It’s the of September and my racing season is not over yet. Missouri River flooding complicated my schedule, but also allowed me to paddle some new or unplanned races. So far, I paddled three long river races this year, all on a stand up paddleboard.
South Dakota Kayak Challenge
May 24. 72 miles from Yankton, SD to South Sioux City, NE on the Missouri River.
It was 9th edition of this race, next year will be the 10th and the last one. The 2019 race was great with a high river flow, good weather, and mostly backwind. Also, power boat traffic was not so bad as in the previous years. I finished in 9:47 in comparison to 11:59 in 2018, and 11:17 in 2017. There were 3 entries in the SUP class. Brad Friesen from Canada set the course record in 9:21.
Fort to Field 50 Paddle Battle
July 13. 50 miles from Fort Randall Dam, SD to Springfield. SD on the Missouri River.
A beautiful stretch of the Missouri River – National Recreation River. It can be windy. There are some sandbars and shallows to navigate at the end.
I was the only one standing on paddleboard and finished in 8:24. There were just a few sections with heavy headwind which I had to run on my knees. In 2017 my time was 10:03. The race is usually too close to MR340 race. I need at least 2 weeks separation between these races.
Hills 2 Forest Middle Loup Kayak Race
September 14. 33 miles on the Middle Loup River starting below Seneka to Halsey (Nebraska National Forest).
A new race! I love rivers in Nebraska Sandhills like Dismal and Niobrara.
The race course is challenging, but absolutely suitable for SUPs. The river is fast, shallow, meandering like crazy and very scenic with many wildflowers still in September. You need to be prepared to hit shallows at any time, so a very short, flexible or pivoting fin is recommended. I used a pivoting fin by Frogfish. It seems that going under fences or other low obstacles may be a little trickier on a paddleboard than in kayak or canoe, but standing up has some advantages in navigating shallow waters at the end of the race.
I felt over from my paddleboard a couple of times. I also smashed my nose in a traffic jam under one of first low bridges. Otherwise, I would paddle a little bit faster. I finished the race in a cruising mode in 6:21.
I hope to see more SUPs on that river next year.
Missouri River 340 or Chattajack 31
What’s next? Let’s see if the delayed MR340 happens in October, if not there is Chattajack (but probably not both races – just too much driving). And, perhaps, 13 mile Horsetooth Ache in November …?
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