Wisconsin Canoe Racing 2000
An overview of the 2000 racing season
By Kevin LeRoy  Wisconsin is a great state for all types of paddling. There is great whitewater on the Wolf River, intense sea kayaking in the
Apostle Islands, leisurely touring on the Wisconsin River and many other great places to paddle.
Wisconsin is also a great state for canoe racing. The Wisconsin Canoe Racing Association (WCRA) has just put its calendar races together; here's a summary of the races that make up the WCRA points series.
March 13, Yahara River at Madison.
This race was thrown together at the last minute because there are so many paddlers in Madison that weekend for Rutabaga's
big Canoecopia event. As is the case with bikers, skiers or runners, if you have enough paddlers in one place at one time - a race is bound to break out.
The race will take place on the Yahara River in downtown Madison. The length of the course will be determined on the day of the race based on the weather conditions. We'll try to have a direct correlation between the winning time in minutes and the current temperature. For example, if it's 40 degrees that day, we'll set a course that
will take about 40 minutes to complete.
This will be a very informal race. Don't expect a T-shirt, goody bag, an equitable structure of classes or even accurate results. But if you can keep your toes and fingers warm, and avoid swimming, you will have a great deal of fun.
The start/finish area is by the small boat landing off of E. Johnson Street on the east side of the river. Contact Kevin LeRoy at 608/273-0476 or kljmcanoe@aol.com for more information.
April 15, Burlington C-1.
Of all the Wisconsin races, this one has the highest level of competition. Some of the finest marathon paddlers in the world find their way to the Fox River at Riverside Park in Burlington for this one. In fact, 18
current or past national champions have raced here at least once in the short history of this race.
This is a pro C-1 only event. As of this writing, total prize money is estimated to be greater than $1,500, and the organizers are still continuing the fund-raising process. The purse will pay out up to 15 places. At the 1999 Burlington C-1 race, Calvin Hassel of Nebraska worked his way through the entire field to finish
first overall - despite a 30 minute handicap - with an actual time of 1:38:21.
The Burlington C-1 race is unique because of the handicap system. Paddlers start in assigned waves based on their expected finishing time. This gives everybody a chance at finishing in the money. It also adds a challenging new dynamic for the top racers. They're forced to fight traffic and climb wakes with the rest of us!
Over the last couple years, race organizers Fritz Hansen and Dan Luke have continued to refine the handicap system. The finishing times keep getting closer and closer.
Because this stretch of the Fox River has a strong current and the water temperatures are potentially dangerous, the race is not recommended for novice or intermediate paddlers; they will have plenty of opportunities later in the summer. However, this course is great for spectators. The racers pass the
start/finish area five times so you can see a lot of the race without having to travel up and down the river. Besides, this is really the only race in Wisconsin, Illinois or Iowa that attracts the very best paddlers from around the country.
Contact Fritz Hansen at 262/878-2777 or fchansen@wi.net for additional information.
June 17, Wisconsin River at Wausau.
This is a great race on the Wisconsin River just upstream from Wausau. The river is beautiful there, and the course includes a nice mix of urban, suburban and woodland environments. It also includes an excellent variety of deep, shallow and "suck" water depths – some spots with very fast current and some paddling on an impoundment. There are classes for men, women, recreational canoes, sea kayaks, C-1 and C-2,
juniors, masters (over forty) and open. In short, this race has a little of everything.
New this year, WCRA will be hosting the Fledgling Sprints after several races, including Wausau. This will be a very short race for young kids that will take place after the regular race. The course will be a couple of hundred meters for kids 12 and under. There will be some nice trophies, medals or ribbons.
The Wausau race provides a short course for sea kayaks and recreational canoes and a long course for racing canoes. Last year the fastest time on the long course was 1:53:24; by the Masters C-2 team of John Hugus and Allen Limberg. Morgan Wright and Randy Colton posted the fastest short course time, 1:22:48.
For more information, contact Morgan Wright at 715/693-4064 or mwright@dwave.net.
July 4, Rock River at Mayville.
This is another new for 2000 race. Brad Taggett, a recent transplant to Mayville from South Carolina, will be hosting this race on the Rock River. The course will start and finish in downtown Mayville and include a portage. Taggett says it will be between 2 and 2.5 hours, depending on water levels. This will be a money race with cash prizes.
Call Brad Taggett at 920/387-9025 for more information.
July 16, Wisconsin River at Muscoda.
This is the classic. It is the oldest points race on the schedule and by far has the most participants. Muscoda is one of the finest canoe races in the country. If you only go to one canoe race this summer, this should be it.
This is an all downstream course ending at a park in Muscoda. Men and mixed classes start at Bob's
Riverside Inn in Spring Green. Women and junior canoe classes and kayak classes start at the Otter Creek landing at Lone Rock. Recreational classes begin at Gotham. These varied starts make the race distances 21, 15 and eight miles, respectively.
This stretch of the Wisconsin River is well known to recreational paddlers because of the beautiful scenery and numerous places to camp along the way. For racers, the fast current, shallow water and shifting
sandbars make river-reading skills very important. Picking the correct channel is just as important as paddling fast.
There is always a lot going on at this race, such as the "Four State Challenge" competition. Racers earn points for their home state in each of the classes; three for first, two for second and one for third. Last year, Wisconsin finally broke the long winning streak held by Illinois.
New this year, Muscoda will be a qualifying race for the Barton Cup. The Barton Cup is a trophy presented to the winning junior boy and girl in canoe and kayak during the United States Canoe Association Marathon Nationals. In order to qualify, the juniors must finish in the top ten at one of the regional qualifying races. Also, there will be a Fledging Sprint event after the main race.
Last year, the fastest time for the 21-mile course belonged to the father-son team of Jim and Jason Larsen. They did it in 2:18:23. Jim lives in Michigan and Jason in Minnesota. The fastest boat in the 15-mile course was the adult/youth team of Kai Hansen and Alex Hoefs. They completed the course in 1:44:40. On the eight-mile course, the day belonged to Dan Mellon and Nick Noel. They won the C-2 "Fast Recreational Canoe" class with a time of 54:27.
Brad Glass has been the race director for Muscoda for a number of years. However, last year and this year the River Alliance of Wisconsin has been a tremendous help in putting on the race. If you would like more information, call the River Alliance office at 608/257-2424.
August 6, Lake Wingra, Madison.
This is a very pleasant little race in Madison hosted by the Mad City Paddlers. The Mad City Paddlers main
focus is on canoe and kayak touring but for one day a year, it becomes a racing club. One nice feature of this race is there are two or three relatively short races, so you can race more than once in one day. Canoes and kayaks built specifically for racing do two laps around Lake Wingra. Other boats go around once. One nice benefit of having the race on the lake is that competitors and spectators can see each other most of the time.
At the 1999 race, Dave Timmerman and Joan Even posted the fastest long course time of the day. They won the men's C-2 race in 49:01. The fastest time on the short course was sea kayaker Dirk Fabian's 29:33. If you would like more information about the Madison race, call Sarah Wright at 608/845-7109 or check out the Mad City Paddlers web page at: http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Falls/1922/index.html.
There you have it – the 2000 Points Series. If you would like more information about the Wisconsin Canoe Racing Association, there is a web page at http://www.dwave.net/~wca/index.htm or you can contact Kevin LeRoy at 608/273-0476 or kljmcanoe@aol.com.
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