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Up to 1/3 of racers will not see the finish line in St. Charles. There are a variety of reasons for this, but if you can make plans and prepare yourself ahead of time, you can increase your odds. We'd love to see you at the finish line. Please check out all of our advice and resources we make available to you.
You don't have to reinvent the single blade. Literally thousands of folks have taken on this challenge and refined the art of finishing. Better to learn from mistakes before you even leave your couch. Here's a place filled with links to resources that will keep you unproductive at work for weeks!
Chris Luedke has years of great videos on his YouTube channel to shorten the learning curve.
Also, Chris has been hosting webinars with veteran paddlers called MR340 LIVE.
"MR340 First Time Finisher" is a book by racer Stephen Jackson written in 2013, so some of the race details are out of date. But it has tons of timeless advice on training, preparing, gearing up and strategies for finishing your first time in the race.
Please check your boat info on the roster.
You can use CTRL-F to find your name. Make sure we've got good information there for you, your partner and your boat. If it says you need to choose a new number, that's because yours was already taken when you signed up. There are 10,000 number choices between 0001 and 9999 but somehow everyone wants the same 400 numbers. Choose another number and use CTRL-F to see it it's already gone. Send your choice to racing@riverrelief.org.
You need your official race numbers on both sides of your bow. Please use numbers at least 3 inches high and reflective. Check out the list of required gear (link this) for more information.
Did your tandem or team partners get registered? If you see a TBD note with your boat on the roster, let your partner know they aren't registered.
Did you register solo but are now teaming up with someone as tandem? Email us at racing@riverrelief.org if you need to make a division change and we'll get you sorted out on the roster.
Please print and legibly complete your race waiver. Bring it to Kaw Point and drop off during Pre-Race Check-In on Monday. We will have some blank ones there if you forget, but it will save you time to just bring yours with you. One waiver per paddler per boat. More information about Check-In can be found here.
There are some early season races in the area that can get you out on the river so you can see what you need to work on and even see at how other folks have rigged their boats.
If you haven't paddled on the Missouri River before, one of the races on the Missouri can be a great way to experience it with a group.
Our Facebook group is about 9000 strong! A great community of racers, crews, and volunteers who share news about training runs on the river, gear for sale, ground crew information, shuttle opportunities, etc. Ask a question and you'll get an answer FAST. It's also where some of our sponsors can share info on sales and promotions.