WHO:   A limit of 300 boats and some 575 racers will participate in the Missouri River 340 endurance race across the state of Missouri.  Competitors will start in Kansas City and finish in St. Charles.  Participants are allowed exactly 90 hours to complete the course.  With numerous towns and hamlets, the course offers plenty of opportunity for resupply while en route.  The Missouri River is also incredibly scenic and isolated in some stretches, with wildlife and beautiful vistas to rival any river in North America.  Participating racers will represent three countries and 40 states nationwide as they bide for the world record.  This is known as “the world’s longest non-stop river race,” and has become the Mecca of ultra marathon canoe and kayak racing in the United States.

WHAT:   There are nine checkpoints along the route where paddlers are required to sign in and out:  Kansas City, Lexington, Waverly, Miami, Glasgow, Cooper’s Landing, Jefferson City, Hermann and Washington – with the big splash finish in St. Charles.  Cut-off times will be associated with these checkpoints based on the 88-hour pace.  Failure to check-in or miss two consecutive deadlines is grounds for disqualification.  A racer’s ability to finish this race in 90 hours is a huge accomplishment; only 2/3 of the registered teams were able to complete the race in 2008.

WHERE      Race Finish – Lewis & Clark Boat House and Nature Center, 1050 South Riverside Dr.
& WHEN:   Competitors could potentially finish the race as early as Wednesday, August 5.  From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, August 7, the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles will host a benefit serving beverages, snacks, barbeque plate dinners and sandwiches to the general public and race spectators.  Replicas of the boats used during the Bicentennial reenactment of the Lewis & Clark Expedition will also be on display for public viewing.  Race award ceremonies will be held at 7 p.m. that same evening on the grounds of the Boat House.
      
ALSO:   The MR 340 course is all on Class I water.  The current is about 3 mph and there are no rapids.  The biggest hazards to paddlers include motorboats, mostly fisherman, and the occasional towboat pushing barges.  In river obstacles include wing dikes, buoys, bridge pilings and flood debris.  Thanks to the U.S. Coast Guard, the river’s entire course is marked with mileage/channel markers.

For Missouri River 340 information, contact Scott Mansker at 913-244-4666 or Travis Worley at 913-907-4559; or access additional race detail online at www.rivermiles.com.

View specifics related to the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles online at www.lewisandclarkcenter.org; or call the Boat House at 636-947-3199.