After its impressive run of six consecutive Na Wahine O Ke Kai championships came to an end last season, Team Bradley appears poised to begin a new streak.

Team Bradley, a collection of paddlers from Maui, Oahu and Kauai that races under the banner of Maui’s Hawaiian Canoe Club, completed Sunday’s E Lau Hoe Race in a winning time of 4 hours, 23 minutes and 29 seconds. The defending Na Wahine O Ke Kai champion Waikiki Beach Boys kept up with Team Bradley throughout the race, but could not pass their rivals and finished in 4 hours, 27 minutes and 39 seconds. Hui Nalu-Yellow, the winner of the 25-mile Dad Center Race two weeks ago, took home third place (4:30.04).

In what served as the final tuneup race of the long distance season, 38 all-female crews from across the state competed in the 32-mile race that started at Maunalua Bay in Hawaii Kai and finished in the waters fronting Nanakuli Beach Park. The women now have a week off to prepare for the Na Wahine O Ke Kai — the Molokai-to-Oahu championship race slated for Sept. 23.

"Overall, the course was good — especially when we hit the West Side," said Kelly Fey, a veteran waterwoman and paddler with Team Bradley. "We still had some (waves) behind us that we could catch all the way home. It wasn’t raging or anything, but it was fun. It was perfect."

Team Bradley’s winning crew also featured Claire Townsend, Noelani Auger, Lauren Bartlett, Nicole Pederson, Dane Ward, Alana Goo, Lori Nakamura, Arlene Holzman and Andrea Moller. Because the crewmembers hail from various islands, paddlers train for the most part on one-person canoes, and translate their skills to the six-person canoe during rare group practice runs and races.

Despite its comfortable margin of victory, Team Bradley got off to a slow start in Hawaii Kai before eventually rallying to take an insurmountable lead.

"Going around the buoy in Hawaii Kai, we were actually in seventh or eighth place," Fey said. "Out in the middle of (Maunalua) Bay, Hui Nalu took off and was in the lead until us and the Beach Boys (caught up) around Diamond Head. We battled with Waikiki through Honolulu and passing the airport, then we got a little bit of a lead and kept building on that."

Despite missing out on the victory, a feat they accomplished at this race in 2010, the Waikiki "Beach Girls" used the race as a barometer of what they need to improve on leading up to the Molokai run.

"It’s a good opportunity to see what else we have to work on," said Waikiki steerswoman Kaui Pelekane. "We’ll try to fix the little things, clean up our stroke and keep working together. We had a good race, but Bradley is just a strong team. We just tried to stay in the game with them."

Waikiki’s runner-up crew also included Rachel Bruntsch, Dana Gorecki, Eko Lapp, Frances Lichowski, Alexia Lopez, Jennifer Polcer, Raye Powell, Lindsey Shank and Kelsa Gaberhurt.

The distance season consists of four races on Oahu — two men’s and two women’s events — followed by the Na Wahine O Ke Kai and Molokai Hoe, the women’s and men’s versions of the 41-mile Molokai-to-Oahu race often considered the world championship of the sport.

In distance races, crews are accompanied by motored escort boats and are allowed to substitute paddlers along the way to provide them with breaks.

"Molokai is a totally different animal," Fey said. "But this gives us some confidence, and at least we’re in the game. We would love to (get the Na Wahine O Ke Kai title back). But we don’t have too many expectations and we’re going to try really hard."

Hui Nalu-Revolusun finished fourth overall and claimed the master’s 40 division with a mark of 4 hours, 38 minutes and 12 seconds. Kailua captured the master’s 50 division after navigating the course in 4 hours, 58 minutes and 45 seconds.

Lanikai placed 24th overall but was the first crew paddling a koa canoe to cross the line, finishing in 5 hours, 19 minutes and 23 seconds.

In the final long distance race of the season leading into the Molokai races, the men will compete in the Henry Ayau Memorial Race on Sunday, and will follow the same course as the E Lau Hoe. Team Primo of Maui and Lanikai Canoe Club are perennial favorites to take home the hardware, but crews from Hui Lanakila and Outrigger have also shown promise in recent years.