Number 43 newsletter
Topics:
Items of Interest: Race news for Rod Price, Steve Miller, Marty Sullivan
Events and Races: FCPA races; Suwannee River Challenge and more
Article: Missouri River 340, Part One of Two
Marty Sullivan
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ITEMS OF INTEREST:
Local paddlers competed in some big races over the past month. Rod Price's four-person canoe team (Rod, Ken Streb, Joanna Faloon, and Christoph Weber) turned in a blistering pace for the Adirondack 90-miler. Over the three-day stage race their time was 13 hours 45 minutes, fast enough for 2nd place in class and 12th overall in a field of 269 starters. Steve Miller took the plunge with his first kayak race, the St. Johns River "Paddle Battle," finishing the 10-mile course in 1 hour 46 minutes. Marty Sullivan completed the Missouri River 340 race, Kansas City to St. Charles, in 47 hours 17 minutes to finish fourth in class of 102 solo paddlers and 16th overall (see story below). He also just completed the North Carolina Challenge of 100 miles coastal paddling (88 miles, actually), finishing 3rd overall and first in class with a time of 18 hours 23 minutes.
Full results:
Adirondack 90-miler -- http://www.macscanoe.com/90-Miler/90-miler_Index.htm
St. Johns River "Paddle Battle" -- http://www.friendsofbluespring.com/paddlebattleresults.html
Missouri River 340 -- http://rivermiles.com/forum/Attachments/2010_MR340_Race_Tracking_047.xls (requires Excel)
North Carolina Challenge -- http://www.watertribe.com/Events/ChallengeResults.aspx and select "North Carolina Challenge 2010" from pull-down menu
EVENTS AND RACES:
Florida Competition Paddlers Events (usually 10 miles and 4 or 5 miles in protected waters):
November 7, 2010, Paddle of the Pass, Matlacha, FL, Contact Nancy Macphee, http://www.floridapaddlingtrails.com/, 239-707-7275
December 4, 2010, Silver Springs Race, Silver Springs, FL, Contact Larry/Glenda Frederick, lf6978@yahoo.com
January 15, 2011, Wakulla River Race, Tallahassee, FL, Contact Jack/Anke Toth, Jack@Toth.net
January 23, 2011, Estero River Race, Ft. Myers, FL, Contact Paula, erol@aol.com, 239-992-4050
February 19, 2011, Peace River Race, Paula Lunt
February 26, 2011, Crisp Park Race, St. Pete, FL, Contact John Edwards, canoechamp@aol.com, 727-459-6366
March 12, 2011, Great Pickle Race, Tampa, FL, Contact Glennis Williams, ggawilliams@juno.com, 727-455-9188
March 19, 2011, Manatee Run, Orange River, N. Ft. Myers at Manatee Pk, FL,
April 2, 2011, Rainbow River Race, Dunnellon, FL, Contact Ken Streb, 585-738-7237, kenstreb@gmail.com
December 3, 2011, Silver Springs Race, Silver Springs, FL, Contact Larry/Glenda Frederick, lf6978@yahoo.com
Paddle Florida: Suwannee River Paddle, Oct-14-2010 - Oct-21-2010, Live Oak, FL. This 123-mile, week-long trip is the original. We'll paddle from the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park to Manatee Springs State Park. It will be the fifth time for this trip and we look forward to making it the best yet, with first-rate musical entertainment, award-winning catering and as always, campfires and camaraderie. We transport everyone's gear from one overnight stop to the next... so all paddlers have to do is, well, paddle. And always remember... to go with the flow! More info Tel: 352-377-8342, Web Site: http://www.paddleflorida.org/
Suwannee River Challenge and Marathon (52 and 26 miles), October 16, 2010, White Springs, FL, This is the 9th annual running of the event over the most picturesque portion of the river including class III Big Shoals (run it or portage). We take over the Telford Inn (386-397-2000) and end the races Saturday evening with a keg of beer and awards. Contact Rod Price, rodbprice@hotmail.com, 407-227-5606
Contact Rod Price, rodbprice@hotmail.com, 407-227-5606
2010 Miami Kayak Challenge, Saturday, October 16, 2010 between 8 am - 1 pm, is taking place at Miami-Dade County's Matheson Hammock Park on Old Cutler Road in Coral Gables. All paddlers including kayakers, surf skiers, canoeists, outriggers, dragon boaters and stand up paddleboarders will be racing to raise funds and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. More info contact Jennifer Miyar at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: jmiyar@cff.org (954) 739-5006, or Sue Kawalerski, Miami Kayak Challengetvpeople@ymail.com (305) 978-2233.
Florida Paddlers' Rendezvous, October 21 - 24, 2010, Silver River State Park campground. Day trips, potluck dinners, campfires. Make camping reservations at the State Park. Sponsored by CentralFloridaSeaKayakers@yahoogroups.com.
Treasure Island Classic, October 23-24, 2010, Treasure Island, FL (near St. Petersburg) at Island Inn, 9980 Gulf Blvd. OC6 race on Saturday, surf ski, canoe, kayak, and paddle board race on Sunday. Contact Rea Sieber, 727-641-8012, 800-241-9980, canoerea@gmail.com
Gables to the Bay Regatta, Saturday, October 23rd, 2010, 7:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., 5100 Riviera Drive, Coral Gables, FL. The Regatta is a series of fun and challenging low-impact paddle races for Canoes, Kayaks, Standup Paddleboards, Surfskis, Dragonboats, Outriggers, and Any Non-Motorized Craft. Courses will run up to 5 miles through the scenic Coral Gables Waterway and Biscayne Bay with spectacular finishes at Shake-A-Leg Miami in Coconut Grove. The races will be followed by a fun family celebration at our one-of-a-kind Regatta Village where racers and others will gather for the awards ceremony, chance drawings, food & refreshments, and music by Live Bait. Cash and other prizes will be awarded to many race classes! See http://waterwayrenaissance.org/?page_id=13
Calusa Blueway Festival, October 29 - Nov 7, Fort Myers, FL. This 5th annual "signature eco-event" celebrates Southwest Florida's 190 mile marked paddling trail, The Great Calusa Blueway, which meanders from its southern tip at Bonita Springs to its northern-most points around Pine Island Sound and up the Caloosahatchee River. Paddlers, competitors, families and outdoor enthusiasts from around Southwest Florida, the state and the nation attend this one-of-a-kind eco-event. Festivities include competitive canoe/kayak races, a kayak fishing tournament, paddling clinics and demonstrations, seminars, family activities, archaeological and environmental events, guided tours, and more celebrations along The Great Calusa Blueway. More info at 239-823-6335, Email: bclayton@leegov.com, Web Site: http://www.calusabluewaypaddlingfestival.com/
Alafia River Challenge, November 13, 2010, Brandon, FL. See http://www.alafiachallenge.com/ for details. This is a fun 9-mile paddle from Lithia Springs, near Brandon, Florida, ending with music, food, etc. Sign up early since it fills up.
Homossassa River Races, April 9-10, 2011, Dragon Boat Race (Saturday) and canoe/kayak race (Sunday). Contact Terry Johnson, montanatrail@gmail.com
Ochlockonee River Paddlefest, April 16-17, 2011, Tallahassee, Florida. Canoe/kayak races on April 16 (7.5, 13.5, and 34 miles). Yellow Fly Paddle Challenge on April 17, 59 miles down the Ochlockonee River.
MISSOURI RIVER 340 (Part One of Two)
by Marty Sullivan
Start to mile 160:
I am drifting about with 195 other boats and 307 paddlers on the Kaw River at Kansas City, having put in to this slow-flowing river to stage up for the 8 am start. We are down from the initial 340 boats signed up due to postponed race because of flooding. The faces around me vary from friendly and chatting to deer-in-the-headlights to serious game face. Boat types range from aluminum canoes to Huki surf skis and a 20-person dragon boat. I guess I am fairly relaxed, having done dozens of races, but this one feels different with new water, new people, new type of race. I drift by one fellow who says "is that a Thunderbolt?" I answer my boat is similar to his but slightly more stable and less fast. We chat a while and Colin, a young veteran of several MR340s, introduces himself. I wonder if we might run a similar pace down the river, and I hope he has no problems since his Thunderbolt is without bulkheads and flotation.
We first face the Missouri River confluence, where 4 miles-per-hour water meets this slow river with turbulence and chop. Following this are the six Kansas City bridges under which these 196 boats have to pass. We had been warned at the safety meeting to give space and watch for the wakes off the bridge piers. A capsize through here could be worse than embarassing. Jack rabbit starts and squeezing around the confluence corner is apparently the high-adrenaline way to go, but I exercise restraint and succeed in tugging on the reins to avoid the melee and to maintain reserves for the 340 miles ahead. It's not easy since I am a competitor and I love racing, but I stick with my strategy and hope it works out.
Fifty-one miles to the first checkpoint and I'm ecstatic that I'm cruising at 8 to 9 miles per hour. Of course, those around me are getting the same current boost I am, and at this early stage everyone is moving briskly. I watch the GPS and see 3.4 miles pass by; one percent through. With the daylight and the gently twisting river course, there is little to worry about through this first section. The wing dikes I was so concerned about are no problem, and I am able to decipher the passing marks and crossing marks to stay in the channel and fast water. I pass 34 miles and think "10%, maybe I'll make it." Every long endurance race I have had doubts and thoughts of "Why am I doing this?" I wonder at this early stage if first, will I have the perserverance to finish this event and second, can I avoid injury, accident, or equipment failure to get to the finish?
In 2008 I entered the Everglades Challenge, a 270-mile race down the west coast of Florida. I had done the race several times before, and I intended to go hard and put in a good showing. One hundred miles into the race tide and wind were against me and I pushed hard to maintain the pace and stick to my goal. By nightfall I was exhausted and hurting. I called my wife and said I felt I couldn't continue. That phone call was the end of my race. I stopped at an island and camped, then I paddled slowly into the 170-mile checkpoint where I got a hotel room and called it quits rather than pushing on and risking serious injury.
The first MR340 checkpoint, at 51 miles, is crowded. Maura as my support crew, yells and cheers as I approach and provides me a quick resupply of food and water. I'm in and out in a hurry and continuing the 23 miles to the next checkpoint. No more crowded checkpoints after this one as the competitors spread out and as I slowly overtake the early sprinters. My strategy seems to be working since I'm overtaking paddlers until very few are within sight ahead of me. I realize there are many ahead of me blazing away, and I will never be close. But I get the feeling that I am moving into the leading area of the race. By the next checkpoint there is some indication that I am in the top 10 of my class, and I am 1 1/2 hours ahead of my planned schedule for a 50-hour finish. As I leave the checkpoint, Maura yells "Make me proud!", a battle cry she learned from Sherri, Ardie Olson's wife, coach, and support.
I spot a solo paddler ahead on the river and very slowly advance on him. I notice that my stroke rate is about 80% of his cadence, but I continue to gain. Finally I pull aside after an hour or so of following and see it is Colin that I met while waiting for the start. We paddle together for some time and chat about the river, work, boats, prior races, and paddling style. I ask if he wants to paddle the night together into the next checkpoint, and he agrees. Paddling together at night was highly recommended at the safety meeting, so I am pleased to find an experienced racer to help me navigate the river at night. As it turns out, this part of the river is no problem with the moon and no significant obstructions. We arrive together at what will be my rest stop, Colin stops briefly and continues. Again Maura is on the bank, this time in the middle of the night, and ushers me to the car where she prepared a bed (sort of) for me. Since I am ahead of my planned schedule by almost two hours, I take a three-hour nap before continuing.
At four a.m. I'm on the water continuing through the Lisbon bottoms where I heed advice from the forum posting, following a route to avoid obstacles and dikes. The full moon helps, but I am still a little nervous about finding a clean route. Constant hazards are the wing dikes, rock jetties jutting into the channel to constrain the river flow and maintain the channel. With the high water the dikes are generally under water, but their influence creates boils and whirlpools that can cause an upset. And if I go over a submerged dike, I am then out of the fast water and have to make my way back into the main current to get back up to speed. With the clear air and bright moonlight I can generally judge where to be to stay out of trouble. Other interesting obstacles are the can bouys and nun bouys, large floating channel markers chained to huge concrete anchors. They bob, sway and weave in the current and can be heard before seen. A number of times I make a swift turn and sprint as I hear them and change course to avoid them.
I continue to stay ahead of my planned schedule and welcome the brightening horizon as the second day begins.
