Held each spring to coincide with the start of the snow melt runoff, the Lester River Race marks the unofficial start to the whitewater kayak season along Minnesota’s North Shore, drawing expert kayakers from across the region. Uniquely situated within the city limits of Duluth on the Lester River as it flows through Lester Park, the race provides excellent access for fans to watch this world-class whitewater event.
The 2018 race was held Saturday, April 28. Our daughter and her husband live just a few miles from the river so it’s nice to be able to spend the weekend with them while enjoying this awesome whitewater event.
This year 25 boaters entered the race. I was hoping to enter instead of being a safety boater as I have in years past. However, as I scouted the river the day before the race, the water level looked a little too low for my comfort level. Some drops looked boney; like it would require a perfect line to make it through cleanly. And since I wasn’t able to hook up with anyone for a practice run, I opted to be a safety boater once again. Next year!
This video shows the view from my safety position at the bottom of Limbo Rapids…
Read this description of the race from race director Cliff Langley.
And here are 2018 results. Once again, John McConville took first place with a time of 10:22. The only year John did not finish first in the Lester was 2016 when he finished second to Marty Halverson. Erin Achatz finished first in the women’s division with a time of 11:20.
