Race schedule update

Now that I've offered voluminous reflection on this past weekend's racing, let's look ahead!  Down below you'll find a list of races that are on my radar for the remainder of this season.

Of course, there's now a gaping hole in the schedule for the month of June.  Father's Day weekend will not be the same without the Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race this year.

As I've said before, it's unlikely I'll make every event that is on this schedule.  In fact, it's impossible: the two events I'm interested in next month are on the same date.  I attended one of these races last year and thought it was a good event, while I've heard good things about the other one.  I expect they will offer a similar level of competition.  They're both on what I would call medium-sized Class I rivers, and they're about the same driving distance from where I live.  In the end I'll probably make my decision based on weather forecasts and river flow information.

Anyway, here's the schedule:


May
12  Osage Spring 12.  Osage River near Osage City, Missouri.  12 miles total (10 miles downriver and then 2 miles back up) on a Class I river.  Register

12  Bluegrass River Run.  Kentucky River near Richmond, Kentucky.  19 miles down a Class I river. Register


June
9  Taylorsville Lake Paddle Battle.  Taylorsville Lake, Taylorsville, Kentucky.  A 10-mile flatwater race.  Register


July
7  The Lovely Laurel River Lake Paddle Blast.  Laurel River Lake, Corbin, Kentucky.  A 10-mile flatwater race.  Register

16-21  Gorge Downwind Championships.  Columbia River, Hood River, Oregon.  A race for surf skis and outrigger canoes in the legendary downwind conditions of the Columbia River Gorge.


August
4  The Paddle Grapple.  Fontana Reservoir near Bryson City, North Carolina.  A 6-mile flatwater race.  Register

9-12  U.S. Canoe Association National Championships.  Onondaga Lake and Erie Canal, Syracuse, New York.  Marathon races in a variety of boat classes sanctioned by the USCA.


September
1  Big River Regional.  Mississippi River, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  13 miles down the largest river in North America.

8  Lower Atchafalaya Sprints.  Atchafalaya River, Patterson, Louisiana.  A series of 3-mile races on flatwater.  Register

22  Gator Bait Race.  Barnett Reservoir outside Jackson, Mississippi.  A 5.5-mile flatwater race.  Register

29  River Rat Paddle Challenge.  Ouachita River at Monroe, Louisiana.  6.5 miles on a Class I river.