Des Plaines River Kayak Marathon 052117
Cathie, Liz and I entered the Des Plaines River Canoe/Kayak Marathon (4th time!). We got there right at 7am, just before the long lines of paddlers looking to unload. We drove both cars down to the take-out point and got a bus ride back to the start. We were afraid we’d be late for our 8:45am start time, but we got their just in time.
About a third of the way through the race, I hit a wall. I was exhausted. My arms and legs were really fatigued. I wasn’t injured just really tired. Just past the half way point, we stopped for a snack and I got a 2nd wind and was easily able to continue, but at a slow pace.
The weather was cool, in the mid 60s with a mostly cloudy sky. The water level was lower than previous years, but we did have a pretty good current. The river had been freshly cleared of tree falls, making the paddle a little bit safer than previous year. For one tree fall, I got squeezed by a couple of really fast paddlers. We all bottle-necked at a really tight tree fall. I wished they would have waited their turn.
We finished at 1:40. We clocked 4:40 race time. That’s 20 minutes slower than last year. That makes sense.
The picnic at the finish area was really nice. We had pull-pork sandwiches from the food truck and listened to classic rock from the live band. I was really tired and sore, but happy to have finished.
