terrain May/June 2021
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"No self-respecting river rat should resist the challenge of paddling the world's longest nonstop river race, which traverses an entire state in three and a half days," wrote National Geographic when naming the MR340 as one of its "100 Best American Adventure Trips" in 2010. Before the cross-Missouri fete was an official event, it was a group of friends seeing how far they could paddle on
missouri river 340 (mr340)
kansas city to st. charles, mo. july 20-23, 2021
the Big Muddy. Founder Scott Mansker, who was part of this group, made things official and opened up registration for the inaugural MR340 in 2005. "We didn't really advertise anything. It had never been done before, so we kind of wanted a small trial run. I figured it would be a couple boats and me," Mansker told us in 2019. He ended up with 15 people in 11 canoes and kayaks. Today, more than 700 people in 500 vessels - canoes, kayaks, and standup paddleboards; in solo and team categories - attempt the arduous endurance competition. The race begins at Kaw Point near downtown Kansas City and ends 340 miles downstream in St. Charles. In the 88 hours they have to complete their journey, participants must contend with unpredictable weather (heat, wind, rain), river obstacles (wing dikes, boat traffic), fatigue and sleeplessness (which have been known to cause hallucinations), and potential frustrations with teammates and themselves. It all can add up to an exhausting experience, and an immensely rewarding one. "It sounds so corny every time I say itbut after every single race, I'll get letters saying, 'Thank you so much for putting this event on. It has changed my life. I'm a different person for having done this,'" Mansker said. Competitors come from around the world to race in the MR340, with the winners typically finishing in less than 40 hours. A three-day finish line party features food and beverage vendors, music, sponsor booths, a massage therapist, showers, boat washes, and maybe some "officially unofficial" campfires on the beach. It typically ends around the time the final racers pull up to the boat landing at 9 p.m., after which everyone parades over the Main Street St. Charles to keep the fun going. "We've sort of sanitized all the adventure out of our lives," said Mansker in an interview with Kansas City's KCUR 89.3. "When something like this comes along and someone hears about it, it scratches some itch in them and they feel like they need to be out there experiencing it."
Photos by Cindy Hiles.
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