90 reasons to smile

By AARON CERBONE Enterprise Staff Writer

SARANAC LAKE — Paddles were raised high as around 600 paddlers leaped from their canoes, hugged, roared, laughed and tackled each other out of boats, celebrating the end of 90 miles of grueling paddling while competing in the 39th 90-Miler race.

Around 250 canoes, kayaks, guideboats and stand-up paddleboards set out on the three-day journey on a segment of the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail from Old Forge on Friday, Sept. 9 and arrived at the end on Lake Flower in Saranac Lake on Sunday, Sept. 11.

The race is hosted by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail nonprofit, which purchased the race from Paul Smiths residents Brian and Grace McDonnell’s Adirondack Watershed Alliance organization last year for $90,000.

NFCT Executive Director Karrie Thomas said this was the nonprofit’s first year without Brian as race director. The “training

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Howie Dower, of team “Dower Power,” gets a warm welcome at the shore of Lake Flower as he reaches the end of the 90-Miler boat race in Saranac Lake.

Continued from page 3 wheels” were off, and it took twice as many people to do what the McDonnells did, but she said they “stood on the shoulders of giants.”

“I’m eternally grateful to the volunteers, to the staff and to Brian McDonnell, who keeps picking up the phone and answering my questions,” Thomas said.

Northern Forest Canoe Trail Communications Director Chris Morris said this was the best turnout for the race in recent years.

Community on the 90-Miler

Paul Smith’s College Canoe Club Coach Matt Dougherty said two of the college’s student boats set the fastest times in PSC history.

Students at the college have been entering the race since the early 1990s, and Dougherty’s been leading them in competition for the past six years.

“It changes their perspective on everything, right?” Dougherty said. “They think it’s insane to do, and then they do it and they’re like, ‘What can’t I do?’”

Even after they graduate, alumni come back and make the 90-Miler a lifelong tradition — a sort of college reunion. They come back for the camaraderie, he said.

Mike Trump paddled for the college in the race before graduating from Paul Smith’s College in 2002 and 2004, and he’s competed in every 90-Miler since then.

“I come back to see all my friends,” Trump said.

This was his 18th year, so Trump is nearing membership in the Gold Canoe Club — a designation for dedicated paddlers who have finished the 90 Miler at least 20 times. Realizing that surprised him.

“I don’t feel like it,” Trump said.

Morris said the paddlers come for the community. Spending time racing against each other builds friendship, he said.

Thomas said she was impressed with their generosity. On Day One, a couple boats flipped over, and other racers stopped to help them out of the drink.

“You compromise your time when you do that, but it’s about community, safety and taking care of each other as much as it is about racing,” Thomas said.

A large crowd of hundreds of people gathered on the shore of the lake to welcome the paddlers. Morris said spectators come to see the physical feats.

“Some of these racers are just unbelievable,” he said. “You watch the pace that they’re paddling at, and they’re doing that for six or seven hours straight. I think a lot of people come out to check it out because it’s impressive.”

This was not a race for the faint of heart. Frank Redmond was seen laying flat on his back one the shoreline after dipping his cap in the cool water.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but I hated it,” he said.

His friends, Steve Morgan,

The 39th 90-Miler boat race brought in around 600 paddlers in about 250 boats.

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Paul Smith’s College students in no order, Aidan Ripp, Brady Miller, Tenzin Mathes and Dolcie Tanguay crank toward the finish line of the 90-Miler boat race.

Continued from page 4 Chris Kallies and Chester Cohen, roped him into the three long days of racing, his first 90-Miler. But it was a good kind of misery. Their team name was “Friendship.”

“It’s all about team friendship. I will be back next year,” Redmond said. “I think we’re going to be doing this for years to come.”

Pete McConville stood in the water on the shore and waved a Norwegian flag to welcome his friend, Bjorte Wettland, from Norway, into Saranac Lake. McConville, an 18-year racer in the 90-Miler himself, said Wettland paddled the race 20 years ago and came back to tackle it again. An Enterprise conversation was cut short when McConville saw Wettland pull up to the shoreline.

“Hey, Bjorte!” he shouted as he ran over with Bjorte’s nation’s flag to celebrate.

Twin time on the trail

Saranac Lake resident Skip Murray was waiting for his sons — the only pair of identical twins in the race — to paddle into town.

Peter and Mike Murray live 400 miles apart — in Boston and Baltimore — so they never get to spend much time together now that they’re grown up. Murray suggested they race the 90-Miler to get some quality time together.

“Apparently one of them thought it was 9 miles,” Murray said with a laugh.

It was a trial by fire. Neither had paddled seriously before. On Thursday, they took a canoe out on Lake Flower for a test run.

“That was my first time in a canoe,” Pete said. “I have now been in a canoe four times.”

They were asked how they trained.

“We promised not to be hungover the morning of,” Peter said.

Skip said the two were enjoying the race and he was enjoying getting to see them every day. He had been their pit crew throughout the race, and he and his wife were loving to hear their stories.

“It was pretty awesome, man,” Mike said. “But if you had asked me at the end of Day One, I would have had a different story. ... Day One kicked our butts.”

“I had never been in so much pain ever in my life,” Peter said.

Their muscles were knotting up, he said. They had “underestimated” the importance of proper paddling techniques to save energy. They were both learning on the trail. On the second morning they woke up and read through crash-courses on paddling techniques to ease their sore muscles.

The chance to be together with family was as memorable as the race.

They were bonding, even when they weren’t talking.

“I envisioned being on the river, chatting, catching up with my brother. Well, that went out the door pretty quickly when we realized that it really is a race,” Peter said. “Mike and I are pretty competitive. We barely said anything the first day. We just put our heads down and tried to perfect our technique.”

When they saw someone in front of them, they said they’d look at each other and say, “Let’s get them.”

They’ve been awestruck by the beauty of the Adirondacks, Skip said. Mike and Pete said they plan to make the 90-Miler an annual tradition now.