Today is the Great Falls Race and my one year anniversary of my temporary hiatus due to injury!

July 15, 2006

One of my favorite extreme races is racing down the Great Falls of the Potomac. Perhaps the oldest class 5 race in the USA, I have been racing here since the 80’s, but don’t know when it started to be honest. However there was a monumental moment in extreme racing, and that was in 1996 when the World Kayak Federation held the first every Head to Head race (boatercross) on Great Falls for the Pre-World Extreme Championships.

It was going to be interesting no matter what, but most people didn’t want to race side by side. We ran it anyway and in the end, everyone went for it and enjoyed themselves. Boatercross in the USA was born and it would ultimately become a more or less tradition at Great Falls, depending upon the organizer. Well, I may have ruined that last year when I got hit and injured in the finals. This year was scheduled to be a Boatercross, but enough athletes, organizers, and even my cousin Kirk, in the interest of safety first, suggested switching back to a time trial format. Don’t get me wrong, it is more likely for injury if you race head to head, just like with bicycles, cars, and other head to head racing; I just think it is more fun.

It is 8am and time to head to Great Falls with my Super Hero. This will be Dane’s first Great Falls Race at age 12. He is racing his Hero.

Well, got to go. Here are a few photos of the lines and of last year’s crash, ouch! I didn’t paddle for 5 weeks after that one!

🙂 EJ