Top canoeists, kayakers race this weekend on Thompson
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Updated: July 17, 2009 4:52 PM
It’s a marathon without the running shoes and cement.
Canoers and kayakers from Prince George to the U.S. will be descending on the Thompson River this weekend for the 11th annual Western Canadian Marathon Canoe and Kayak Championships.
The event will start Saturday with solo and mixed paddle races, beginning from the Lafarge Bridge and ending at the McArthur Island Park boat basin.
The race will feature two brothers — ages 80 and 83 — paddling down the Thompson River.
“They’re going to come down the river that day, which is unbelievable,” said Darryl Spencer, the event organizer with the Thompson River Interior Paddle Sports (TRIPS) club.
While the first race is happening, a second one will begin at the Thompson River boat launch.
It’s called the Citizens Challenge, in which the public is welcome to paddle anything from the boat launch to McArthur Island.
The Citizens Challenge begins at 11 a.m. and contestants in the two races will meet up for an awards luncheon at the Oasis Restaurant at the park.
The marathon race is expected to last about two hours.
Spencer noted the weekend is the biggest event of the year the TRIPS club.
On Sunday, the second race will be a men’s and women’s pairs marathon that will loop paddlers up the North Thompson River and around Rabbit Island.
That race will begin at 9 a.m. from McArthur Island and run for approximately two hours.
Call 250-376-6017 for more information.
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