Canoe & Kayak Racing by Dan Grubbs

Serge Corbin (Canada) Worlds Greatest Marathon Canoe Champion and PaddleONE user!

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inside

MARCH/APRIL

What’s the attraction? Dan Grubbs, CKR editor, visits with race director, Scott Mansker who gives his thoughts about why people are drawn to the Missouri River 340 and other ultra-marathon paddle races.

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Profile: Racing and boat guru, Richard Steppe

The view from the captain’s chair

Correspondent, Joe Mann, interviews Richard Steppe, who, raised on a naval base in the Bahamas, had never picked up a paddle until he was 35. How then in 2007, did Richard Steppe have the best racing season of his life by winning five of the toughest endurance races in the western hemisphere … what makes him so damned good?

Dan Grubbs interviews a member of the Rivermiles gang, Karin Thomas, to get her take on the Missouri River 340 from the perspective of a safety boat pilot. Thomas, as a race official, multi tasks during the event manning checkpoints and the sign in booth where her smile starts racers off with an emotional boost.

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More Inside Women in racing A two-part conversation with Ginsie Stauss about women in paddling and what she’s learned along the way during her 20 years of racing........................................................Page 9

Coach’s Corner Chuck McHenry explains various workout routines and the importance of using music with a specific beat-per-minute rhythm to monitor stroke pace....................................Page 8

A profile of the famous Des Plaines River Canoe Marathon in Illinois Correspondent, Wally Werderich, one member of team Los Humungos, profiles of one America’s longest-running

Canoe & Kayak Racing Canoe & Kayak Racing is a bimonthly electronic magazine containing news, articles and features about events, paddlers, training, race results and other information about canoe and kayak racing in the United States. CKR seeks to promote canoe and kayak racing with editorial and promotional content designed to inform, educate and motivate beginners and experienced paddlers of all ages. Each issue will cover a wide range of editorial and promotional content from tips and how to articles to race reports and feature stories. CKR regularly accepts by-lined editorial submissions with the right of final editing for style, tone, length and voice. Editorial and graphical content may not be used in any form, printed or digital, without permission of the editor with attribution. CKR is posted bimonthly at http://issuu.com/ckrmagazine.

marathons...................................................................Page 14 Editor:

Does training with an ergometer help the average joe? CKR explores whether or not a weekend warrior can improve race times by training with an ergometer.........Page 20

Dan Grubbs

Contributors this issue: Chuck McHenry, Coach’s Corner Joe Mann, correspondent Wally Werderich, correspondent

U.S. Marathon trials set at Olympic site The USA Canoe & Kayak marathon team trials are scheduled for May 9-10 at the famous flatwater venue for the 1996 Olympic Games................................................Page 22 Cover: Saum Liwon of Malaysia taking a dip to cool off at a checkpoint during the 2008 running of the Missouri River 340. Liwon finished in 63 hours, 20 minutes, paddling an Epic V10L surf ski. Photo by Greg Gloshen. 4

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The view from the captain’s chair Race official and safety boat pilot, Karin Thomas, describes her race experience by Dan Grubbs

Canoe and kayak marathons are monstrous events. The scope of a well-run race is too large for any one person to take in. However, for the Missouri River 340, there is one person who touches nearly all aspects of the race, and it is a better event because of it. That person is Karin Thomas. Thomas still does not consider herself an experienced paddler. That is not important for the 46-year-old Overland Park, Kan., resident because she’s not asked to ply the waters of the Missouri in a kayak. Instead, she pilots a restored 1959 Lonestar Cruiser as a safety boat pilot. “I didn’t know the first thing about canoe and kayak racing, but I knew how to organize events and knew that I wanted to spend as much time on the river as I could,” Thomas explained. “I lived here 12 years before discovering the magic of traveling the Missouri River by motor boat,

and once I did I was hooked. When Scott Mansker asked if I would join the effort, I jumped at the chance. The race offered a combination I couldn’t resist.” For Thomas, her MR340 begins shortly after finishing the previous MR340. Some of her responsibilities include keeping everyone organized. “I manage the accounting, banking, insurance, racer data and all paperwork that keeps the checkpoints and our communications going before, during and after the race,” she said. One of her joys is the actual safety meeting the day before the start. “At the meeting, I get to put faces with the names that I’ve worked with for half a year,” Thomas said. “And after months of work, it’s fun to meet each person and then sit back and watch the meeting happen.”

Thomas also is queen of checkpoints. The MR340 has eight checkpoints along with the start and finish. She reports organizing and staffing them is her biggest responsibility. “The eight checkpoints will require 315 hours of volunteer effort,” Thomas said. “So, I work to find volunteers and groups willing to use a checkpoint as a fund raiser selling food and drinks. This enhances the way communities view the value of the river as it brings needed revenue and visitors to small river towns.”

Life is good on the river But the topping on all of this proverbial cake, according to Thomas, is the time she spends on the river driving a safety boat during the race. “It’s great to watch the racers, meet people at checkpoints and see the beauty of the Missouri River,” she explained. “It’s a fabulous, exhausting week and makes the months of effort before the race seem like a small thing.”

see THOMAS on page 18 5

Pain and suffering seem to call to many marathon paddlers by Dan Grubbs

Scott Mansker, race director of the Missouri River 340, shown above motoring into the finish as the sweep race official during the 2008 version of the ultramarathon event. He shares his thoughts on why people race in these events. The Missouri River has issued its siren song for thousands of years. Many indigenous people groups and later European explorers considered her their lifeblood. She also called Lewis and Clark to find their way west along her waters. Her latest lure is cast out to hundreds of marathon paddlers who have been making their way from Kansas City to St. Charles, Mo., the past three years in what is known as the Missouri River 340, the world’s longest non-stop river race. Scott Mansker of Olathe, Kan., age 40, and race director for the Missouri River 340, puts it this way. “I think people have an innate need for adventure,” he said. “A need to challenge themselves and be tested. For better or worse, our world, our society is set up to remove challenges. But that little spark in people still likes to find a way to manifest itself.” For thousands of people across the globe, that spark is catching flame through the world of marathon canoe and kayak racing. The fact that the 260-mile Texas Water Safari has

enjoyed wild success for decades is one indicator of this flame. Another is the explosive growth of the Missouri River 340. In its first year, the race started with 15 boats putting on the river with 10 taking out at the finish. The second year people were excited to participate the moment the previous race had ended and 75 boats began the quest. In 2008, Mansker had to cap the number of boats to 150. For 2009, the roster is already full with 250 boats for a race not scheduled to begin until Aug. 4.

Part of the attraction

pursuits,” he said. With so many attracted to marathon paddle racing, it must be a pretty enjoyable experience to spend 3-4 days on rivers such as the San Marcos or the Missouri during the summer. However, dozens of participants express just the opposite experience, yet repeatedly lay down their entry fee of $115 (MR340) or $125 (TWS) and put themselves right back into what they say is a painful and demoralizing situation. “A big part of this race is mental. It’s more about will and mental grit,” Mansker explained. “I’ve learned never to guess at who will make it and who won’t. Mostly it’s about dealing with discomfort. No matter how good you are, you are going to be miserable at some level. Overcoming that, working through that, is the key to finishing,” he said.

“You’ve racked up some miles ... you’re still in pain, but you’re sort of proud of that pain.”

According to Mansker, people consider this event for a number of reasons. “There’s a romantic element to it; a latent Huck Finn fantasy of life drifting down a river. And, there’s also the possibility to excel in ultra-marathon racing that maybe isn’t there for them in other

Mansker indicated that many people approach him after participating in the MR340 and explain they have had a life-changing experience. “For some, they have maybe lacked confidence in some aspect of their life and finishing the 340 has pushed them right past that and into a bold new place. But, I can guarantee that whatever reason someone starts out with, they’ll be surprised by what they get. Much of that they won’t be able or willing to express.”

back on the river and get to the finish line. Nobody who finishes ever wishes they had taken longer to do it.”

As life-altering experiences go, marathon paddle races have their share of extremes: tears and joy, despair and laughter, all accompanied by wind, heat, bugs, “critters,” blisters, pain, pinched nerves, sun burns, dehydration and physical exhaustion. But, as Mansker explains, most are up to the challenge, including middle age and older participants.

“There’s an excitement about the beginning of the race, but 10 miles in people are tired and hot and they start to realize the enormity of the task ahead,” he said. “The adrenalin has worn off and there’s this big, merciless river and this incredible distance ahead. It wears some folks down psychologically and that translates to less ability to deal with the frustrations and discomforts.”

“Rather than begin some slow acceptance of a decline in health and vitality, they raise their chin and say, ‘bring it on!’ They often find a sense of renewal.” Since it seems that the rewards outweigh the downside, paddlers must find ways to deal with the less-thandesirable experiences along the way. Mansker explains that the race is finite and paddlers can control how long they suffer – shortening their time in the race – by going faster. “The best racers will tell you everyone is miserable. Do you want to be miserable for a longer time or a shorter time? Keep moving. Stay in your boat. Knock out those checkpoints knowing a shower and clean sheets await you,” Mansker said.

Just get to day two Most of these marathon races are multi-day events. Paddlers find they experience different things on different days. Mansker believes the first day of the MR340 is the most challenging.

What follows? Mansker describes the situation for those who survive to see the sunrise of the second day. “There’s a mental shift that starts to occur,” he explained. “Things that bothered you yesterday now you can ignore. You’ve racked up some miles and you’ve made some friends along the way. You’re still in pain, but you’re sort of proud of that pain.”

“The best racers will tell you everyone is miserable.”

He does have advice for those who are letting the discomfort get the best of them. “If you’re sitting at a boat ramp complaining about how much you hurt, you’re not doing anything positive to end your pain,” he said. “Get

Ultra-marathon paddle racing in North America continues to grow, and is an internationally sanctioned sport. This growth also means the number

see MR340 on page 15

Coach’s Corner Chuck McHenry gives you his thoughts on training, technique and tips to help you improve as a paddler

Training and racing to BPM I am a true believer in the power of music. I have been using it for training during the last 25 years. From just playing inspirational music (loud and fast) during a fartlek workout (changing rhythms randomly – like an upriver workout) to keep me pumped; to a premeasured, specific beat per minute (BPM) rates for a specific outcome, music has been a guiding spirit. In the springtime, for downriver race training, the emphasis shifts from 90 percent of time spent on aerobic training, to gradually more anaerobic training, which trains the “lactic” system. The lactic system is the body’s energy system whereby, in simple terms, glucose is broken down into lactic acid. The build-up of lactic acid makes us stop when going past a muscle’s capacity. The other energy system is ATP and is our body’s all-out sprint energy source. Of these three systems, aerobic is the hardest to train. Racer’s used to come to me to coach them for a March race and say, “I’m going to give you a go this year”. I’d ask when they started training, and an answer of anything later than December told me they started too late. By the book, lactic acid training starts showing positive results in one month, but I feel it is an activity that should be done at least once per week during aerobic training winter months, as it builds upon itself year to year. I do this by doing one timed race against myself each week.

I have often wondered if anaerobic training is just pure and simply training the body to deal with lactic acid more efficiently, or if it’s just training the mind to ignore pain. My conclusion: probably a bit of both. The easiest, and one of the hardest, anaerobic workouts is 2 X 2s, which is two minutes all out sprint at top performance followed by, for me, frantic deoxygenating during a two-minute rest. Doing 10 of these is a typical workout. I use music for this, and it is only to distract me from the pain. The true BPM workouts are called SHR or Hardest (S), Hard (H) and Harder (R). A typical SHR workout would be ((2,2,1)-3) x 6. This means: - 2 min. at maximum output - 2 min. 80 percent effort - 1 min. 92 percent effort - rest 3 min. - 6 total sets With warm-up, this is an easy hour workout. Using a double-blade paddle I achieve 100 percent effort at 100 BPMs (or strokes per minute) and still keep good paddle form. Any faster and I lose efficiency. Paddling at 82 BPM and concentrating on the power phase of my stroke, works out to 70 percent effort. At 90-92 BPM I’m at 90 percent effort. You can figure these out for what works best for you using a heart monitor. But remember, whatever BPM you use, the secret is to always focus on

the power phase of your stroke, pulling (rotating) hard and keeping good form throughout. Another good lactic workout is (((2,2,2) x2) -3) x 3. This means: - 2 min. hardest - 2 min. 70% effort - 2 min. 90% effort - repeat cycle immediately with no rest (for 12 total minutes) - rest 3 min. - 3 total sets Now, the real benefit of using preset BPM music is that it allows me to focus on my paddling and not the watch or timer. When doing mile laps, I quite often forget how many laps I’ve done during the workout. I can’t imagine keeping track of SHR. So, BPM does my accounting for me. You don’t get mixed up where you are in the workout. I have music sets programmed in my iPod to support workouts of ((2,2,2)-3) x 6 and ((3,3,2)-3) x 5. In the downriver, or wildwater, discipline we race 20-50 minute races in long tippy boats often through demanding class I-IV whitewater. We need anaerobic ability to meet the constantly changing paces and demands of the river. How does this relate to distance paddling. On a calm lake, perhaps very little. On the Missouri river or a lake with winds and chop and constantly

see COACH on page 13

Ginsie Stauss and Debbie Richardson approach Cottonseed Rapids in the 2008 Texas Water Safari.

Women in Racing Finding Our Rhythm

Texas Water Safari women’s record holder from 1995-2000 tells Canoe & Kayak Racing that racing isn’t a battle of the sexes for her, but more of a connection between paddler and river. CKR recently interviewed Ginsie Stauss of Austin, Texas, a 20-year veteran of canoe and kayak racing, to get her take on women in the sport of marathon racing. The 50-year-old Stauss explains that she craves the hardship and challenges of marathon racing. In a two-part series, CKR shares’s the exchange with Stauss.

Canoe & Kayak Racing: How long have you been racing? Stauss: I’ve taken time off for various reasons but my very first race was the 17-mile Junior Texas Water Safari in 1989. There were no other women in the race. I was married later that afternoon at a canoe livery campground and did my first full 265-mile-long Texas Water Safari the next June. CKR: Describe why you got into paddling, and racing? Stauss: I am a native New Orleanian, so I grew up around water. Getting on the water was a natural fit for me. But, I was introduced to paddling and endurance canoe racing by veteran Safari racer, John Dunn. At that time he lived to play in whitewater, counter-balanced with a need to race the Safari again and again. We were working for the Nantahala Outdoor Center in western North Carolina where I had fun learning how to read water, play in small plastic boats and developed confidence in my paddling skills. Once I began thinking and dreaming of long distance, endurance paddling, I left play boating and short plastic boats behind. My first experience following John race in the 265-mile Safari was my catalyst. As team captain, I drove to every spot with river access to cheer him on as he traveled downstream to the finish. By the second day and then the third, as I drove down the road I had to exclaim, “They are all still paddling!” It was amazing to me. I wanted desperately to see what was in between those access points on the river. I wanted to be out there, not in the car! I wanted to feel the power of reaching down deep to see if I could find the strength, the will, the resolve to continue. I wanted to experience the utter exhaustion

see STAUSS on page 12 9

Profile of Richard Steppe, Texas racer by Joe Mann The Sunday sun sets across Texas, a glowing ember trickling through the trees. It burns through the driver’s window onto Richard Steppe’s hard face and goatee as he rolls north on Interstate 35. Cloaked in a sunset mask, the 51-year-old canoe racer heads home to Dallas. He’s on his way back from San Marcos, Texas, the hot spot for Texas paddle racing. He’s been training all weekend, his sights set on the 2009 racing season. But every now and then, after a long day on the water and with a long drive in front of him, his mind can’t help but slip back to that first race more than 15 years

ago, and how he got there. Although Steppe was originally born in Michigan, his father was in the U.S. Navy, and Steppe was reared in the Bahamas until he was twelve. He then moved to Rhode Island with his mother, and helped her with her two younger children, one being his brother, Shaun Bain. “Shaun and I really had a father son relationship, but we were still close like brothers,” Steppe said. His dad eventually retired to Dallas and was constantly asking his son to come visit. “I was 19 when I went to Dal-

Richard Steppe (left) pictured here driving a tandem racing canoe with West Hansen in the 2007 Missouri River 340. The two went on to set the then men’s tandem record of 44 hours, 27 minutes.

las,” Steppe said. “I originally planned on staying there for a year.” He’s been there ever since. It was 1994 when Steppe, at age 35, read an article in the Dallas Morning News about the legendary Texas Water Safari, a 260-mile ultra-endurance canoe and kayak race from San Marcos to Seadrift, Texas, which is trademarked as “the world’s toughest canoe race.” “I had never heard of the race, but the paper described it as this horrible journey with mosquitoes, alligators and fire ants,” he said. Steppe chuckled softly as he thought about it, “Somehow that sounded like a great adventure.” He called his much younger brother Shaun Bain, and convinced him to go along. Bain, a decent adventure racer in his 20s needed little convincing. Steppe though, as a recovering alcoholic and a chain smoker, was still try-

ing to convince himself that he could make it. Steppe and Bain soon found another person to join the misery, and so the team became three. “We went out and bought a canoe,” he said, but claimed that was just about the only thing they did right. “We were so ill prepared. We had no clue what we were doing, and no clue what we were in for.” With a slew of supplies they didn’t need, the most debilitating turned out to be the third person. Usually more arms and more paddles make for a faster boat, but not in this case. The middle guy sat on a makeshift seat in the center of the canoe with a pair of oars. “It was a disaster,” Steppe explained. “The oars broke and he bailed out the next morning. It was miserable. After that, the boat started to actually move. It wasn’t because he was a bad

paddler, it’s just that the third person added too much weight and the canoe wasn’t designed to work that way.” There were nine portages where the men had to navigate dams and trek through the brush. All the while carrying the canoe and gear with them. It is a rule in the Safari to bring everything you need with you. Your team captain is allowed to give you water only. Team captains who so much as touch the boat can earn their teams a ten minute penalty. Toward the end of the race, with muscles cramping and minds hallucinating, they got lost in “Alligator Lake,” a wide and slow part of the course, aptly named for the numerous reptilian inhabitants. “We were lost because we had never seen the course,” Steppe said. “But, I wouldn’t have been able to explain it to my mom if I had let Shaun become

eaten by an alligator,” Steppe said. After 80 hours of south-Texas heat, their last obstacle was crossing San Antonio Bay, the last five miles of the course where many boats have fallen prey to the swells that can reach up to five feet. “We had never seen the bay, so we got lost there, too,” Steppe recalled. “Eventually we did finish. I don’t know how, but we did. It took 84 hours.”

The hook was set “Next year, it was full blown. All I could do was eat, think and drink Safari. I came from a family of alcoholics, and I wanted to break the cycle,” he said. “I quit drinking when my daughter was born. But I still smoked. During that first Safari, I took a carton and a pack, smoking the last one head-

see STEPPE on page 16

STAUSS and jubilation I witnessed in all of the finishers at the end of the race. At that point, people began asking me when I was going to “do the Safari?” So I said, “next year,” and I did. CKR: What attracts you to this sport, what keeps you coming back year after year? Stauss: I am pretty corny at times, I know, but honestly, to follow a river’s path, to get to know a river through the seasons and over the years was the connection I needed, still need, to feel at peace. That is what really attracts me. There is a natural rhythm you find when paddling hours on end towards a destination. The river has its own personality that changes along the way and your paddling style must change with it. Find that rhythm. I still marvel at the fact that I am able to paddle for days and nights without more than a few hours of sleep. As strange as it may sound, I crave the hardships of the race and finding a way to overcome what I think of as weaknesses, without quitting. My first Safari was a solo effort. I had never paddled at night, nor had I seen any of the river past mile 18. I stopped every time I hurt or felt a bit sick. I finished, taking 95 hours. But, I finished! At the finish line still waiting among other people, was John Bugge, another Safari veteran, whose team had come in overall first place, two days before me on Sunday night. He shook my hand, congratulated me and helped me get my boat up onto the seawall. How cool is that? Back in North Carolina it took months to recover, hurting from deep within. I suffered terrifying nightmares believing I was paddling in the dark without a light and I could hear rapids. By spring, I was dreaming of racing again. I have learned something new every year about endurance racing whether as a team captain, a race official or competing in the race. Now I hurt

Stauss and Richardson lower their canoe at Staples Dam in the 2008 Texas Water Safari. more during the race, and my recovery time is less. There are many obvious reasons why I come back year after year. Many joke that it is an affliction, an incurable disease. But I do it to stay active, to get faster, to try new boats, new food, new lights or race in a different class. But over the years I’ve found that if I am not getting to paddle or be connected to the race somehow, for whatever reason, I get cranky, I get depressed, I gain weight. I end up feeling as though I have a hole in my life, a void than can only be filled by a combination of paddling, planning and dreaming of negotiating every part of the San Marcos River.Now there are other endurance races, other rivers in the mix which is proving to reorganize my thought processes to include new goals, different experiences, new paddling friends and travel to far away places. CKR: What do you find in paddle racing that you don’t find in other pursuits or in life in general? Stauss: I am into the sport of racing because it brings together those of us with a like mind – a community that talks and thinks about many of the same things. The shorter races fill my

competitive nature with short-term goals, but actually everything in my world is preparation for the Safari and other long races. It is rare in real life to have a vision that in one year’s time you can plan and achieve, knowing that you will encounter all kinds of foreseen and unpredictable challenges you must overcome along the way without anyone else’s help. No phone-a-friend, shout outs or Google™ searches for advice. Some of your decisions could be of a life or death magnitude, others can tarnish your own self-image for years on end. Or, you can give yourself an inner knowledge that you are stronger than anyone knows. It is rare in real life to get a do-over. You know you could do it better if you just had one more chance. It is rare in real life to set such time-consuming, money-sponging, physically challenging goals without any promise of monetary or career-building compensation. It is rare in real life to have friends to share outrageous stories of hallucinations, butt chaffing, vomit stories, duct tape repair stories, chance wildlife encounters, stories of naked paddlers running through the woods, countless conversations and opinions about the

asking questions really helped too. You will find that most endurance paddlers will talk paddling to anyone who even appears to be listening even long after the poor person’s eyes have glazed over and they are actually contemplating what they are going to watch later on TV. Use what advice works for you. If you can, borrow equipment and try it out before buying your own gear. Check out the following web sites and explore some of the links you will find within:

perfect combination of food, drinks and drink mixes, seat foam and jug holders, pages of discussion about ice, low water hardships, high water miracles, log jams, boats and paddles. It is rare in real life to see a group of the manliest men anywhere dressed in thin colorful tights and wearing cowboy hats. It is rare in real life to talk openly about how to pee in a cup. It is rare in real life to witness whole families taking part in a sport, generation after generation. And, it is rare in real life to be able to spend time on the Earth traveling through a place where it can feel as if time has stood still. You have to seek this kind of place, it is there, but you have to venture outside of the grid. CKR: What advice would you give to a woman who is interested in picking up paddle racing? Stauss: I can give all kinds of advice. It really all depends on your prior experience. I know that learning how to read water and how to move a boat and approach certain situations enabled me more than anything. Watching some races before getting out there and

Texas Water Safari Paddle24seven Hammer Nutrition

Missouri River 340 Colorado River 100

Start today! You are welcome. And know that you will change. You will hurt all over, but usually not all at once. You will develop calluses in all the right places. You will learn what a portage is, put in, take out, log jam, eddy and more. You will spend time under shady bridges and you will learn to pee just about anywhere and change clothes discreetly just about anywhere. You will have to rearrange your life to fit it all in, but it is worth it. You won’t have pretty fingernails but you can still be feminine. You will confront fears you don’t even know you have. You will meet some of the most extraordinary people you could hope to meet. Some of these folks you will only see once a year but you will share a connection that is powerful and long term. Oh … you’ll want a dry bag with dry clothes and lotions and a first aid kit to leave in the take out car. Trust me on that. Part two will appear in the May/June issue of CKR.

COACH fluctuating conditions it becomes very important. You need that burst of speed to avoid that boil, to account for that gust of wind, to meet that barge wake, etc. And, you need fast recovery to keep on going, not tired and unfazed. My wife, Di, and I begin aerobic training after the last race of the season in the Autumn. We begin anaerobic training, 3-4 times a week in late January and early February to prepare us for the downriver and sprint racing we do in the spring. Once past these races, and looking forward to the longer races, especially the MR340, we do 1-2 lactic sessions a week. What’s ideal? Ideal is what works for you. I have a long stroke and use a slightly oversize blade. My hands are lower than what is considered ideal. This is not what most distance racers do. But I emphasize the power phase via

rotation and lower pulling arm. I completely rest my upper pushing arm in the stroke. Putting this in application for my approach for the MR340, my first day is 78 strokes per minute. I program my iPod with music at 78 BPMs to make sure I stay at this rate. I do not let other racers lure me into changing my routine. The music also lets you take your mind off of the watch and GPS and the day goes by more quickly. I maintain this stroke rate through-out the day, effortlessly. But, don’t use an I-pod at night! You need to hear things that go bump in the night on the Missouri. I have a whole different strategy for night time ... but that’s another article. SYOTR! Chuck McHenry

Des Plains River Canoe Marathon 52 years and tens of thousands of canoes later you end up with a racing classic by Wally Werderich Each year on the Sunday before Memorial Day weekend, paddlers from around Illinois and from around the United States gather on the banks of the Des Plaines River in Libertyville, Ill., to participate in one of the country’s oldest and largest canoe races, the Des Plaines River Canoe Marathon.

not uncommon to see a muscle-laden champion-caliber kayaker next to a high school couple who have decided to spend their post prom Sunday paddling 18½ miles in a rental canoe.

The marathon has been contested for the past 52 years regularly attracting more than 2,000 competitors. While the race is called a canoe marathon, the scope of the race reaches beyond what most would consider traditional canoes. The race boasts 23 different classifications and myriad types of boats. In the past, there have been competitors using boats ranging anywhere from 30 foot voyager canoes to Olympic style K2 kayaks.

Making it more interesting, and to add a bit of fun to the event, some of the post prom ladies even paddle the marathon in their prom dresses. “What else am I going to do with my dress,” commented one competitor fresh off her prom festivities the night before.

“That is one of the best parts of the marathon,” said Betsy Bellario, a veteran competitor of the race. “When you round a bend in the river you never know what kind of boat you are going to see.” As one surveys the start line of the marathon, it is easy to see the race attracts competitors from all ages and skill levels. In the staging area it is

Time to break out the prom dresses

To recognize those with a bit of creativity, awards are given to paddlers who decorate their boats bringing “flair” to the race. The 18½-mile course is as interesting as its competitors. With contestants starting in heats of eight, boats travel rather quickly on the top part of the race. This section of the river features narrow and winding stretches. Even for the serious racers, it takes a high level of skill to negotiate the bends at a high rate of speed. The river shore in this portion is also heavily wooded with tree branches sometimes creating a canopy overhead. At the bottom portion of the race, the river straightens and becomes much wider. The change in the river brings out a different skill set in the racers. For some, this part of the river is a drag race to the finish line. For others, it is the perfect opportunity to start working on their summer tan. One of the many challenges to this

marathon are the low-head dams on the course. Only one dam is a mandatory portage. It is the racer’s choice whether they want to portage or shoot the other dams. As a result of the splitsecond decision-making drama of the shoot-or-not-to-shoot assessment made by the competitors, many spectators amass at the dam sites. The congregation of spectators seems to boost the excitement on the river. With more excitement, comes more spectacular spills into the Des Plaines. The thrill of the spill is yet another reason the marathon evokes so much emotion from those who participate. The race, which was founded in 1957, was the idea of Ralph Frese, and traces its roots back to a competition to showcase the canoe building and paddling skills of local Boy Scouts who were earning their canoe merit badge. Frese used the race as a tool to educate people about the joys of paddling and

MR340 of events is increasing giving people opportunities to challenge themselves in this way. With the Yukon River Quest, the Everglades Challenge, the Texas Water Safari, the MR340 and others, paddlers have options.

the value of the natural resources along the Des Plaines River.

“All these races are huge challenges. They have more in common than they are different,” Mansker said. “However, I think the 340 is the most accessible for people new to the sport. Yet, experienced, hard-core racers love it as well. It’s a fantastic venue for competitors and spectators.”

With each passing year, the race grows and Frese’s ideals blossom. The marathon grew so popular in the ‘70s, race officials capped its registration at 1,000 boats. It appears 2009 looks to be a banner year for the Des Plaines Canoe Marathon. Under the helm of race director Jack Snarr and his crew, the marathon is hoping to attract as competitive a field as ever. How does a race continue for half a century? “Maintaining a steady flow of new volunteers who bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm to the organization and conduct of the race has been essential to its continuation over a 51 year history,” Snarr said. “Indeed, nearly all of these volunteers have at one time or another been inspired by direct interaction with the race founder and paddling legend, Ralph Frese.” The 2009 edition of the marathon will be held the day after the United States Canoe Association’s Aluminum National Championship Canoe Race, which it is cosponsoring. The Aluminum National Championship will be held on portions of the same course as the marathon. For those interested in learning more about the Des Plaines River Canoe Marathon, additional information can be found on the race’s Web site at www.canoemarathon.com. Registration for the 2009 marathon begins in March.

Wally Werderich, half of team Los Humungos, is known for wearing Mexican wrestling masks and tights while racing in canoe marathons. They’re bringing their sideshow to a checkpoint near you during the 2009 MR340.

Current MR340 Records Women’s Solo: Katie Pfefferkorn (2008) 50:00

Men’s Solo: Carter Johnson (2008) 37:46

Women’s Tandem: Di McHenry & Natalie Courson (2007) 61:09

Men’s Tandem: Phil Bowden & Lee Deviney (2008) 42:32

Mixed Tandem: Mike Massey & Jana Shannon (2008) 65:24

Men’s Team Division (3-6 paddlers) West Hansen, Richard Steppe, David Anderson, David Kelly, Jeff Glock, Mike Rendon (2008) 36:19

Mixed Team Division (3-6 paddlers) Christina Glauner, Di McHenry, Zaiham Abdullah, Dan Grubbs (2008) 51:24

STEPPE ing over the bay to Seadrift.” When asked about keeping them dry, he laughed. “Oh I kept them dry; losing my cigarettes would have put me out of the race. But the next year, after the Safari of ‘94, I quit that November.” He paused and took a sharp inhale as if thinking about it, but quickly declared, “I don’t miss smoking at all.” Steppe is a self-described man of extremes. When he does something, he does it all the way. He is extremely competitive, too. “I started going to some short races and learned how to paddle,” he describes thinking back. “I was meeting people, and getting better.”

Tenacity his trademark The practice began to pay off, and soon Steppe had people taking notice. “I met Richard through local races,” said West Hansen, a well-known Safari champion. “I noticed him because he races hard from start to finish. I can’t think of any other words to describe it. He just races hard, and he doesn’t quit.”

not to race. “Even as I was sitting in the doctors’ office and they were telling me not to, I knew I was racing.” Steppe missed the Safari preliminary and had to start in the back. By the time he reached Victoria, more than 200 miles into the race, he held a fourhour lead over the next closest soloist. Then his back gave out. His training partner, Erin Magee, Safari women’s solo record holder and San Marcos local, eventually caught up to him, and together they pushed to the finish line. “Even while in excruciating pain, he pulled me along over the last three hours of the race because he knew how important it was to me to get that top 15 spot,” Magee recalls. “And when we got to Seadrift, he sat there in pain and refused to move an inch until I crossed the finish line first.” Steppe has always been good with his hands and owns a large mechanic’s shop. After breaking his standard Weno-nah canoe in half during the 1995 Safari preliminary, he had to learn boat repair.

I noticed him because he races hard from start to finish ... he just races hard, and he doesn’t quit.

That point was driven home in the 1998 Safari where Steppe lost his boat crossing the bay. “The boat sank and I couldn’t save it,” Steppe describes. “I saved all my gear and I swam all night long.” He eventually made it and crossed the finish line. There remains a point of controversy with the Texas Water Safari board. Nowhere in the rules did it say that a participant had to cross the finish line with their boat in order to complete the race. But the board would not give Steppe the finish, and they marked him as a DNF. But not in Steppe’s mind. “I finished that race.” A few years later in 2001, he had back surgery, and was told by his doctors

“I found a guy in Oklahoma to help me, and he taught me a lot.” Two years later he built his first boat, a wood strip craft. He doesn’t build boats as a business, “but I will build custom orders.” Unlimited boats as they are known, came out of Texas and were born to fill a need. They are fast, tough boats, built especially for the Safari and are a hybrid style of boat, usually with a open deck like a canoe, but the longer shape of a surf ski or K1. Slight modifications to all parts including rocker, freeboard, stability flairs, length and weight will all vary depending on designer.

The WMD is in Texas In 2001, Steppe built arguably one of the best tandem unlimited boats ever,

the Steppe Missile. “It’s basically two front ends of an Olympic K2 stuck together,” he described. It’s 27 feet long, and is a Kevlar-carbon fiber layup.” The Steppe Missile has four over-all wins and set the record in the Colorado River 100 race. Records were also set in it in the tandem class in the Safari and won the men’s tandem and the unlimited tandem. “Most of the time in a tandem boat, you’re only as fast as your weakest paddler,” Magee said. “Richard is the kind of guy that when you’re in the boat with him, you’re as fast as he is.” Magee was Steppe’s partner in the 2004 Safari. “He taught me how to race,” she said. “I knew how to paddle, but I didn’t know how to race. Richard taught me that. He taught me how to train and he taught me how to race in tandem and utilize the strengths of both paddlers.” Magee, a 10-time Safari finisher, attributes her success to Steppe. “He’s been a huge source of mentoring, and he’s able to live the way he teaches. He really walks the walk.” Steppe and Magee finished the Safari that year in 39 hours 47 minutes, good for a firstplace finish in the tandem unlimited division – in a boat named the Steppe Missile.

An unforgettable season Now, 15 years after that first dreadful Safari, at the age of 51, Steppe is regarded in the paddling community as one of the best. Two seasons ago, Steppe showed that just because he would turn 50 didn’t mean he was slowing down. That summer of 2007, he tied together one of the best paddling seasons any ultra-endurance racer has ever had. (see box at right) In that one season, Steppe not only completed five of the toughest and longest ultra-endurance paddle races on the western hemisphere, he won them. In 2008, he won the MR340 again and set a new course record in a six-man unlimited boat.

The sun has set over the Texas Hill Country, and Richard runs his fingers back over his closely shaved scalp, adjusted his ball-cap, and puts his hand back on the wheel. Headlights pointing south flare between the median. He thinks to himself, “A good training run ends just as another week of real life begins.” His eyes flicker for a moment as he does some math, “The 2009 Safari is just 16 weeks away…get ready.

Steppe’s 2007 Season of Amazing Races

Correspondent, Joe Mann, a marathon paddling veteran, completed the MR340 in 49 hours, 16 minutes, the fifth best men’s solo time to date.

Race 1

March 9-12: traveled to Belize with Jerry Cochran and Pete Binion and competed in La Ruta Maya race, a 4-day staged race through the foothills of Belize where no one but a Belizean had ever won the masters division. The three-man team broke the masters record by conquering the 170 winding miles of river in 19 hours, 51 minutes. Result: First place in Masters division. Race 2

June 9-11: using La Ruta Maya as a warm up, Steppe raced the Texas Water Safari for his 14th consecutive year as part of a crew of a six-man unlimited boat that shot through 260 miles in 34 hours, 9 minutes. Result: First place overall. Race 3

June 27-29: barely two weeks removed from the Safari, he drove to Canada and partnered with Philippe Blouin in the Yukon River Quest. They slaughtered the 460 miles in 47 hours 23 minutes. Result: First place men’s tandem kayak division. Race 4

July 24-26: only three weeks back from Canada, Steppe hit the road back north to Kansas City, Mo., where he teamed up with West Hansen and killed the Missouri River 340, a 340-mile bare-knuckle bigwater brawl from Kansas City to St. Louis on the Missouri River. They finished in 44 hours 27 minutes. Result: A new course record for men’s tandem division and first place overall. Race 5

Sept. 1: capping off the season, Steppe paired up with Johan Dahl and butchered the Colorado River 100, completing the 100 miles down the Colorado River starting in Bastrop, Texas, in a time of 10 hours 37 minutes. Result: a new course record, and first place overall.

THOMAS In those months leading up to the race, Thomas and the Rivermiles crew are busily working while paddlers are obsessing and compulsively reading the race’s online forum. The buzz for this year’s race has built on the previous three. The 2008 MR340 capped registration at 150 boats. This year, registration opened on Jan. 1 and the 250 boat slots were filled by Feb. 13. “I’m very excited that the roster filled so quickly,” she explained. “There is a wonderful community that has grown around this event. A lot of information passes around the forum, and I notice that every year the same questions come up among new-comers. The veterans are always generous to share again and again.” It is only March and the racers are already animated, evidenced by postings on the forum. Thomas indicates there will be a lot more talk about what to eat, what to drink, where to stop, how to paddle and what PFD is the best. “Of course there’ll be plenty of challenges and friendly trash talk. The daily chat on the forum will increase exponentially,” she reports.

After the start By the time the race starts, Thomas will be half a mile down river to ensure her boat wake does not affect anyone’s paddling. “I will stay just ahead of the first pack of racers until sometime the first night,” she said. “I’ll keep an eye on checkpoints to make sure they are working they way they are supposed to. I might try to get a little sleep at night with my cell phone handy in case someone near me needs help on the water.” All of the safety boats spread along

the river each night, monitoring a designated stretch. During both day and night, Thomas will help work a checkpoint, visit with ground crews, families and spectators and get to know the volunteers. “It is great to see so many familiar faces and to know that the people who live along the river want to be part of it each year,” Thomas said. “While out on the river, I get to see it all unfold in different ways for each person involved.” When thinking about being on the river during the race, Thomas said the first thing that comes to her mind is the positive atmosphere that is always there. “It’s not an easy race, and everyone gets tired, but the people involved seemed to all be having fun.” The culture of the race is one of the things that draws her back each year. “Ground crews are always helping each other and will generously help racers with no ground crew,” she said. “There is a lot of sharing, whether it be food, water, information or encouragement. The further downstream ev-

eryone gets, the more tired and dingy they become. There are a lot of glazed eyes and stiff legs at checkpoints, but most seem to get back in boats and take off again.”

From Thomas’ unique perspective Thomas explained there are many experiences she has along the way that make the MR340 a must do event for her. “Last year, my best nature experience was the sunset on day two and the misty sunrise the next morning,” she reminisced. “I have a lot of good pictures and will remember them for a long time.” Other positive experiences are based on her responsibilities. She said that pulling into checkpoints and seeing volunteers working day and night is a wonderful relief. “I don’t have time when the race starts to make reminder calls. I need to rely on each person to pull their load and so far everyone has.” Other experiences are simple pleasures that four days on the river put into perspective. “The shower at the end in St. Charles is quite a wonderful experience,” Thomas said. “Coming out of there with clean clothes, feeling ready for the next step, feels great.” “I am amazed that people who have

never paddled will enter this race,” she said. “And, I’m equally amazed that seasoned paddlers will go straight through with barely a stop to eat or drink. From the front to the back, they all have different goals and reasons for being there, and each one is valid and important. So I guess their determination is the same, but it is there for different reasons. Some don’t look like they will ever really make it, and when they do I still wonder how it happened.”

With the end in sight And when they get to the end, Thomas will be there with more to do. She said that staging the finish at the Lewis & Clark Boat House and Museum has been a wonderful addition to the race and a benefit to the museum. It has facilities perfect for the end of the race providing showers and a place to gather and cheer on others who finish. “The museum also provides the awards dinner,” Thomas said. “That’s awesome because I have no interest in doing that on my own after having been on the river for four days and nights. They do a great job and we want to do what we can to promote their

historic efforts on the river.” When it all winds down in St. Charles, Thomas is taking notes and already planning for next year’s race. Yet, she has the comfort in knowing she’ll be watching it all unfold again from the captain’s chair of her beautiful power boat. This vantage point gives her a unique perspective different from paddlers. What does she experience that is different? In her words, “a cool breeze, fresh fruit right at my feet, a cushion to lie on in the cabin, shade from the boat’s awning and a trip back upriver (at a faster clip) after the race is over.” What does it all mean to her? It’s meaningful, she said, because it affords her the opportunity to explore a different facet of her life. “I realized that a segment of me comes to life out there that lies dormant much of the time,” she said. “I live in the moment when I’m in my boat on the water, not thinking of the past or the future. So each moment is full of just that moment and it’s a terrific feeling.”

The May/June issue of Canoe & Kayak Racing will feature the famous Texas Water Safari. Click this ad to request to have each issue sent to your e-mail account.

Find the latest issue of Canoe & Kayak Racing at http://issuu.com/ckrmagazine

Can a paddling ergometer hel Canoe & Kayak Racing will explore the benefits of off-season training with an ergometer. Rather than just say, “Hey, that’s what the Olympians use,” CKR wanted to find out if an ergometer can help the average paddler improve from one year to the next. Our guinea pig, er, test subject is Ron Ladzinski of Olathe, Kan. For fair disclosure, Ladzinski is a new sales rep for PaddleONE ergometers. However, CKR was not simply going to take his word for it. So, we’ll put him to the test. Over the next several issues, CKR will follow along with Ladzinski and track the differences in times he posts this year compared to his times from 2008.

as an apples-to-apples comparison (see chart). This article series will also examine how his training with an ergometer may help him in several marathon races in 2009 compared to the same races in 2008. Ladzinski’s training regimen

Ladzinski’s training this winter was fairly straightforward. “I kept myself on a maintenance program for the months of December, January and February,” he said. “I trained on the ergometers three times each week for 60-minute sessions.” Ladzinski also regularly uses a cycling magnetic resistance trainer and lifts light weights and basic core training. “During my erg training, I conHere’s how it will work centrated on proper stroke technique and faster cadence Ladzinski regularly paddled five-mile time trials on the same while trying not to think about doing high intensity for fear of lake throughout the season in burning out too early,” Ladzinski 2008. He has spent the winter explained. training with both canoe and Now that winter is nearly over, kayak ergometers. Later this Ladzinski will change things up year, Ladzinski will paddle the same boat using the same paddle a bit while having more opportuon the same lake. CKR will chart nities to get on the water. “Since the first of March I’m the differences in his time trials 20

paddling on the erg at least five times a week and have included more intense interval training,” he said. Ladzinski explained that the interval sessions last about 30 minutes each. “As the weather gets warmer, I plan on getting two to three on-water paddles per week along with three intense erg paddles every week.” Living in the Midwest, time training on the water is limited during the winter. “I’ve

managed only four on-water paddles out of 27 total paddle workouts since Jan. 1,” Ladzinski said. “Yet, I feel that my times are already equivalent to where I was in mid-April of 2008, so that makes me feel good.” Some people claim that ergometers can adversely impact stroke technique. Ladzinski dismisses that notion. “I have found that the Paddle-

p the weekend warrior? ONE kayak ergometer really ing two daughters, Ladzinski’s mimics the feel of a wing training time is limited. paddle and torso rotation.” “My schedule limits my on-water paddling and thus I believe What’s the expec- that erg training is going to be tation? beneficial in maintaining my current fitness level,” he said. “I “My number one also expect to see improvements objective with the in my race performance. I expect ergometers is to al to see the most noticeable imlow me the opportun- provements in my personal time ity to train year round trials.” in a sport I thor oughly enjoy,” Ladzinski Editor’s note: CKR will update said. “If I the table below throughout the gain anything above and beyond summer and provide training that it will be icing on the cake.” notes and insights from LadzWith a busy schedule as a freeinski in the next three issues of lance graphic designer and rear- CKR.

Date

3/19/08

4/26/08

Boat

Epic V10

V10 Sport V10 Sport V10 Sport V10 Sport V10 Sport V10 Sport

Paddle

Epic mid

50:51

48:30

45:11

44:14

00:00

5.90 mi.

6.20 mi.

6.64 mi.

6.78 mi.

0.00 mi.

5-mile trial MPH

6/17/08

8/6/08

2009 #1

2009 #2

2009 #3

2009 #4

2008 time-trial results following basic fitness training during the winter compared to 2009 timetrial results with the addition of a paddling ergometer to Ladzinski’s training routine throughout the winter. 2009 results will be posted from time trials in the spring an summer.

Think you have what it takes to represent your country? U.S. national marathon team trials set for Atlanta Olympics venue

Endurance paddlers from across the U.S. will converge on Gainesville, Ga., home of the Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club, host of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s USA Canoe / Kayak marathon national team trials. Contested at the site of the 1996 Olympics, the marathon trials will be held May 9-10. According to Pete Smith of the Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club, the event will have multiple distances for various divisions to coordinate with international racing events. Lake Lanier will be configured with a 30 kilometer course for the senior men, 25.5 kilometers for senior women, 22 kilometers for juniors and masters. For recreational paddlers and beginners, the club will also set a four-kilometer loop course. Classes include menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s K-1, K-2, C-1, C-2 and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s K-1, K-2. The marathon team trials are held

annually to select elite marathon racers to represent the United States and U.S.A. Canoe / Kayak at various international marathon racing competitions. Athletes who qualify for the U.S. national team are eligible to compete in the International Canoe Federation Marathon World Championships, Marathon World Cup series and other ICF-sanctioned events. These trials will qualify athletes for the 2009 Marathon World Championships in Portugal. According to trial officials, athletes competing for a team position must hold current USACK membership and must verify membership at the time of registration on race day. If selected for the U.S. team, competitors also must comply with the ICF statutes governing amateur status and meet citizenship and residency

requirements as stipulated by the ICF and USACK. Amateur requirements are available from the USACK on request. U.S.A. Canoe / Kayak membership is waived for members of foreign federations. Online registration information can be found at www. athletereg.com and closes on May 1, 2009, at 9 p.m. ET. Registration by mail will be accepted. The completed registration forms and fees must be received by event officials by May 2 and should be sent to: Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club 3105 Clarks Bridge Road

In addition to the marathon team trials, a 10 kilometer Dragon Boat Challenge will be a new event taking place after the trials on Saturday. Registration for non-trial event and the Dragon Boat Challenge must be received by 6:00 p.m. ET, May 8, 2009. The USA Canoe/Kayak Team Trials for the Senior and Junior World Championship Teams are scheduled for April 24-26, 2009, at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. Details concerning housing opportunities will be posted when they are available For more information, contact Pete Smith of the Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club at 770-654-7900 or by e-mail at laniercanoekayak@gmail.com.

Gainesville, GA 30506

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