The 5th Missouri River 340 Race from Kansas CIty to St Charles starts tomorrow. The race was postponed by month due to flooding on the Missouri River. The water level is still very high. Late August, shorter days, hopefully cooler than in July, but still full moon. It may be somewhat different than usual.

I am paddling Sea Wind canoe this year. It will be a fully self supported race for me including a shuttle. I will be testing a new option for a shuttle and I will have a chance to see the river three times from a different perspective. I will try to shoot some pictures at least at the start, but it’s quite hazy a day before the race.

I wonder how many paddlers will manage to attend the postponed race.

Related posts from Missouri River 340 Races

120 Pictures from the Missouri River 340 Race
3 Years of the Missouri River 340 Race series:
Bryan Hopkins, West Hansen, Christina Glauner, Chuck and Di McHenry, Katie Pfefferkorn
My Experience in Three Famous Ultra Marathon Paddling Races

I supposed to finish packing my boat today and to start driving tomorrow to Kansas City for the 5th Missouri River 340 Race. However, the race has been postponed for a month due flooding conditions on the river. So, instead of packing I went through pictures shot by me and Connie during four years of the race (2006-2009). I selected 120 pictures for the slide show below (it looks better in a full screen mode).

Most of these pictures came from the first race in 2006. Each race I am paddling faster which leaves less time and energy for photography. I used one of my Pentax Optio waterproof camera. In 2008 when I paddled Sea Wind canoe I also took my Canon D40 DSLR to photograph the race start.

Related posts from Missouri River 340 Races

3 Years of the Missouri River 340 Race series:
Bryan Hopkins, West Hansen, Christina Glauner, Chuck and Di McHenry, Katie Pfefferkorn
My Experience in Three Famous Ultra Marathon Paddling Races
Which Boat to Paddle in 2010 MR340 Race?
My 2009 Missouri River Race as Recovered from a GPS Track
Speed: My 2008 Missouri River 340 Race as Recovered from a GPS Track
GPS/photo race log from Missouri River 340
How to Choose a Boat for an Ultra Marathon Race? The Case of Missouri River 340

68 days to the 2010 Missouri River 340 Race and I am still not decided which boat to paddle. In the first four MR340 races I paddled four different solo boats:
2006 – Spencer X-treme canoe (mostly double blade)
2007 – WSBS Thunderbolt-X kayak (double blade)
2008 – Kruger Sea Wind canoe (single blade)
2009 – Surfrigger outrigger canoe (single blade)

Well, I don’t have a new boat for this year race. It also seems that I need to add a new criterium to my boat selection ranking: which boat (or rather paddle) hurts less my shoulder, wrist, elbow, etc. This year the elbow provides a challenge.

Recently, I was mostly paddling the Thunderbolt kayak. It is because I am lazy and this boat is the easiest and quickest one to upload on my car roof. 116 miles on the North Platte River in Wyoming with Sea Wind this incoming weekend will provide some additional data to think (and feel) about. The worst scenario: replacing a paddle by a camera.

Related posts:
2010 Missouri River 340 Race
3 Years of the Missouri River 340 Race series:
Bryan Hopkins, West Hansen, Christina Glauner, Chuck and Di McHenry, Katie Pfefferkorn
My Experience in Three Famous Ultra Marathon Paddling Races

… a list of 2010 kayak and canoe races on the Missouri River and some of its immediate tributaries

340 nonstop miles from Kansas City to St Charles, 88 hour or less, July 27th – 30th, 2009 at full moon – the 5th Missouri River 340 Race.

On-line registration was traditionally opened at midnight January 1. 100 slots available in the men solo class were filled in a day or so. 340 boats will be accepted this year. There is still plenty of room in other classes and a waiting list of male soloists. Dragon Boat/Voyageur Class can accommodate a lot of paddlers. See 2010 Roster.

I have been paddling MR340 and writing about this race for the last fours years. Below you can find a list of my posts, picture galleries and articles by guest authors.

Related posts from Missouri River 340 Races

3 Years of the Missouri River 340 Race series:
Bryan Hopkins, West Hansen, Christina Glauner, Chuck and Di McHenry, Katie Pfefferkorn
My Experience in Three Famous Ultra Marathon Paddling Races

2009 MR-340
My 2009 Missouri River Race as Recovered from a GPS Track
7 Tips for Solo Land Crew in MR340 Race by Connie
Missouri River 340 Race Records
2009 Missouri River 340 Race – Before Start
Do I Need GPS for the Missouri River 340 Race?

It was my 4th Missouri River 340 Race. I always paddled that race solo: 2006 – 78:32 in Spencer X-treme canoe, 2007 – 68:00 in WSBS Thunderbolt-X kayak, 2008 – 62:17 in Sea Wind canoe (self supported). This year I decided to paddle Surfrigger, my outrigger canoe.

Here are a few tips for Team Captains (land crew) and paddlers in long distance races like Missouri River 340, based on my experience. They are, perhaps, most appropriate for paddler/ground-crew-spouse combinations. Of course, every couple is different, so be your own best judge as to how to do things. Also, I’ve only been part of a “one-solo, one ground crew” team. It’s always been Marek in the boat and me alone on the shore. I’m sure that larger teams have their own dynamics.

1. Paddlers, please provide your ground crews with as good driving directions as possible. Don’t expect that your spouse will do this by him or herself. Not everyone lives, eats, sleeps and breathes MR 340 as you do. Weird, I know, but there it is.

2. Ground crews – you will get lost. It’s ok, don’t panic. Just persevere and you’ll eventually find your way there. If all else fails, as you near the river and can’t find the access point go downhill. I think it was Daniel Boone that said, “I’ve never been lost. Sometimes I’ve just been very confused for a few days.” Also, the more tired you get, the harder it gets to find the access points. Expect to take some wrong turns and try not to blame yourself or anyone else.

Related posts:
Adventures of a Team Captain – 4 Years of Texas Water Safari in Retrospect
12 tips for Team Captains and 10 Tips for Paddlers Starting in Texas Water Safari

MR340 started in 2006 with just 15 boats and four years later we had 271 boats at the Kaw Point. I counted 437 racers in the race roster in solo, tandem and team divisions. How many people participated in the race if we add all organizers, volunteers, safety boats, and land crew? 1000 or more?

Here is an approximate statistics of 2009 racers by state. Most of them were local paddlers from Missouri and Kansas, but 21 US states and Canada were represented in the race.

Texas racers followed West Hansen and had always a strong representation in the MR340. They brought Texas Water Safari racing style, unlimited boats, and then team boats. Some other influences are also visible. An outrigger canoe powered by a wing paddle is not a Safari boat. It is interesting to observe how many local paddlers become strong racers during these four years of the MR340.

Recently, Scott Mansker compiled a list of MR340 records. I am posting it below with some pictures added.

I am a slow though persistent soloist. I completed the MR340 4 times with my wife, Connie, as my land crew in three races:
2006 – 78:32 in Spencer X-treme canoe
2007 – 68:00 in WSBS Thunderbolt-X kayak
2008 – 62:17 in Sea Wind canoe (self supported)
2009 – 61:11 in Surfrigger (outrigger canoe)
Four races and four different boats. Well, I don’t really have another boat for the 2010 MR340 …

Yesterday night, me and Connie returned back to Colorado from the 4th Missouri River 340 Race. 272 boats entered the race. The start was little different this year due to morning thunderstorm with heavy showers. Otherwise, the weather was great with beautiful full moon nights.

I paddled Surfrigger, my outrigger canoe and completed the race in 61:11 hours, a few hours longer than planned. I believe I was 12th of 94 registered, 90 starters, 64 finishers in the men’s solo class. 340 miles by boat, 2200 miles by car.

This is my first post related to the 2009 MR340 – some pictures from the Kaw Point – a confluence of Kaw and Missouri River with a Kansas City skyline. I will be writing more about the race. I haven’t checked my GPS track yet, neither pictures shot by Connie.

Related posts from Missouri River 340 Races
3 Years of the Missouri River 340 Race series:
Bryan Hopkins, West Hansen, Christina Glauner, Chuck and Di McHenry, Katie Pfefferkorn
Do I Need GPS for the Missouri River 340 Race?
How to Choose a Boat for an Ultra Marathon Race? The Case of Missouri River 340

2008 MR-340
12 Pictures from 2008 Missouri River 340 Race
The Pitch: Missouri River 340 Stories by Carolyn Szczepanski
Speed: My 2008 Missouri River 340 Race as Recovered from a GPS Track
The End of My Photography during the 2008 Missouri River 340 Race
Sunrise Paddling on the Missouri River
2008 Missouri River 340 Race Start in Pictures from Kaw Point

Well, I believe that you really don’t need a GPS to navigate the Missouri River during the race.
Of course, it is good to have a GPS during the race and I am using one. I carried the same device during first three MR340 races – Garmin Etrex Vista. How I am using it?