2022 MR340 Race Recap

Missouri River 340, July 12 – 15, 2022

Result

#4933 – Mark Fingerhut – Epic V7 Surfski

56:00:09, 51^st place overall, 20^th solo men’s kayak

Pre-Race/Prep

Going into my 6^th MR340, 2^nd solo, I felt pretty good about what to expect. In 2021, I helped support Paddle Stop New Haven’s 10-person dragon boat and really appreciated seeing the race from a new perspective. As a racer in previous years, I normally don’t get a chance to see a ton of other boats or their setups, or interact with ground crews to get good ideas, or appreciate what it takes to actually put this race on. I feel like that support experience certainly helped in prep for this year. The biggest wild card going in was going to be weather…and the choice of a boat.

The plan all along was to use the Mostar, the gorgeous 20ft cedar strip kayak built by Shane at Paddle Stop that I used both in my 2019 descent of the Missouri River, as well as in my last MR340 in 2020, a 57.5 hour finish. Earlier in the spring, I happened upon a local posting of an Epic V7 for sale at a reasonable price. I’ve always been intrigued by surfskis, but never had the chance to paddle one. I hopped to it and bought it, which also included a nice Epic mid-wing paddle. The V7 model is rotomolded, so can be treated more roughly than the other delicate, more expensive models, and is slightly heavier, more stable and a quicker learning curve. That said, I didn’t consider paddling the boat in this year’s 340 until I had a lot more saddle time and felt more comfortable.

In preparation for the race, I paddled quite often: weekly Tuesday night 5k races with the local crew at Creve Coeur Lake, day/night trips of varying lengths on the Missouri between Hermann and the confluence, the Mississippi above St. Louis, short/higher intensity paddles upstream then back on the Meramec River, among others. I also participated in the inaugural MR140 in Minnesota back in June, which turned out to be a terrific tune up. I paddled my Current Designs Nomad in that race, mainly for added stability and comfort on an unknown river with unknown support and multiple portages. After the 140, I realized I could have easily done that race in my surfski, so why not consider the ski for the 340???

Wanting one more true test of this boat under my belt, a couple weeks ago, I did a 70 mile speed run from downtown St. Louis to Chester, IL on the Mississippi. This stretch would have everything the 340 would have in a condensed form: darkness, navigation challenges, barge wakes galore, fluid/gear management, technology setup, etc. The run was quite successful, departing St. Louis at 4pm, arriving in Chester at 2am in the wake of 4 consecutive big barges. I felt comfortable in the boat, quite stable, I was able to haul enough gear, and was pretty excited with the pace I was able to maintain. The Mostar was out; the V7 was in.

The Race

After the traditional pre-race KC barbeque binge (this time at Slaps BBQ) and a pretty good night sleep, I was up with my wife/ground crew Sara, stuffing bladders with water and Gatorade, scarfing some breakfast and hitting the water at Kaw Point. I’ll forever be a fan of putting in at the confluence point vs. dealing with the lines at the ramp. Sara’s done support over the years for me and other paddler friends, but this was her first time seeing the spectacle of the starting line, so I was excited for her to take it all in. I paddled around the crowd leading up to the 7am start, greeting so many paddlers I’ve had the privilege to get to know over the years, either from the local St. Louis community, friends from KC, or just those I see at the 340 every time I do it. It’s a tangible uplifting feeling knowing you are setting off on this epic challenge with so many others you admire and respect, less of a singular competitive challenge, more of a bond that we’ll tackle this thing together one mile at a time.

After a tapping of paddles to boat to thank the race organizers and volunteers (shout out Dave Amelung), we were off. My modus at the start is to stick hard left on the Kaw and hit the confluence at the highest point, with 99.9% of the boats to my right. That way, I am out in the fast current of the Missouri before anyone else, and sure enough, I was sliding right by the large mass of boats still transitioning from the Kaw morass into the churn of the main channel. I picked up the parked construction barges of the Buck O’Neil bridge just as the picture in the email the night before indicated and set a 6:30/mile pace through the downtown KC speedway of the first few race miles.

The pack I was paddling with thinned pretty quickly, and I could tell I was in a faster boat than I’ve ever paddled this race in before. Instead of paddling with plastic boats and beginner kayaks, I was with the Stellars, the Surfskis, the wielders of wing paddles, the upper level of boats that tend towards the front of the pack. It was new to me. After the fast water of downtown KC, I settled into the low 7 minutes per mile. My technology is quite low-tech: an Amazfit fitness watch that tells me time, distance, and pace. My phone tucked away in my PFD (or later my dry bag) running Race Owl. I’m not a channel tracker/ProPaddler guy, as I’ve rarely found the benefit of it with paddlers usually in sight, as well as knowing the river quite well between KC and STL.

I told Sara I’d text her if for some reason I needed to stop at Napoleon, it would have been only to refill water and Gatorade, but with a 3-liter water bladder, and 1.5 of Gatorade, my supply was sufficient as I passed by before noon. I got to Lexington at 1:15pm and stayed for less than 5 minutes, just getting more water and Gatorade. It was a long hot slog to Waverly, but I am always motivated to get to Waverly Ramp #1 to see my good friend and river rat Rob Kalthoff, who coordinates all the volunteers at what I think is the best run ramp on the race. I was there for about 10 minutes, again refilling water and getting a photo with Rob.

I wasn’t eating a ton throughout the day, maybe a cliff bar here or there, and a quick protein drink at the ramps, but still felt strong and confident arriving at Miami around 8:30pm. I’m pretty sure it’s the earliest I’ve ever arrived there. I also realized how less crowded the ramps are when you are a little bit faster, go figure! I stayed in Miami for about 25 minutes, scarfing some cold Thai noodles Sara had brought from KC and getting the sweet caffeine from a Dr. Pepper. It was on to the 36 miles to Glasgow for a short rest. My race plan in 2020, and for this year was the same: get to Glasgow sometime in the middle of the night, sleep til close to sunrise, paddle all day, get to either Chamois or Hermann, sleep til close to sunrise, then finish the race.

There’s almost nothing I love as much as night paddling, so I enjoyed the 36 miles into Glasgow, talking with a few paddlers, but generally spending my time solo with my thoughts, a little music and a podcast or two that triggered the much-needed endorphins provided by laughter. In the last 5 miles getting into Glasgow, I blew past a pack of 6 to 8 kayaks and arrived just before the rush, 1:48am.

Sara had my rest setup all ready to go. I scarfed two corn dogs from the food truck, got out of wet clothes, then laid down, where Sara used our massage gun to really work out the soreness in my back and shoulders before I popped 2 Aleve and was off to dreamland. The massage gun is now an MVP level piece of gear that I will have along for every race from here on out! I woke up at 4:30am feeling surprisingly spry and fresh.

I got back on the water just as the morning light peeked over the horizon and fog was starting to lift. Lisbon Bottoms was no problem and I passed the still sleeping safety boat crew on Jameson Island. Luckily this notoriously windy stretch was not so this morning and I made good progress towards Franklin. I passed a few boats who had been paddling pretty much all night, commending them on the achievement and wishing them luck. But the fact that I felt fresh as I passed them by and seeing how tired they were, I was happy with my choices so far. I caught up with my good friend and partner in adventuring Dan Strieker on his Timber Longboard SUP right as we got into Franklin in the waves of a passing barge. I had to stop to sit in the shade, eat some food, and just gather my thoughts for about a half hour before heading out again. I was joined by local STL paddling friend Chris Mullee for this stretch.

We had great conversation for the next 25ish miles. Quite amazing how human interaction keeps your mind fresh and off the muscle pain or discomfort of the blazing heat. Chris also suggested I cover my exposed toes and feet with my frogg togg towel, which up to this point, although covered in sun block, were burning up. Thanks Chris! We caught up with Dan again and passed him getting into Cooper’s where Chris stopped for a break and I kept moving.

To deal with the heat during the race, I generally kept to dipping my hat and pouring water over me, draping my frogg togg around my neck here and there. On my way into Jeff City, it was getting pretty bad. I knew of a couple ramps coming up, and I opted to stop at the private ramp just upstream of Hartsburg to cool off. As I pulled in, I saw a couple guys at the top of the ramp and thinking they might have been owners, asked them if I could stop for a dip. They replied, “Sure, not our ramp!” and proceeded to offer me a couple varieties of beers or rum and coke. Under any other circumstances, even during the race, I would have taken them up on it. But with an overheating situation near, I told them no thanks. I fully submerged into the end of the muddy ramp and felt much better. Approaching Jeff City, I passed an upstream sand barge that kicked up some real nice rolling waves which I had a lot of fun crashing through in my ski. Some dread barges on the river, but to me it’s a chance to wake up, get the adrenaline up and put your mind to work navigating the waves!

In Jeff City, I had half a double cheeseburger, about as much as my body would allow me to get down, and a couple other small snacks, before I closed my eyes for a half hour nap. I’ve learned on this race that even these shortest of rests allows my mind to reboot. I close my eyes with scattered thoughts, frustration and worries about the coming stretch of river, and awake with a renewed sense of motivation and clearer thinking. I was back on the river in less than 1.5 hours, prepared to push on to Chamois or further.

The sunset from Jeff City to Chamois was nice, but my mood was soured by the fact I forgot my headlight at Jeff City, Sara forgot to give me a 5-hour energy, the damn bugs that kept flying into my mouth and eyes, as well as my phone really frustrating me by either stopping my podcasts every couple minutes, or continuing to play Rush on my seemingly randomized playlists. Rush – only in moderation, people! I got to Chamois before 10pm and soon learned about the brand new wing dyke that almost blocks the ramp, with the street light from the park shining straight into your eyes. I slightly scraped the wing dyke, then had to restrain myself from snapping at the ramp volunteer that perhaps better direction for paddlers landing here was in order. Hangriness had set in.

I had a good half hour rest in Chamois, ate some delicious sourdough with salami that our baker friend in KC had baked, and set out toward my evening sleep spot in Hermann. It was only in this stretch where I missed having a channel finder. A few times I found myself in slow water, realizing I had gotten out of the channel before making the correction. There were a few other boats far behind me, as well as a few ahead as I began to approach Hermann, arriving at the endlessly viewed bridge at 1am.

After some massage gun and Aleve, back to dreamland til 4am. If there were trains passing all night, that was news to me, I was out. I was back on the water before 5am, for the stretch from Hermann to New Haven. I was really in the home stretch, I know these waters from here to the finish in my sleep! I stopped for a quick 5 minutes in New Haven and said hey to my friend Melissa who was helping at the ramp. As I was pulling out, Shane came down from the Paddle Stop to bid me good luck as well. I booked it to Washington where I figured my good friend Pat Tenny would be waiting for me with breakfast biscuits from Hardee’s which he’s brought for pretty much each of my six 340s. Sure enough, there was Pat, snapping photos with a Hardees bag in his hand. I stopped for a half hour to enjoy a couple and get fluids for the long hot day ahead.

I really suffered in the heat in the short 8 miles from Washington to Klondike. The miles were slow and I struggled to stay cool with river water not quite doing the job. I finally got to Klondike at 11am, where some shade, some ice water, a little food and caffeine seemed to help. All that was left was Klondike to St. Charles, done it 1000 times. Fighting off the heat of the day with my rising adrenaline to finish the race, I powered through, passing the Boone bridge where a random dude stood up there looking at his phone. Hey, was that someone I know? After that I caught a glimpse of two paddle flashes up ahead. While not too competitive normally, at this point in the race, I always use whatever motivation I can find to finish strong and get a cold beer in my hands that much quicker. I picked up the pace as the specks of paddlers in front of me started to grow larger.

I passed the first guy just before the 364 bridge, not even giving him a glance. I just wanted to demoralize him by blowing by. There, standing under the bridge, I spotted the guy who’d been up on the Boone Bridge, oh hey that’s my buddy Keith, paddler from last year’s dragon boat and ringing a bell to bring me to the finish. The next paddler was moving fast and I didn’t know if I’d be able to get him, but I was up for the challenge. I changed my stroke from arm paddling to core paddling, and noticed my speed dropping once again to below 7 min/mile, not seen since the first couple miles of the race. The other paddler was sticking hard river right, which I’d normally do. But seeing as the finish was river left, I cheated a bit and stayed out more into the center of the river. I passed under the I-70 bridge still behind him, but with a direct path to the finish ramp, whereas he had to cross all the way over. I heard the yelling of the welcoming crowd and managed to out kick this guy, coming in 20 seconds before him, at 3pm exactly. I congratulated him, then apologized for the rather unnecessary show of competitiveness. He was luckily in good spirits and dismissed my apology. I soon learned that passing those two paddlers got me into a top 50 overall/top 20 division finish. Whatever it takes to get the beer in my hand faster, I say. Sara soon did just that and a 16oz PBR never tasted so good.

Summary

Overall, I consider this a very successful race. I was in a faster boat, but in slower water than previous years, but still managed a personal best by 1.5 hours. I did feel like I had to stop more often, mainly to reload fluids as my boat isn’t set up for hauling a lot. I opted not to do any after market modifications to the boat, no drilling through the deck for tubes or tanks or anything like that. However, my ramp stops were usually pretty brief, I had no issues getting back in the boat. I kind of like that style, as the body gets to get up and stretch more often. For my personal sleep needs, what I did here was about as good as I could expect. Minimum of two hours each night, with a hard reset during the second day. Anything less and I don’t think I’m getting the kind of brain activity that leads to good decisions. Plus, after getting back on the water after sleeping, I am immediately passing by paddlers that’ve been going for many more hours than I. I’ll take the tradeoff.

My nutrition absolutely needs work. I had a tough time getting solid food down throughout the race. I relied on liquid protein shakes mainly, a little bit of turkey jerky, an RX or Cliff Bar here or there, but my eating was reactive rather than proactive. If I do this race again, I’m going to focus a lot more of my prep and attention on a proper nutrition plan that will be more successful.

Once again, the people are what makes this race what it is. The friends and community I have from doing this race through the years, or friends I’ve made through paddling in general is really the spark that keeps me coming back. Yeah, finishing the race is cool, getting a time you can be proud of is ok, but my best moments of this race were Thursday afternoon after I’d finished, or when I came back Friday morning to watch my fellow racers finish – welcoming them in with a high five or a hug, seeing the looks on their faces, having accomplished something epic and something that will likely change their lives, as it has mine.

Huge thank you to my wife Sara for the amazing support, you knew exactly what I needed when I needed it. Thanks to Shane and Stacy at Paddle Stop for being great river friends and running with your dream to bring people to the river. Thanks Steve, Melanie, Kevin and everyone at MO River Relief for all the great work you do. Thanks to Scott, Christina and all the race organizers, I’ll love this event as long as I live. Volunteers, rampers, safety boaters – you are incredible. Thanks to the entire paddling community who continue to amaze me with your generosity, your good advice, your encouragement and support.

SYOTR

Mark Fingerhut, 2022

Winter Update – January 2020

As I sit in the warmth of my house on a early evening in January, the smokiness of a new batch of beef jerky fills the house while the temperature outside may have hit freezing today. It’s been a while since I’ve updated paddlestlouis.com so I figured I’d share a bit of what’s going on and what’s on tap for 2020.

First, the jerky! The jerky I prepared for my 2019 trip down the Missouri River turned out to be pretty darn good. It was delicious, convenient and packed a bunch of protein that was so important on long days of paddling. The recipe I chose to use required ground beef – pretty different from what you’d find on your average grocery store shelf. Ground beef, once seasoned and dehydrated, is a nice tender and salty snack. You aren’t in danger of breaking a tooth as you chew it and your jaw muscles aren’t fatigued after a handful. In December, I made a big batch and decided to individually package it to give as Christmas gifts to friends and family. Here’s the label I stuck on the packages: MOManJerky (1)

It’s a cool little hobby, and I might try to continue small-scale production of the jerky and see where it goes. At a minimum, I talked to my friends Shane and Stacy who run Paddle Stop New Haven and they are open to selling it in their shop.

This past weekend, Sara and I were invited to Boonville, MO where Missouri River Relief was holding their annual pot-luck awards ceremony. As you may remember, MRR was the main beneficiary of my fundraising leading up to and during my MO River trip. Sara and I ended up raising around $5000. I was surprised and honored to get an invite and was under no expectations I’d be receiving any award. I was just happy to go hang out with friends and meet more river people. As the awards were being given, Steve Schnarr, Executive Director of MRR started reading this:

Dude #2, Shane Camden, was seated right next to me. We both went up to receive our lovely awards and I gave a short thank you speech. I was quite surprised and humbled to be recognized. A lot of the others who won awards that night did wonderfully amazing things and did a lot of hard work. All I had to do was take a little paddle trip down the river. (The photos used in our awards were actually ones I took during my trip, and which Sara deviously downloaded from my computer when I wasn’t paying attention…)

Speaking of a little paddle trip down the river: From mid-May to just before I returned to work in late September, I grew out the longest beard I’d ever had. It was big and bushy and picked up all manners of sweat, dirt, grime, food, beer, sediment and countless other mystery substances over the course of my trip. I thought it would be such a waste to simply shave it and watch it swirl down the drain. In years’ past, I’d grown out mustaches for the last few months of the year, which I then carefully waxed, cut off, and mounted artistically. Each mustache was given out at various white-elephant gift exchanges. Each time, the lucky recipient was grateful and has prominently displayed my beautiful coifiture in their homes or offices. So I decided to do something special with my Missouri River beard:

Those are my friends Gordon and Shirley. They were so happy to unwrap my gift, they hid it under their chair for the rest of the gift exchange to ensure no one else stole it from them. What you are looking at is one half of my beard, glued to hand-cut and stained cedar, engraved with the number of miles I traveled on the Madison, Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Shirley asked that I autograph this one, before she mounted it in a frame to minimize future beard loss. I created a second installation with the other half of my beard, which is currently hung with care in the house of some of my wife’s close friends. Homegrown gifts are the best, am I right?

My mother-in-law graciously gave me a fantastic book for Christmas, which I just finished absorbing. (I would say reading, but there is so much more to visually consume and really enjoy!)

The author is one of the primary historians at the nearby Missouri History Museum and was heavily involved in creating an exhibition that accompanies this book. I’ve yet to get to the exhibition, but it is here until April 2021 so there is plenty of time. I encourage everyone to check it out, it’s free by the way. Anyway, the book is an incredible collection of stories, pictures, artwork, maps and other aritifacts from St. Louis’ rich history. I learned so much about our city’s history which I didn’t know, including one of the young engineers to initially channel and tame the Mississippi at St. Louis was none other than Robert E. Lee. Studying maps from the late 1800s, I also saw the plots of land named for their owners occupying the neighborhoods I grew up in in north St. Louis County. Those names became the main streets we used to bike down as children – Jennings and McLaran.

So what’s on tap for 2020, Mr. Missouri Man? Nothing quite as crazy as 2019, but there are a few adventures planned. In March, I was asked to travel to Brisbane, Australia for our company’s annual Asia-Pacific conference. Sara is travelling along with me and we plan to take around 10 days of vacation around the conference. The Great Barrier Reef has been on my bucket list since I first heard of it so we hope to get there to see it.

I’ve also been helping to resurrect an event that’s been dormant since the early 80s. In the late 70s and early 80s, local rock radio station KSHE-95 put on an annual beer/float/rock extravaganza called the Meramec River Raft Float. Young party rockers would build all kinds of imaginative, human-powered crafts that may or may not have floated them down the short route on the Meramec, guzzling beers and rocking out the whole way. Needless to say, when the main organizer asked me and some friends to jump in to help resurrect this event, we were in! The event takes place June 20th and starts in Greentree Park in Kirkwood. For more info, check out the event. All proceeds go to the important work of Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper.

Pending the potential flooding this summer (and us river people are once again crossing our fingers for a manageable year), the MR340 will take place on August 4th thru 7th. I’ve signed up and this will be my first time paddling in the solo division. Each of the four other times I’ve done the race, it was with a partner in a tandem boat. I plan to race the MoStar across the state of Missouri, retracing the route of the final week or so of my 2019 trip, hopefully moving a little bit faster.

One last plug! On Thursday, February 6th at 6:30pm, at the Edwardsville Public Library in Edwardsville, IL, I’ll be presenting a short presentation about my 2019 Missouri River trip. I’ll show a bunch of pictures, tell some fun stories, answer some questions and share my experiences on the river. All are welcome!

Hope everyone’s winter is going well! The days will soon get shorter and we’ll be out on the water or enjoying the great outdoors once again!

Missouri River Relief

So Mark, what is this Missouri River Relief you talk about? What do they do? Why do you want to raise money for them? Why not pick another cause? What’s your experience with them?

I wouldn’t consider myself a life-long river rat. Sure, I filled sandbags in Bellefontaine Neighbors during the flood of ’93. I stared at the massive Mississippi and Missouri Rivers on outings as a kid, wondering where the rivers started and ended. I scrambled down into the pungent River Des Peres during my dad’s softball games at Wilmore Park. Like many St. Louisans, I went on the yearly southern Missouri ‘float’ trips. But in 2010, when I signed up for my first MR340 paddle race, I really began to see our local rivers differently. I got to spend hours on these massive rivers in a tiny boat, learning the currents, watching the eddies and whirlpools, seeing the wildlife on shore, flying above or jumping from the water in front of me…being in such a wide open space that I didn’t often get to experience growing up in a crowded city. I fell in love with being on the rivers and knew this would become a big part of my life. And not to keep these treasures to myself, but to share them with others, and to protect them so everyone who comes after me can experience what I have.

Enter Missouri River Relief:

Missouri River Relief is a community, volunteer and equipment-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to connecting people to the Missouri River through hands-on river clean-ups, education events and stewardship activities.

https://www.riverrelief.org/about/

I heard about Missouri River Relief in 2010 as a first timer in the MR340. MRR is a huge sponsor of the race every year and provides boats, volunteers, safety resources and general river knowledge and expertise to the ever-growing race. I got to know the organization and various people involved in MRR over the past few years. I’ve continued to participate in the fun stuff – the races put on or sponsored by MRR, but I’ve also gotten out to their river cleanup days, as well as speaking & community events that MRR plays a big part in.

In addition to the above, MRR is very involved in education around the river. They train teachers on how they can integrate the Missouri River into their classrooms and lessons. They run a program that takes every single 4th grader in the Columbia, MO public school system out on the river for a half day – Amazing! They also partner with many other education focused community and conservation organizations and events.

Right there smack dab in the middle of that mission statement up there is what I most value about MRR: connecting people to the Missouri River. If I can undertake a massive adventure like this, but also bring more eyes to the river and Missouri River Relief more specifically, that’s a wonderful opportunity. Steve Schnarr, MRR’s Executive Director has been great in providing me information and resources and I look forward to MRR’s support throughout my trip.

I have a link on the right side of this page where you can make a donation to Missouri River Relief – anything you care to contribute is much appreciated. But also consider other ways you can get involved: come on out to a river cleanup day – they are really fun and a pretty awesome way to have an adventure on the river – and they are super kid-friendly. Consider paddling on the rivers – Race to the Dome, or if you’re more ambitious the big one – 340 miles from Kansas City to St. Charles. Or talk to me or other river rats – it’s not as hard as you think to get out and paddle for fun on our rivers. Or just feel free to follow me along on my trip to be a part of the experience. Thanks for reading!

PS – throw them a like on the Facebook or Instagram:

The Trip: The Why

There will be ample opportunity and time to explain the How of this trip. Planning, logistics, preparation: I can (and will) write for hours about what I’ve already done and what I will continue to do leading up to departure in May. What’s more difficult to put down on paper are the reasons I’ve chosen to do this trip.

As I’ve had the opportunity to try to explain what I am planning on doing to curious friends and family over the recent holidays, I have a decent grasp on what my motivations for this trip are. First and foremost is the adventure and the challenge. I’ve tested myself on the MR340 a handful of times. Every time I finish that race, I tell myself that’s the hardest thing I have ever done and will likely ever do. By undertaking the MR2450, I am changing that realization. I believe this will be the hardest thing I have ever done, and will ever do (until my next idea, I suppose…) The planning that I’ve done has already been challenging and very educational, as I’m certain the next few months will be. And when my loaded up car pulls out of the driveway in mid-May, it will be time to test my planning skills, my ability to deal with challenges that arise and my day-to-day capacity to just survive. Physically and mentally, it will be totally different from anything I’ve done before and I expect to learn much more about myself and the world in the process.

My secondary motivation is not quite as selfish. I’ve learned that many people who’ve previously undertaken a Missouri River descent trip have done so in an effort to raise money for various noble causes. The attention and publicity a long distance paddler will inevitably receive from not only friends and family, but from local media along the way and of course the ever-expanding reach of social media is a wonderful opportunity to do something great. I’ve decided to raise money for an amazing organization, Missouri River Relief. The first line of their mission statement is something that has been on the forefront of my mind since before my first experience on the river and will certainly remain a focal point in my life for the foreseeable future:

Certainly, I plan to expand on what this organization does and what they mean to me, and why I’ve chosen them as the source of any fundraising I am fortunate enough to undertake.

In my personal and professional life, I feel like I am in an ideal spot to take this trip this year. My ever-patient and understanding wife is up for this adventure as well. She’s helped me plan, work through ideas, acted as my reality check and will be my virtual ground crew during the trip. She will travel to Montana to push my boat into the water and will be my eyes and ears back in base camp here in St. Louis during the trip. And she might even come meet me somewhere along the way. My employer will know about my plans soon enough. I’ve been a loyal and effective employee for 13+ years, and I am crossing my fingers that my proposal for a sabbatical will encounter understanding, flexibility and encouragement from them. To be continued…

Thanks for taking a moment to read and hope you’ll continue with me on this adventure.

The Trip

The Missouri River: from the confluence at the Mississippi River in North St. Louis County, 2,341 miles upstream to Three Forks, Montana. The Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers come together within a half mile of eachother and create a clear, cool, calm flowing river.

My experience on the Missouri began in Cousin Hugo’s Bar in early 2010. Until the time, the Missouri was there. It was something to look at from the bridge, or to look out at from the safety of a wooded bank or levee. In Cousin Hugo’s that night, I learned that a fellow runner in our local group was going to participate in the Missouri River 340, a 340 mile paddle race from Kansas City, MO to St. Charles, MO – taking place that July. Charlie’s first attept at the race at a time he was 68 years old*, had his loyal friend Dan worrying about him surviving the race, much less finishing. Dan suggested I join Charlie for the race. A few beers deep after that day’s run, I was in!

8+ years and 4 MR340 finishes later, I’ve come to love the Missouri River and have set my sights on something bigger: to paddle the entirety of the river (plus a little more). I want to put my name on the relatively short list of those who have done it. I want to explore the bends, the coves, the rapids, the portages, the windswept lakes of the unfamiliar upper Missouri. I want to approach Kansas City from the upstream side, then finish with the now familiar 340 miles to St. Charles. Then I’ll paddle 26 more miles to the Confluence, then 9 more miles to the St. Louis Gateway Arch, the finish line. Oh, and I am going to start the trip on the Madison River, 100 miles upstream from Three Forks where it flows out of Yellowstone Park, a couple miles from Old Faithful. 2,450 miles.

The plan is to start in mid-May 2019 and finish sometime in September.

I always thought the MR340 was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and likely the hardest thing I will ever do. I no longer think that. Over the next few months, I hope to provide a peek into the planning and preparation I am undertaking, the amazing people and groups that are already helping me towards my goal. Then during the trip, I plan to share experiences, images, video and my progress towards the finish. I’d be honored if you would join me.

*Charlie is planning on participating in the 2019 MR340, at age 76, paddling with his son and grandsons!