MR 340 River Race

MR 340 - Missouri River Race

They might call you insane. Irrational. Or outright crazy. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the romantic and adventurous Huckleberry Finn stories I loved to read when I was a child (see image on the left).

What I'm talking about is something different. It's considered to be the world longest nonstop ultra-marathon paddling event.

I'm talking about the MR 340 river race - often simply referred to as MR340, Missouri 340 or MO 340.

The MR 340 is a canoe and kayak race starting in Kansas City, Missouri and finishes after 340 miles (about 547 km) in St. Charles, Missouri. The Missouri 340 canoe race is considered to be the worlds longest continuous canoe marathon.

Here's an article about the MR340 by Dave Shively, published in 'Canoe & Kayak':

Sorting last-minute items for the race: With a total of nine checkpoints, the goal of the MR340 is to travel light but to carry enough food, water, and supplies to last until your ground crew resupplies you with ice, encouragement, and other essentials. Distances between checkpoints can vary from 23 to 50 miles. At an average pace of 5-7 mph, that distance can mean three to 10 hours before your next resupply. Although a majority of paddlers are supported by family and friends, ground crews are not required. More than 10 percent of paddlers do the race unsupported, relying on their own supplies, concession stands at various boat ramp checkpoints, and the generosity of other paddlers, which is never in short supply. (Source)

The following video is from MR340 race in 2009. It's a slide-show video just shy of 6 minutes and shows impressions from the race. Check it out and leave a comment about the MR 340 River Race below.