HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Na Wahine O Ke Kai is one of the most daunting canoe races in the world. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You The 41-mile trek across the Kaiwi Channel almost went without a team in the new 65-plus age group. Twelve Wahine banded together and leaned on their ancestors to make sure it stayed alive. In 45 years of history, this veteran team of New Hope Canoe Club watched Na Wahine O Ke Kai go from just a dream in 1954 to be born in 1979 and become a premier global championship featuring nearly 50 teams. Hundreds greet wahine in Waikiki after 42 mile race After a four-year hiatus, the race returned. "We really wanted the race to survive for the people who pushed for this race in the beginning, it was hard to get. In our world, you're not really a paddler until you do Kaiwi Channel," said Melita Miller-Kalama. For Native Hawaiians like Li, there is no other race like it. "It's part of our heritage, it's part of our gut. When you get in the canoe, it's very special and it is a spiritual journey across that Kaiwi. I can't explain it you have to do it yourself," explained Li Kalama. That's why they made sure they could get a team together. Two weeks from race day, the newly formed 65-plus division didn't have any teams, so Li scrambled to find 12 members that were ready to go. "When Li called me to get a canoe together let's go, I said 'Are you crazy? We've got two weeks before the race. Are you crazy?' Okay, let's go," Laverne Cummins added. Twelve ladies signed up, eight 70-plus-year-olds and four 66-plus. With Molokai's resources stretched thin, they flew to Maui and took a boat over from Lahaina to support local businesses struggling from the wildfires. "While we were on Maui, we decided to grocery shop in the stores in Lahaina. So we took a lot of our supplies over, we didn't want to impact Molokai. We wanted to leave Molokai for Molokai," Cummins said. On the morning of Sept. 29, they took off from Halo O Lono on Molokai, a 41-mile journey on the Kaiwi in front of them. "It was so beautiful out there, the water out there just beautiful," said Leona Porter. Eight hours, two minutes and 33 grueling seconds later, they were on the shores of Waikiki. They successfully crossed Kaiwi, proving something to themselves, to their kupuna and living up to their motto: not pau yet. Check out more news from around Hawaii "It's what your ancestors gave to you as our kupuna told us. You pull from your gut, you call to your ancestors and you say help me when I hit that wall, come with me, be with me. Paddle with me. Give me your strength, and that's what we want to instill in the younger groups that are coming up. It's not just a paddle it's an inspirational paddle, and that's what Na Wahine O Ke Kai is."