Henry, Emily 2nd team relay (DU), Paul Dowd 2nd age group (DU), Steve Z. 2nd age group (DU)

Grand River Canoe & Kayak Race 2016 Geneva Ohio.

I finished 10th out of 106 in the 14′ and under solo kayak division. I placed 3rd in the 40-49 age division. I would have finished first or second in my age division but I missed my line on the final bend of the river and got hung up on the rocks. I missed second by nine seconds and first by about a minute and a half. My finish time was 1:40:44.

Race Review For Grand River Canoe and Kayak Race

347 participants competed in tough conditions to take on the 8.5 mile canoe and kayak race. It was a cold 39 degrees, a little windy and the water was very shallow making this year’s race very challenging. The water depth was listed at 2′-2.5′ but many areas were even lower. The 8.5 mile course was a maze of exposed and hidden rocks. You were either on your line, or hung up on a rock. The course conditions benefited local paddlers and skilled technical paddlers with the ability to read the river. To find safe passage paddlers assessed current breaks, ground slopes, exposed rock, water flow, up river boats, and even wading fly fishermen. Very few competitors dared risking the hulls of their composite racing boats. Must chose heavier molded plastic boats that were slower but more suitable for the conditions. The finish times were all much slower than last year when the river was a foot higher and running much faster. Lake Metro Parks does a very nice job organizing races and events. The race was chip timed with live results that were available on mobile devices and from a computer results station set up at the finish

Race Review – Boston 2016

The Boston weather forecast was very good – about 58F and light-moderate headwinds of 10-15 mph. When Brigitte (my daughter, running her 4th) and I (running my 8th) arrived at the Athletes Village, she reminded me that we were 26.2 miles from Boston, and that the cool temps in Boston were not what we would have in Hopkinton. It was almost 70F for wave 1, and crested a little over 70 by the time we hit Wellesley. The sun and headwinds made it really tough for everyone, and most folks (particularly the later waves) did a bigger positive split than usual because of the weather. If you look at the BAA site, the race recap starts with “Near perfect conditions greeted the 27,491 runners who lined up in Hopkinton for the 120th running of the Boston Marathon: temperatures in the low ’60s; no humidity; a gentle, cooling breeze.” Not sure which Hopkinton they were at, but in the corral I was standing in, it was far from “near perfect.” I tried to adjust the race plan to accommodate the higher temps, and overall it went very well. End result – 1:32-ish first half and 1:37-ish second half for a net time of 3:09:38, which was my best Boston ever, by over 7 minutes – very happy with the performance, and very grateful. 2817th overall, 27th in my age group, and first 55-59 finisher from Ohio.