2nd Annual Tallulah Race

Oh the Tallulah Gorge, this is one of the most amazing places in the Southeastern United States to kayak in the fall.
If you haven’t had the chance to paddle here you are missing out, every November there are scheduled releases both Saturday and Sunday with varying water levels.
Recently the 2nd Annual Race was held in the gorge, where 32 kayakers challenged themselves in navigating the class IV-V gorge as fast as possible.

The gorge starts off very mild and as you venture a few hundred yards further you round a corner and come up on the iconic rapid of the run, Oceana.
This is a large slide which has about a 50-degree angle with multiple lines, most choose to run the far left side which is the fastest of the options.

After exiting this slide clean you will experience about a half mile of class III-IV smaller rapids until you come to Bridal Veil, this is the smaller of the two slides and a nice bite-sized version of Oceana without the consequences.
The best option for running this slide is far left as well, this will avoid a large hole in the center of the exit and prevent carnage.
In the center of this slide, there have been some very bad beat downs and some near fatalities.

Once finished with Bridal Veil, the gorge shows off is majestic nature with amazing rapids and clear images of 300′ granite walls.
At this point, it is a sprint to the finish line and racers have to rely on physical preparation as well as technical skill.
If you have the opportunity to race this event next year I highly recommend it, Laura Dillon does a fantastic job with the logistics and work behind the scenes.
All of the proceeds go to Team River Runner, which promotes kayaking and outdoor activities within the active and former military communities.
Check out the highlight video and get pumped to volunteer or race in 2018!