Paddlers tackle the Missouri River each year for the MR340
by Paul Newton | pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop | photos by Paul Newton, Sara Schafer and Ricki Spargo
Before the sun sneaks over the horizon, there’s already a flurry of activity at Kaw Point Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Hundreds of volunteers, racers and their ground crews are making the final preparations at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers before the real fun — and hard work — begins. Eventually, 611 racers in 411 boats are in the water and pointed 340 miles downstream to St. Charles.
“The energy around those first few hours of the race is so positive,” says Steve Schnarr, race director for the MR340. “There’s so many different people from different walks of life that all came here to do the same thing.”
In July, hundreds more racers will paddle, pedal or row the aquatic pilgrimage from Kansas City to St. Charles for the 20th annual MR340. It’s the world’s longest nonstop river race and tests the racers’ physical and mental toughness between the banks of the Big Muddy.
Race founder Scott Mansker became enamored with the water long before the inaugural race in 2006. “In 1989, some friends and I built a raft out of junk in our backyard and took it to the Missouri River in Kansas City,” says Scott. “We were all 20 and didn’t know what we were doing, but we fell in love with the river and all the gems of little towns every 25 miles or so.”
Scott kept hoping someone would organize the race across Missouri so he could participate, but finally decided if it was going to happen, he would have to do it. In 2006, he put a basic website together with the race rules and a mail-in entry form. He set a time limit of 100 hours, which he wasn’t 100% sure was enough time. He got 20 racers in 15 boats that first year with 10 boats finishing.
One of those boats belonged to avid paddlers Chuck and Di McHenry of Ironton. “At first, my main concern was could we do 340 miles on the Missouri and not get in a fight,” Chuck says with a laugh. “We had a storm that first year, but we had fun. When we came back the next year, we were more serious. It really became a race and we knew what we were doing. No camping or long rests or anything like that.”
Missouri River Relief — an organization dedicated to promoting the use of and care for the river — became involved with the race in 2008 and later acquired it from Scott. The course hasn’t changed much in 20 years, though each race is different with the growing number of racers, the weather Mother Nature provides, technology and innovation. One of the biggest evolutions is the use of RaceOwl, an app that allows competitors to check-in at checkpoints from their phones and not leave the water.
“Racers used to have to stop at all these different checkpoints along the way, get out of the water and check-in with one of our volunteers standing there with a clipboard,” Steve says. “The app speeds all that up.”
There’s a variety of divisions within the MR340. Most racers attack the river solo or in a tandem boat, however, team divisions go all the way up to dragon boats with 10 or more people. While a majority of racers paddle the river, others use pedal boats, row boats or even stand-up paddleboards. “It’s been interesting seeing the innovative designs of the pedal boats in recent years,” Steve says. “Some of the boats use actual canoe paddles that are articulated by pedaling.”
The race is scheduled around the lunar calendar, ensuring a full moon will give racers the most amount of light as they navigate at night. The first racers depart Kansas City on a Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. and they must finish in St. Charles by 9 p.m. on Friday.
Last year the first MR340 racers arrived in St. Charles just as the sun set on Wednesday night, spending less than 30 minutes out of their boat for the entire journey.
“When those first finishers end their race, there might be some racers 150 or 200 miles upstream,” Steve says. “They’re elite athletes with amazing paddling skills and taking very little or no breaks with super fast boats.”
Chuck and Di would race in five MR340s together. Their best finish came in 2010 with a time of 41:26. That would remain the mixed tandem race record for four years and is still the fifth fastest mixed tandem time in race history. Di holds the distinction of racing the MR340 more than anyone else, with this July being her 18th time. She didn’t think she would be able to race in 2024 due to a broken wrist, but was able to acquire a pedal boat and made it to St. Charles just before noon on Friday. “I’ve changed my strategy,” she says. “I’ll be 70 at the end of the year, so for me, just finishing is a win.”
Racers aren’t alone as they race east. There are more than 200 volunteers assisting the Missouri River Relief staff on the water and at checkpoints, along with countless others who assist in the river towns. Safety boats are scattered throughout the race ready to assist any racers in need, be it heat exhaustion, hypothermia, equipment failure and more. “It’s a tricky river that can fluctuate wildly depending on rainfall upstream. It can be unforgiving,” Steve says. “But it’s a pathway into the heart of Missouri. It’s a powerful experience.”
Racers also have support crews of friends, family or former racers who follow them across the state and help resupply their boats. The final boat of the race is the Reaper, which departs Kansas City on a pace to arrive in St. Charles on Friday evening. If the Reaper catches you, your race is over.
Steve says competing in the MR340 requires planning and training. From coordinating your ground crew to getting yourself accustomed to the river to testing your gear, preparation is key. “There’s some great training races out there to get you ready, test your boat and your body and train for the ultra endurance of it,” he says. “Also, doing a nighttime paddle practice is a good idea.”
There are plenty of challenges racers face throughout the week. Storms can send debris into the river, barges continue to run, headwinds can slow you down and there’s always fog along the way. Chuck and Di say the biggest struggles come just as you pass the Missouri State Capitol.
“The race doesn’t even really start until you’re in Jeff City,” Di says. “You’re exhausted and you’ve done about two-thirds of the race. That’s where a lot of people drop out.”
“From Jefferson City to Hermann is the devil’s playground,” Chuck adds. “The wind always blows upstream, there’s no cliffs or anything and it can be a little boring. If you can make it to Hermann, you’re going to finish the race.”
As racers pull into St. Charles, there’s plenty of cheers and well wishes waiting at the finish line. Scott says that whether racers are checking the MR340 off their bucket list or aiming to break a record, quality time on the river is what makes the race memorable.
“You get out there and have this sense of, gosh, upstream of me is mountains somewhere and downstream is saltwater,” says Scott, who still consults for the race. “This race gets people face to face with the river. And once they do that, they begin to understand it, stop fearing it, start to love it and engage with it.”
This year’s MR340 will be from July 8-11. For more information, visit www.mr340.org.