Hello Race Veterans of the 19th Annual Missouri American Water MR340!
Thank you to everyone who participated in making this year a great success! Thank you to all who came out to race, volunteer, and cheer! Thank you to our many sponsors who help us host this incredible race each year! To the Missouri River Relief Staff, dedicated crew and friends who came to help, thank you!
Thank you to our title sponsor, Missouri American Water!
Their crew came out and set up an amazing finish line and had volunteers there all week keeping the finish line running smoothly! Thank you Tom, Amy, and Megan for leading this effort!
This year's volunteer award went to three long time volunteers: Pep Pfefferkorn, Donna Regan, and Kate Masnker. The wealth of information they provided and presence was invaluable!
Photos
If you’re looking for a photo to capture a memory of this year’s race, head over to RainbowMarks. Chris Hammond did a fantastic job capturing the race in photos! Be sure to checkout out the stunning river photos and start brainstorming ideas for Christmas gifts for the MR340 fans in your circle!
RaceOwl
A round of applause for Jon Marble! Be sure to check out Facebook posts about all the amazing things you can do with the data from your race. RaceOwl is a huge benefit for our racers, ground crew, spectators, and staff! Be sure to thank Jon, his efforts make this so much easier for the rest of us!
Hotels
Let us know what hotels you stayed at in Kansas City, KS on this form. The information provided will help us receive discounts in the hotel blocks we offer.
Next Year’s Dates
This year is in the books, and we look forward to 2025!
The 20th Annual MR340 is scheduled for July 7-11, 2025.
Sign up starting Jan 1, 2025 at 8am
Race to the Dome
Race to the Dome 2024, sign up now! Race day is Oct 5, 2024. Choose your challenge from two race course lengths: Hartsburg to Jefferson City (15.8 miles) or Providence to Jefferson City (27.6 miles).
This year, each racer will register individually.
If you're opting for a tandem or team experience, be sure to use the same team name on each teammate's registration. Doing so will help us match the teams correctly on the roster!
It's going to be a blast! Cost is just $55 per person!
Volunteer for Race to the Dome
Not racing this year? Sign up to volunteer at Race to the Dome. Help is needed at Providence, Hartsburg and Jeff City ramps 6am-10am for Providence/Hartsburg and 6am-4pm at Jefferson City.
Upcoming Races:
September 7, 2024 6th Annual Kayak the Cuivre Choose from Easy Rider 2.5 miles or Bust: 8.3 miles, Cuivre River Starting at Heitman’s Launch, Old Monroe, MO
September 7 2024 Middle Loup River Challenge 17 mile Leisure Float option or 28 mile competitive race. Thedford, NE
September 14, 2024 Gritty Growler 23.5 Miles Gasconade to New Haven, starting at the Gasconade boat ramp.
October 5, 2024 15th Annual Race to the Dome, Hartburg to Jeff City 15.8 miles, Providence Access to Jeff City, 27.6 miles
Merch
We’ll add new merch to our online store in the coming months. You can check out the sales we have going on right now and snag some good deals on stickers and tees!
See you on the river!
Taby Lane, Race Director
07-15-24
Hello veteran racers and soon-to-be MR340 veterans!
Your final dispatch of 2024! This time next week I will have seen each of you at Kaw Point Park!
Check out this video of race finish, race start, and race course updates.
Race Check-In
Monday July 22, 2024 from Noon-8pm each racer will come to Kaw Point Park to check-in.
You will stop at four stations:
1. Check your info- your final chance to update your racer and boat information.
2. Turn in your wavier that indicates you watched the 2024 Safety Video
3. RaceOwl Check-in. Your first check-in for the race is Kaw Point Park on Monday, see the racer RaceOwl Zoom from last week or the resource page for help setting up your tracking. Get your tracker shared to RacOwl and/or the app ready on your phone.
Ground crews can attend the RaceOwl Zoom this Thursday at 6:30pm. (see the facebook group, featured posts pinned to the top and msg Jon for the link).
Give your ground crews Barbara Edington’s phone number. (409) 659-5146 if they have any RaceOwl related questions while tracking you, give her a call!
4. Pick up your race swag bag with your racer tshirt, Missouri American Water Rubber Duckie, and Safety Card.
Race Day Parking
Tuesday, July 23, 2024. The parking lot at Kaw Point Park fills up early! Usually by 5am! Check out the parking map and plan accordingly. Be there early, well before your race start time (7am for solos, 8am for all other divisions). Hopefully your boat is already staged there in the park. This year we will again have the option to park in the huge municipal lot #4 for free, between 5am and 9am, located between State Ave and Minnesota. If you’re staying at the Hilton, you’re good to go using their parking and walking over.
Most racers and crew need to plan to park outside Kaw Point Park Tuesday morning at one of the lots available and walk in via the Riverfront Heritage Trail that comes right into Kaw Point Park. There will be no drop off zones at Kaw Point Park for racers, crew or boats.
Race Day Launching
Tuesday, July 23, 2024. The start time for solos is 7am, the start time for all other divisions is 8am. There will once again be two lines to launch from the ramp. You can also launch from the point or anywhere along the bank. Check out this video for photos. When you are in line, be ready to go! This is not the time or place to adjust your gear. When you launch, head over to the bank or upstream in the Kansas River to wait until the starting signal. The start line runs from the downstream edge of the ramp across the river. All racers must start behind that line. See the video for more information on Race Day Start, Parking, what a delay to race start would look li
Please check your information one more time- look over each field carefully. Let me know if there are any changes that need to be made.
Photo by Chris Hammond RainbowMarks 2023
Night One
Row, Row your boat, gently down the Missouri River at night.
In the last dispatch we talked about your first day. Which ramps do you plan to stop to resupply. What’s your back up plan if you’re going faster or slower than expected.
If you are at Waverly and wanting to stop, push on to Hill’s Island. If you reach Miami and can continue, go on to Dalton Bottoms. Shoot for Glasgow if it’s within your reach. Do what you can on day one while you’re still energized and riding the thrill of the race to set yourself up for success on day two and the distance you need for day three or four to hit your time.
What’s your sleep plan? Set your allotted time on land for changing clothes, sleeping, getting up to get back on the water in your allotted time. Add it all up and have a set time ready to go. Have your ground crew hold you to the set time limit.
Think about that first night. Many of you will enter a conga line of kayaks and canoes the first night. It’s exciting! As night darkens, find another boat and stick together through the night miles if you can. I recall in 2020 watching what I dubbed the “mating dance of canoes”. Rudderless canoes in front of us, watching their lights as they zigged and zagged and sudden bursts of light as they spotted buoys. The dance of lights kept us entertained for miles. The night can be dark if the moon is covered by clouds. Stay alert and know your abilities and limits.
If you run into fog, find a ramp to pull out if you can. We were stuck on a muddy bank for hours when fog suddenly appeared, and we were stranded too far from Miami to go upstream and too far from Dalton Bottoms. We learned through dispatch the fog was stretching for 120 miles. It was early morning hours near 2am when it hit. I was in the back of a tandem kayak and couldn’t see my partner, we couldn’t see the edges of our paddles or our hands. By sunrise it began to burn off and we could see the haze in the photos below.
Be sure your lights are not too bright that you lose your night vision and blind yourself or those behind you. You can tape off the back section of the lights to block the light coming directly back at you.
It’s nice to have a dry top to change into at night. I cut the legs off 2 pairs of fleece leggings to have at night when I would get chilly from the air temp and exertion. I pulled those up over my legs and arms, attaching the tops to my life jacket. I’d dip my hand in the river as night approached and during the night to test and when the water felt warm, I put on the fleece. Know yourself. Have your rain gear ready to cover your legs from splashes. Plan to get that gear ready to go before it’s too dark to see well at your last ramp stop in daylight. Have your headlamp near to grab if you need. Make sure your ground crew turns on your boat lights before your last day time stop or have your remote for your Guardian Angel lights near you, ready to turn on.
Jeff City can be confusing to launch at night with all the lights around. Picture it, what you know it looks like in the daylight.
Be sure you know how to approach the ramp you’re stopping at in the night. It won’t look the same shrouded in dark.
The banks will seem closer and train lights or the parking lot lights at Chamois can make it hard to understand what you’re seeing. Trust the research you’ve done. Listen to your ground crew, the ramp volunteers, and the safety boats.
Be alert to the sounds of hazards in the water you hear at night. If you think you’re hearing a shark splashing about- move, it’s a buoy. If you think you see a nun kneeling near a beach- it’s a buoy, probably in Lisbon Bottoms. If you hear rushing water making you wonder if you’re about to fall off what must be a flat earth, it’s probably a log jam near a chute. If a bright light suddenly spotlights you- you’re not being abducted, move out of the channel, it’s a barge. (Or it’s a helicopter dropping supplies to team Sleipnir’s Doomsword Ascends to Valhalla, call safety dispatch and report them. jk 😊)
Enjoy the experience of paddling/pedaling/rowing at night on the Missouri River, an experience not many will ever know.
Ground crew, watch out when moving your vehicle, there will be people sleeping on the ground all around!!!
Then the morning rises and day 2 is ahead of you. Push through the tired and monotony of the nonstop paddling/rowing/pedal. Ask friends to come cheer you on!
What is your plan for eating as a solo, tandem or team? Do you stop paddling and eat quickly? Do plan to have one person always paddling or will everyone take a break and float while you eat?
Plans change but starting with an idea to go with at first will help you. There's benefit to always paddling if the pace is worth the exertion. Some boat may find it better to stop and all be fully paddling vs partially paddling. Some will plan for liquid only meals to not stop at all.
It’s your race. There are a myriad of plans and ideas that are great to use and tweak but, in the end, it’s your race.
I can’t wait to see you at the finish line day 2, day 3, or day 4! We’ll be there ready to cheer you in!
Photography
Chris Hammond of RainbowMarks Photography will once again be taking photos for the race! Be sure to stop by his spot at the finish line and check out online to get prints and copies!
Race Finish Line Party
Once you reach St Charles Ramp, park your boat, take a photo under the finish sign, and grab some food! Check our Merch tents and our sponsor tents. Come back Friday at 5:30pm to eat tacos purchased from the Lewis & Clark BoatHouse and Muesum and beer from Schlafly. At 6pm our music will be in full swing on the stage with a live band. At 7pm we'll kick off the awards ceremony. We'll finish at 9pm by cheering in the last boat!
You’ve done the work, put in the practice, and are prepared to go! See you in a few days at Kaw Point Park!
Don't forget to buy tickets for one of the amazing raffles going on!
Some Beach Outfitters and Llama Racks are raffling off 5 amazing prizes that will be drawn separately at the finish line awards show. You don't have to be present to win. Tickets are only$20!!
Truth Outdoors will have a raffle for a kayak/canoe light set with an armband and gator clip. The winner will be drawn at the race start at their sponsor booth. Purchase at ticket for $10. You don't have to be present to win!
TS Paddles will be raffling off a hand carved wooden canoe paddle based on the stories of last year's race! A one of a kind paddle! Winner will be drawn at the finish line. You don't have to be present to win! Tickets are $15!
All raffle proceeds benefit Missouri River Relief.
See you soon!
Taby Lane
Race Manager
Thank you to our amazing sponsors for making this all possible!
07-08-24
Hello veteran racers and soon-to-be MR340 veterans!
We are two weeks away from Kaw Point Park! There’s electricity in the air!! Time to dot the i’s and cross the t’s.
Be sure you know how you and your boat are getting to Kaw Point and back from St Charles. Don’t forget the logistics for getting your car back as well! Check out the parking options for Tuesday morning.
Ensure you and your ground crew are ready to go! Get your snacks packed in bags labeled by ramp stop. Measure out your electrolytes and supplements. Double check the ramps you plan to stop at, have a backup plan- in case Dalton Bottoms is flooded.
Make plans with your ground for day one if you are ahead or behind your original schedule. Go ahead and create a list of possible food runs based on food options at ramps or in towns across the course.
Having predetermined options makes it much faster when a decision needs to be made. You and your ground crew are going to be tired, limit the decision fatigue by doing part of the work now.
The hardest checkpoint to make is Waverly! You must pass Waverly by 8pm to stay in the race. Have your game plan ready! You don’t want to stay at Waverly overnight- those who do, don’t beat the Reaper. Plan to get as far on night one as you can based on your training. Shoot for Dalton Bottoms and Glasgow. Miami is always there- just don’t dawdle there!
Check out the map and look at the little ramps heading to Waverly- plan to restock there if possible, to avoid crowded ramps. Make a mental note so you and your ground crew know where you can pull over if something happens early in the race.
Once you pass Glasgow, most racers are never in danger of seeing the Reaper.
It’s GAME ON! Just like the race shirts for this year.
YOUR INFO
One more dispatch will be sent out next week. It’s important to check your information in these final dispatches and relay any updates to me (taby@riverrelief.org) as soon as you can. If you have a TBD in your boat or have a notation on the roster beside your boat that you need a unique boat number, get the info to me. Check this information below thoroughly. This will be given to our safety boat and safety dispatch so it’s important it’s correct.
SAFETY VIDEO
Here is the link for the 2024 Missouri American Water Safety Video. Each racer is required to watch this video prior to race check-in on July 22, 2024. Have your ground crew watch it as well.
In May, we sent out clips from past videos on navigating the Missouri River and Ramps you’ll encounter; check those out if you would like more in depth information on those topics. You’ll find them on the Missouri River Relief YouTube Channel on the MR340 Playlist.
RACEOWL ZOOM
Thursday, July 11 at 6:30pm we will have a zoom with Jon Marble to discuss your RaceOwl questions. Save the link and see you Thursday night!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82513192862?pwd=6TcpGVHJIsPjbtZbfY7C6hR1taYyQm.1 Meeting ID: 825 1319 2862 Passcode: MR3402024
Pre-Race Check-In at Kaw Point
Check-in is at Kaw Point on Monday July 22, 2024. This is mandatory for all racers. We’ll be there from noon to 8pm for you to go through the check-in process. Each individual will need to stop by four stations to turn in your waiver, check your info, perform your first check-in, and pick up your t-shirt with safety card that you’ll keep in your PFD.
Some of our sponsors will have tents with things to hand out or purchase- like last minute lights! We’ll also have our MRR/MR340 merch booth! This year we’re adding new stock! We’ll have can coolies, neck gaiters with a design by Carrie Elliott, new challenge stickers along with the new race shirt and sticker available for purchase! The new race shirt won’t be available to purchase until the finish line after all racers have picked up their shirt at race start.
You are welcome to drop off your empty boat during check-in. Do not leave any gear in your boat. This is available at your own risk, but we will have folks at Kaw Point Park all night keeping an eye on things. Then bring your paddles and gear the morning of race start. It’ll make your early morning arrival for the race a lot easier. Parking fills quickly Tuesday morning and once it’s full, you’ll need to walk your boat over from one of the other parking lots.
Ramp Etiquette
Speaking of ramps. You are going to be joined by hundreds of other racers on the Missouri River, paddling, pedaling or rowing effortlessly; gliding down the river. There will be plenty of room once you leave the starting line on this big river. However, the ramps are small. The ramps remain open to recreational boats throughout the race. We must keep the concrete ramps clear for other boaters and emergency personnel to launch.
At the earlier ramps there will be more of a crowd so it will take more to pull off, get out and move your boat far enough out of the way. Plan for this. Make these stops as quick as you can.
Look for ramps others may not stop at like Napoleon, Cooley Lake, Sibley/Fort Osage, La Benite or Dalton Bottoms as options to stop. If stopping at Lexington, Waverly, or Miami, be ready before you hit the ramp. Run through the checklist out loud. Unhook your hydration bladder, put on shoes, get your paddle ready to stow, be ready to pull up your rudder, clear cockpit area of gear so you are ready to get out if you are getting out of the boat or have the gear on top and ready for your ground crew to restock if you are staying in the boat for a quick restock and go.
Communicate with your ground crew so they are there and ready to catch and send you on your way or let them know of issues you’ve ran into so they can have the supplies and be ready to make adjustments.
Larger boats may need to plan to stop near the ramps on the banks.
It’s easy to forget anything outside your boat, outside the race, so make a note to be mindful at ramps.
FINALIZE YOUR PLANS
Make a laminated list of the ramps on the river. There are examples you can use in the facebook group. Search the group and you will find quite a few, here, here, here, maps. Get to searching!
Use these or make your own as exhaustive as you want. Type out what mile marker each ramp is and which side of the river. Write out your projected time of arrival and/or the projected hours between the ramps. Math can be hard when you’re tired- write out the miles between the ramps, don't expect to require yourself to figure it out each time. Highlight the ramps you plan to stop at to refuel and which ones you plan to get out of your boat. Mark down when and where you plan to sleep. For each stop, set a time limit and have your ground crew help you stick to it. Don’t lose time unnecessarily at the ramps.
You can organize and laminate these little sheets however you like. It’s nice to have it under the bungee on top of the kayak where you can see, attached to the canoe or in your PFD. Put day one on one side and the other days on the back.
Check out the food options available and make plans for which towns to stop in if needed for resupply.
Let your friends and family know they can follow you on RaceOwl. When they go to the website, they will click on “Missouri American Water MR340 2024”. There is a map to view all the racers across the course, or they can select “view all” on the leader board beside the top 10 racers. Once they select view all, they can search for you by boat number or name. This will allow them to see the list of checkpoints you’ve made, the time, and the estimated time for the next checkpoints. They can scroll to the side and click on the GPS tracker if you have a spot or inreach device activated with RaceOwl.
Share this info with everyone in your circle! Let them know they can AND SHOULD come out to cheer as you and others pass by. They can find areas on the trail following the river near Kansas City or the Katy Trail for most of the route. They can travel to the towns and cheer- Lexington, Waverly, Napolean, Sibley, Missouri City, Miami, Glasgow on day one and early day two. Then they can stop at the Katy Bridge in Boonville, Franklin Island, Cooper’s Landing, Huntsdale, Chamois, Hartsburg, Mokane (and more!) in the central MO area. Heading east, Hermann, New Haven, Washington, Klondike and cheer you in at St Charles!
It's a fun experience for all to partake in so let them know!
RIVER LEVEL
With the extreme flooding in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota over the past couple of weeks, and more rain in Missouri last week, the river has been extremely high. We know that everyone is concerned about whether the race will happen on July 23. The latest wildcard is the remnants of Hurricane Beryl, which is expected to hit parts of southern Missouri, with the edge of the storms possibly reaching the last half of the race course.
Right now, things look good for the race. The river has crested at all locations along the race course and is expected to drop out of flood stage everywhere in the next couple of days. Once Beryl passes, we’ll have a much better idea, but all signs point to a good window for race week. Our goal is for all the gages along the race course to be out of flood stage. However, plan for mud. There will likely be lots of mud!
-A link to monitor the river forecast along the race course
-Follow the updated path of Beryl here
-Predicted precip for the Missouri River Basin here. Scroll down to see day-by-day forecasts
Our final dispatch will be sent out next week. It will contain any route updates we know and the most up to date river and barge conditions. We’ll also go in depth about the race check in process at the starting line, parking, and the race finish line.
Be sure to get in your online orders by July 14th. We’ll have our final merch shipments sent out Monday July 15th. After that, you’ll need to purchase in person at race start or finish or wait until after the race.
Be sure to get in on the raffles we have available.
Some Beach Outfitter and Llama Racks have a raffle that will run until 8pm on July 22, 2024. The winners will be drawn at the finish line party on July 26, 2024.
TS Paddles has a hand carved paddle raffle that will also be drawn at the finish line party.
Truth Outdoor is raffling off a kayak/canoe light kit! The winner will be drawn at their sponsor booth at race check-in on July 22, 2024.
See you in two weeks at Kaw Point Park!
Taby Lane
Race Manager
Thank you to our amazing sponsors for making this all possible!