MR340

Missouri River 340 Race from Kansas City to St Charles

2010 MR340 race with Sea Wind canoe

Paddling and Hydrating in 2010 Missouri River 340 Race

This is one of 500+ pictures shot from the bow of my Sea Wind canoe during this year Missouri River 340 Race. It was early during the first day of the race with sky still cloudy.

I used a waterproof Pentax Optio W30 mounted with the Sticky Pod suction cup on a front deck. The camera was set to shoot in an interval (time lapse) mode – a medium quality picture every 4 minutes. I was hoping to cover the entire race, but the battery went dead after 36 hours since I forgot to turn a camera flash off. It wasn’t a fun to be blinded by a flash every 4 minutes during night time paddling.

I posted more about my photography during 2010 MR340 race in Paddling with a Camera blog. I am also adding some pictures to my stock photography website (available to order as prints or digital download).

Hydration

I was drinking mostly water with Camelbak electrolyte tablets + two Hammer Endurolytes capsules every hour or so. No typical energy or power drink except 3 bottles of Ensure Plus per day and some Starbucks DoubleShots for dessert. I had a lot of semi real food during this race. After all it was a paddling from one barbecue (aka checkpoint) to another. No stomach problems!

I was paddling self supported this year. I didn’t use any ice during the race. I was just buying a cold water at checkpoints. The cooler weather of late August was great.

My drinking during Texas Water Safari used to be quite different, more “race oriented”, and included some energy and recovery drinks, but always more diluted than recommended. And, I always had more or less serious stomach upsets.

What is your hydration experience from ultra marathon paddling races?

2010 Missouri River 340 Race Starts Tomorrow

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

120 Pictures from the Missouri River 340 Race

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

Which Boat to Paddle in 2010 MR340 Race?

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

2010 Missouri River 340 Race

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?

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