2023 Race Schedule (first draft)

Well, here's something I haven't done since before Pandemic Times: posted a race schedule.

As always, this schedule is a work in progress.  These are the events that are simply on my radar at the moment.  Maybe I'll end up going to every one, and maybe I'll end up skipping them all.  It's too soon to tell.  I am feeling pretty certain about attending the Ocean Springs race in late March.  It's also possible that more events will be added to this list as I find out about them.

As I've mentioned before, races in my part of the country have become scarce in the last few years.  The closest event to Memphis on this list is the one at Monroe, Louisiana; that's a four-and-a-half- or five-hour drive for me.

I've decided not to return to the downwind race in the Columbia River Gorge this summer.  I'm mulling a trip up to the Great Lakes instead, and that's why the Michigan events are on this list.

March

25    Battle On The Bayou.  Old Fort Bayou, Ocean Springs, Mississippi.  8.5 miles (13.7 kilometers) on flatwater.  Register

April

1    Top of the Teche.  Bayou Teche, Leonville, Louisiana.  7.7 miles (12.4 kilometers) down a Class I stream.  Register

15    Ouachita River 4-mile Sprint.  Riverton Lake, Monroe, Louisiana.  4 miles (6.4 kilometers) on flatwater.  This race is described as a "sprint" because it's offered as a companion to a 49-mile (78.9-kilometer) ultra-distance race.  Register

29    Mississippi State Games.  Bonita Lake, Meridian, Mississippi.  Races of 5 kilometers and 10 kilometers on flatwater.  Rumor has it this event is limited to residents of Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana; I will post an update once this has been either confirmed or debunked.

May

13    Chitimacha Nation Race.  Bayou Teche, Jeanerette, Louisiana.  10 miles (16 kilometers) down a Class I stream.  Register

June

25    45 North Solstice Paddle Festival.  Lake Michigan (Suttons Bay), Suttons Bay, Michigan.  5-kilometer, 10-kilometer, and sprint races.  Register

July

8    Belle Isle Classic.  Detroit River, Detroit, Michigan.  7 miles (11.3 kilometers) around Belle Isle in the Detroit River that flows from Lake Saint Clair into Lake Erie.  Register

September

16    The Firecracker Race.  Mississippi River, Alton, Illinois.  15 miles downriver from Grafton to Alton. Register

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