Bummer! I just started preparation for three long races on the Missouri River this year. I was even hoping to connect the Missouri Break 150 race with a short visit to Glacier National Park. My plan “B” for the 2nd weekend of June is to use some frequent flier miles and to fly south to photograph Texas Water Safari this year.

Most popular means with the highest number of readers. These include also articles from the old blog before I migrated to wordpress platform. Some posts need update. The article Is Ultra-Marathon Kayak and Canoe Racing Growing? was written in the middle of 2006 before the first Missouri River 340 race.

1. 14 Tips on Kayak Forward Stroke Dynamics by Mark Zollitsch

2. Tips on Training, Boats and Paddles for Endurance Paddling Races

3. 2009 Rotten Egg Race – Results, Pictures, Handicap System

4. 3 Years of the Missouri River 340 Race

5. 12 Pictures from 2008 Missouri River 340 Race

6. Carter Johnson on Training for Ultra Marathon Kayak Races

7. 13 Tips on Training for Endurance Paddling Races from West Hansen

8. A Simple Suction Cup Mount for Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS

9. How to Choose a Boat for an Ultra Marathon Race? The Case of Missouri River 340

10. Photo Impressions on Surfrigger, My Outrigger Canoe

11. Is Ultra-Marathon Kayak and Canoe Racing Growing?

12. Ice Canoe Racing across St Lawrence River in Quebec City

I have created Northern Colorado Fitness Paddling group on Facebook to coordinate our winter paddling on the South Platte River. I will post incoming events and updates there as well as in a calendar on a sidebar here. Paddlers of all skills and fitness level are welcome to join us.

For the next few weeks we are focusing on upstream/downstream paddle workouts. Water level is getting rather low in the South Platte, so we will probably paddle on the river segment between Evans and Kuner.

The first group paddling took place on January 31, 2010 – five paddlers in a variety of kayaks. We paddled from Kersey about 3 miles upstream to the Poudre River confluence and back downriver. We had a nice weather and plenty of water to paddle at ~450 cfs at Kersey

Thunderbolt-x kayak and Cobra Surfski

Rob in Cobra Surfski (first time on the river), more pictures

Jeremy and Gary in wildwater racing kayaks

Scott in Tempest kayak

With the exception of a few popular sections, most of the 2,321-mile-long Missouri River remains undiscovered by America’s paddlesport community. Montana’s 149-mile-long Upper Missouri section, which provide the only public access to White Cliffs, is the lone section that sees regular and sometimes heavy paddler traffic. The remainder of the Missouri remains largely ignored. Although a handful of paddlers complete the the entire distance every year, most the Missouri, which is longer in length than the Mississippi, sees scant use. This is unfortunate. For those seeking a self-propelled long distance adventure, the 2,300-plus-mile long Missouri River presents a paddling challenge every bit as daunting as setting out to bike the entire Appalachian Trail.

At some point in the future, the Missouri River will be discovers as an ultimate paddler’s challenge.

I believe that this is happening already. I just look at marathon paddling races organized this year on the Missouri River. You can cover almost a quarter of the river length by running three races.

Here is a list of kayak and canoe races on the Missouri River and some of its immediate tributaries:

May 22, 2010
GAS60 – Gasconade River Canoe and Kayak Race
60 miles from Jerome, MO to Pointer’s Creek Access

May 28-30, 2010
South Dakota Kayak Challenge
72 Miles from Yankton, SD to Chris Larson Park, Sioux City, IA (36 hours time limit)

June 12-13, 2010 canceled
Missouri Breaks 150
150 miles from Fort Benton to Kipp Recreation Area (Wild & Scenic Upper Missouri River) in two stages (90 and 60 miles)

July 3, 2010
Gritty Fitty
50 miles from Lawrence, KS to Kansas City (Kaw Point where MR340 starts)

July 27-30, 2010
Missouri River 340
340 miles from Kansas City, KS to St Charles, MO (nonstop, 88 hour time limit, 5th annual race)

September 4 & 5, 2010
Race for the Rivers
65 miles from Washington, MO to St Charles, MO (day 1) and from St Charles to Columbia Bottoms (day 2)
also Clean Water Challenge – 20 miles from Weldon Springs, MO to St Charles

October ??, 2010
Kaw-lloween Classic
35 miles from Lawrence, KS to Edwardsville

These are just races I am aware of. Please let me know if I should include some other events. I cannot find any online information on Annual Montana Cup (14 miles race on Missouri River between Helena and Great Falls, MT).

It looks like I have from 9 to 10 hours of driving from northern Colorado to the start of any race on the Missouri. Nevertheless, it would be a great way to explore the river by paddling more than one race on the Missouri this year, ideally, South Dakota Kayak Challenge, then, Missouri Breaks 150, and, finally, MR340.

I haven’t started any regular training on the South Platte River in this year yet. However, following our New Year trip, 22 miles to Fort Morgan, I had a couple of paddling photo session on the river above Kersey.

The river flow is going down, but there is still plenty of water to paddle. I believe that South Platte remains the only open water in northern Colorado.

Some of my paddling pictures can be licensed for personal and commercial or purchased as prints and on some other fancy mechandise at my SmugMug website. You are welcome to check paddling galleries or Colorado Water portfolio.

Yesterday, I exercised Spencer X-treme canoe. That boat felt tippy, especially, with single blade paddle.
Did I really manage to paddle 340 miles on the Missouri river in that shell?

Hunting blind at a confluence of Lone Tree Creek with the South Platte. I heard a heavy gun fire further upstream at Mitani-Tokuyasu Wilderness State Area. Perhaps, it would be nicer to switch my paddling sessions from afternoons to mornings.

Coastal ice on the river two weeks ago. There was also some floating ice. I paddled my ice breaker – Sea Wind canoe.