It's amazing enough that Laura Marietta, 26, won the Women's National Open Canoe Championship for the third time in a row Sunday. What's even more mind-boggling is that the Ohiopyle resident finished first in the race, which is sponsored by the American Canoe Association, without the luxury of taking a practice run beforehand like her competitors.

"It was exciting not knowing what was in store for me during the race," she said with a laugh, "but it could have really hurt me, too."

This year's competition, held in Maine, switched locations from the Kennebec River to the Dead River at the last minute for safety reasons, and Marietta didn't receive word soon enough to take a trial run.

The fact that the Dead River is largely white water didn't exactly ease her nerves, and neither did knowing that two other competitors had hometown experience on the rapids.

"I knew that a couple of the

girls ran the river all the time," she said, "so I definitely did not have the upstart advantage."

Nor did she have the lead, she admitted, for a great deal of the time because another racer in a lightweight Kevlar canoe "took off" past the others at the beginning.

Marietta's quick thinking and accurate judgement allowed her to catch up, however, and she pulled ahead by picking an alternate river route that the leader had bypassed.

Marietta, who won the 2007 championship in Ohiopyle and the 2008 title in Hot Springs, N.C., said navigation errors don't just cost you the competition, they can be dangerous. Miscalculating a single maneuver, she said, can send a flood of water into the canoe, a risk that doesn't present itself with the boat's more popular counterpart, the kayak.

"When there's water in the boat it starts to rock back and forth," she said. "It's really easy to tip over ... definitely not as stable as a kayak."

And that's just the reason Marietta prefers to canoe. Although she is also an experienced kayaker, the "more technical" sport of canoeing offers her a bigger challenge.

Marietta's success might come as no surprise, considering that a penchant for paddling runs in her blood through several generations.

Her grandmother, Shirley Marietta, owns Whitewater Adventurers in Ohiopyle, which equips rafters to brave the Youghiogheny River.

Her father Bob, also a seasoned canoeist, gave his daughter some paddling pointers as soon as she showed promise in the family passion, but Laura Marietta professes to be a largely self-taught canoeist.

She now works in the family business as a raft guide, helping others stay safe on the rapids.

Although Marietta has never participated in a national race that she hasn't won, she insists that she's "not really much of a competitive person at all" and canoes simply for the joy of it. She only decided to attempt competitive racing three years ago after learning that the national championship would take place in her hometown.

Friends who knew of her abilities urged her to enter, and her familiarity with the Yough course made her confident enough about her chances. After taking home top honors in 2007, she became hooked on the feeling.

Marietta offers some humbling advice to fellow paddlers who want to reach a similar level of recognition. "Respect the river -- it's stronger than you," she said.

"It's all about finesse ... it's about knowing how to read the river and weave in between the waves."

She also revealed a secret weapon that keeps her focused and coordinated during competitions: attending yoga classes. "Yoga keeps you loose and limber and prevents your muscles from tightening up," she said. "It's easy to get intimidated and psyche yourself out during competitions, but yoga helps me concentrate and breathe."

Her mother, Margaret Marietta, who works at Whitewater Adventurers along with her husband and mother-in-law, couldn't stop beaming while recounting her daughter's accomplishments.

"We couldn't be prouder," she said. "Before Laura left, I told her 'bring it home ... bring it back home to the Ohiopyle.' "

Marietta intends to do just that next year for the fourth time in a row, indicating that she is far from ready to retire her competitive paddle.

"I've got to defend my title," she said.