1st Annual Bristol Bridge to Bridge
Canoe & Kayak Marathon Races
St. Joseph River - Bristol, Indiana
The Indiana Division of the United States Canoe Association would like
to thank Jan
Streib for her support of the 1st
Annual Bristol Bridge to Bridge Canoe and Kayak Races, held on Saturday,
October 2 and Sunday, October 3, 1999.
The Bristol Bridge to Bridge Canoe and Kayak Races got off to a chilly, but
dry, start on Saturday, October 2. Enthusiasm for the inaugural race on the
St. Joe River in Bristol, IN was high even though the water levels were low
for the river. Any concerns about scratching the bottom of the boats were
not lessened by the officials suggesting the racers stay to the outside of
each turn and consider short-cutting as risk taking. Only one boat ran aground
during the morning races and that proved to be the official who had issued
the warning about shallow water. (Yeah, Jan!)
Even though the races were listed as 5.5 miles someone with a GPS tagged
it as closer to 4.7 miles. The best time for the Saturday races was turned
in by Jim Anderson in the C-1 Men's race. The other races held on Saturday
were the C-1 Women, C-2 Mixed, Sea Kayak Men and Women, and the Sprints.
By the time the 1:00 PM races started there was a steady drizzle. By the
time the 3:00 PM sprints started the only racers with enough interest in
getting wet again were the fledglings and the chase boat who followed the
Fledglings. Those little kids, 6 & 7 year olds, were so excited about
racing they didn't care if it poured on them.
By Sunday morning, it had stopped raining but the river had dropped an additional
4 inches. The C-2 Men, Women and Standard classes started ahead of the Open
Kayak classes. Everyone took the official's advice this time, including the
officials! The course went down stream from the boat launch in Hermance park,
counterclockwise around a large bridge, back up through a wide, shallow bay
of the river, up a narrow passage around an island over some more shallows
to the Toll Road bridge with another counterclockwise turn and back over
the shallows. This loop was done twice. It demanded a lot of brain stamina
to force the boat through this shallow water. This shallow water was an advantage
to crews who could pop their boats.
Comments on this first year of the race were very favorable, encouraging
the race sponsors to do it again next year. And I guess we will. Please bring
your friends next year!
The results of the races are as follows:
Saturday, October 2,
1999
C-1 Women: 5 miles
Deb Kanost - 57:57
Gina Whitehead - 59:12
K-1 Sea Kayak - Women: 5 miles
Jan Streib - 56:30
Mary Francis - 1:05:49
K-1 Sea Kayak - Men: 5 miles
Pat Sawyer - 45:21
Jim McAllister - 53:09
Buzz Lail - 53:46
Chris Helvey - 54:46
Ed Benke - 57:56
C-1 Men's Cruiser: 5 miles
Jim Anderson - 45:09
Bill Kanost - 45:09
Forest Haine - 46:27
Frank Tinsley - 46:52
Terry Streib - 49:01
Sande MacMorran - 49:04
Chris Helvey - 55:07
Earl Metzler - 56:40
Fledgling Sprints: 250m
Cam Spitaels & Alli Heeter - 1:46:37
Kaci Heeter & Maddie Spitaels - 1:48:15
C-2 Men Sprints: 250m
Buzz Lail & Earl Metzler - 0:52:46
Sunday,
October 3, 1999
K-1 Open - Women: 5 miles
Jan Streib - 52:24
Deb Andrzejewski - 59:00
Lisa Coldwell - 1:04:35
Deb Shoup - 1:04:36
C-2 Women's Cruiser: 5 miles
Gina Whitehead & Kris Messman - 57:24
K-1 Open - Men: 5 miles
Pat Sawyer - 43:21
Earl Metzler - 47:37
Buzz Lail - 52:50
C-2 Standard: 5 miles
Roger Crisp & Terry Pontius - 49:38
Frank Tinsley & Brian Benson - 50:21
Bill Martin & Dan White - 1:01:58
C-2 Men's Cruiser: 5 miles
Mark Bialek & Forest Haine - 46:53
Jim Anderson & Sande MacMorran - 49:16
The race participation was excellent for a first year event. The Indiana
Division urges all people who enjoy canoeing to come out next year and join
in the fun. We would really like to start developing a larger recreation
group of paddlers to supplement the hardcore paddlers that come to every
race. The more boats that we can put out on the river, the better time everyone
has.
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