“Breathe. Sing. Paddle.” …390 miles!
On Saturday, June 30th, valued board member and recreational paddler, Don Wilkison, kayaked 50 miles of the Kansas River, from Lawrence, KS to Kaw Point in Kansas City, KS with RiverMiles’ first annual “Gritty Fitty” race. Among 45 other racers, in rain that never let up, Don finished the race in 10 and a half hours!
The Gritty Fitty was just a warm-up. On Tuesday, July 24th he began where he left off. This time it was 340 miles down the Missouri River, with RiverMiles’ 2nd annual MR340 race. Racers had 100 hours to paddle from Kaw Point to St. Charles, MO. With a new kayak, long hours of training and a mantra that’ll get him through just about anything, Don finished the race in 77 hours and 55 minutes, well under the deadline! Don’s race efforts were focused on more than just finishing, however. Through pledges from friends and supporters, Don raised much needed resources for BRWA and for water quality education. Thank you Don and thank you to those who donated!!
Don has written an insightful and motivating blog about his water adventures. Here’s a sample:
“…On race day 2007, just before 8 am, 72 canoes and kayaks - likely more than ever in recorded history - assembled in the waters just off Kaw Point… The national anthem is sung, the countdown begins, 10, 9, 8, 7,...., a black-powder rifle is shouldered, and then blam, with a puff of smoke, the gunners go right to the front and begin to hammer home their points. It’s like they’re saying, ok, here’s what I got; let’s see how long you can keep up. It is a race after all.
Slowly they disappear into the morning haze…”
Read his entire blog: “Breath. Sing. Paddle. The 2007 Missouri River 340”
Read Don's 2006 Journal about the "340"
To learn more about RiverMiles and their races by visit www.rivermiles.com.
Pledges in support of BRWA may be sent to:
BRWA
P. O. Box 7276, Kansas City, Missouri 64132
