MR340 Finish Line Festivities: Forget the race, what about the party?
Barring unforeseen circumstances (we’re looking at you floods! And YOU Covid!) the Midwest’s pre-eminent canoe and kayak racers will finally set foot on dry land at the end of the MR340 in July on the Boat House’s lush lawn. Here’s the race description from the organizers:
The Missouri 340 is an endurance race across the state of Missouri. Competitors will start in Kansas City and finish, some of them anyway, in St. Charles. With numerous towns and hamlets, the course offers plenty of opportunity for resupply while enroute. The Missouri River is also incredibly scenic and isolated in some stretches, with wildlife and beautiful vistas to rival any river in North America. But if you’re trying to win this race, you won’t have time to enjoy any of it.
Participants are allowed exactly 85 hours to complete the course. There are checkpoints along the route where paddlers are required to sign in and sign out. Cutoff times will be associated with these checkpoints based on the 85 hour pace. Failure to checkpoint deadlines is grounds for disqualification. To finish this race in 85 hours is a huge accomplishment. Only 2/3 of the teams were able to do that last year.
The curious, morbidly fascinated, and next of kin are all invited July 23 (give or take) to cheer on the finishers and have an all-around good time on the river. Details at www.rivermiles.com/mr340
