanikai won the Henry Ayau Memorial Race on Sept. 16, and for the second year in a row, set the 32-mile course record with a mark of 3 hours, 21 minutes and 35 seconds.

Lanikai also is riding the momentum of winning the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship in August, a victory that was buoyed by the club’s dominant men’s program.

“Regatta victories are nice milestones, but ultimately, we’re focused on the first Sunday in October,” said Lanikai paddler Andreas Gaeta. “We train year-round for the distance season, but regattas are part of that process and, like every club out here, we want to win.”

“Last year, we came in third in the Molokai Hoe, and trimmed the deficit (between the victor and Lanikai) from 32 minutes in 2016 to seven-and-a-half minutes,” said Lanikai coach Karel Tresnak Sr. “You never know when the ocean is going to open up and big fishes from Tahiti will swim in. Competition can only bring us higher.”

Hui Nalu, a perennial contender that finished fourth at last year’s Molokai Hoe, is likely to be in the mix as the lead group makes its way toward the finish line. The same can be said for Outrigger, which won the 26-mile Duke Kahanamoku Race in August in the long-distance season’s first large-scale race.

Team Primo, which may race under a different name this year, is based in Wailea, Maui, but features paddlers from across the state, also is expected to vie for the elusive title and still holds the record for the fastest time by a Hawaii competitor (4:42:59 in 2011). The crew represents a model of consistency by garnering sixth place or better in every Molokai Hoe since forming in 2009, including a fifth-place finish last year.

Keeping track

While the race is free for the public to watch on Sunday, those who aren’t able to make it to Duke Kahanamoku Beach can stay up to speed with the Molokai Hoe action through real-time GPS tracking of every crew. Spectators and fans can log on to www.molokaihoe.com/live-tracking.asp and view a live video feed, select and track individual crews and see results as canoes cross the finish line.

In addition to vying for the overall and divisional trophies and medals, paddlers within the koa canoe division will have extra incentive to finish first on Sunday. As part of a sponsorship with OluKai footwear, the first-place winner in the koa division, which features crews paddling in the traditional wooden vessels compared to fiberglass versions, will receive a $1,000 prize.