… 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?

12 years ago, after paddling folding kayaks for more than 20 years, I got my first hard shell boat. I built a stitch-and-glue 19.5 Patuxent from CLC, perhaps the fastest kayak available for home building at that time. Racing? No, I just wanted to travel fast by water to some remote photography destinations.

A couple years later I was surfing the internet looking for winter paddling opportunities on Padre Island. I have never gone paddling there. Instead, I discovered the Texas Water Safari. Hours of watching video tapes produced by Pat Spencer, three visits to Texas including the 2001 race and two boats later I ran my first paddling race: 2002 TWS. I was hooked.

Since then, I have completed the Texas Water Safari three times, entered three WaterTribe events and finished one Everglades Challenge, completed three Missouri River 340 Races, and several shorter events from 10 to 100 miles.

How can I compare these three ultra-marathon paddling races? Which one is the toughest, the most challenging?

The distance to be covered by the racers seem to be quite similar. All three races run non-stop with mandatory checkpoints. You need to be prepared to paddle day and night, and paddling conditions can change drastically with the weather. TWS and MR340 are river races while EC is a coastal race with longer timeframe.

Everybody has a different story and experience. I am not a competitive athlete. My goal is just to finish the race, competing mostly against myself. My additional challenge is to shoot pictures and video when racing. The perspective of Carter Johnson, who paddled all three races in a surfski setting a solo record every time, would be quite different.

After the first MR340 at the age of 21, I initially thought it was a one-time deal. No need to do it again. Then I started thinking of the small changes I would make IF I were to do the race again… Someday.

The Missouri 340. Wow! When Di first told me she wanted to do this I was really doubtful. I’d been a downriver racer for 20 years- (a 20-35 minute sprint through rapids) and the idea of going long just didn’t appeal to me.