| About
SDKC
Description
The South Dakota Kayak Challenge is the first marathon-endurance
paddling race in the state.
Racers
will face 75 miles on the Missouri National Recreational River,
starting in history-rich Yankton, S.D., and ending in less
than 36 hours in Sioux City, Iowa.
The
SDKC portion of the Missouri National Recreational River varies
greatly, from narrow channels between islands to areas where
the river is more than a quarter-mile wide. Views from Google
Earth or even Google Maps can give you an accurate view of
the area.
As
a first time event aimed at a wide range of paddlers, the
SDKC timeframe is 36 hours for all participants. As registrations
come in, we hope to develop a series of cut-off times for
racing veterans and offer cash prize incentives.
 Supporting
communities
The South Dakota Kayak Challenge organizers give many thanks
to the South Dakota cities of Yankton, Vermillion, Elk Point,
Burbank, North Sioux City, Dakota Dunes, McCook Lake,the Nebraska
communities of Newcastle, Ponca, and South Sioux City, and
our finish-line host city in Iowa, Sioux City.
The
support of citizens of these fine towns and cities makes our
efforts to get a race on this beautiful natural resource makes
the race possible. We offer our thanks to the vibrant Missouri
River community that stretches from North Dakota to Omaha,
since up and down this stretch people have voiced their support
of this inaugural event.
How do I get started?
We
recommend reading through our site. We have links to a number
of other races of this type, and as a first year event, we
invite potential SDKC racers to visit some of the web sites
of races like the Texas
Water Safari, the Kansas
River "Gritty Fitty", the Missouri
River 340, and the Colorado
River 100 to see what a marathon-endurance race can be
like.
The
South Dakota Kayak Challenge is a marathon-endurance paddling
race on the Missouri River. The race length is about 75 miles.
Racers will have 36 hours to reach the finish line in Sioux
City after they leave the start on Saturday at 7 a.m. in Yankton.
Racers will have four checkpoints on the route.
Experienced
racers will probably finish the race in less than one-third
the allowed time. But we want veterans and newcomers alike
to take part and not feel that they will train, travel, and
give up their Memorial Day weekend, only to miss a time cut-off
and be “out” of the race.
You can e-mail the SDKC race organizers directly at
these links:
Steven Dahlmeier, steven (at) sdkayakchallenge (dot) org
Jarett Bies, jarett (at) sdkayakchallenge (dot) org for more
information.
How
much does it cost?
Registration
for all racers will be $50 per person. Hence a tandem kayak
team would need to pay $100 to race.
A portion of the cost will be used to purchase insurance.
We plan to use a mail-in registration only, to save money
and inconvenience. There are no refunds after May 25,
2010 - or for extreme weather.
Are
there multiple classes for racers?
SDKC
organizers want to keep things as simple as possible, so the
categories for racing will include:
Men,
single
Women, single
Mixed team
Men’s team
Women’s team
If
we have enough competitors, we will set time cut-offs and
make two classes: Racers and Adventurers.
Check back often to see if we can offer this additional feature
to our 2010 race.
How
do I train?
Veterans
of marathon-endurance paddling events, we guess, will see
our South Dakota race as a sprint. Our sources have said that
a race of this length will most likely be seen as a “sprint”
for experienced racing kayakers and teams. Newcomers may scoff
at the idea of finishing 70-plus miles in 36 hours, based
on their own recreational or touring experiences on rivers.
But
let’s look at example:
If
Kayaker A covers about 77 miles on his or her route, they
would need to average only
2.3
miles per hour
To
finish in the time allowed. At a somewhat typical paddling
speed of 4 mph, you could cover 80 miles in 20 hours.
Figure
in a break or two, and the challenges of night travel, and
you can see how “doable” a race like this can
be.
Extensive
training is recommended. A race of more than 70 miles will
challenge almost anyone, and the river is neither tame nor
overly aggressive. SO start training now to be ready for the
Challenge!
What
boats will race?
The
South Dakota Kayak Challenge is open to any paddle-powered
craft, and the route should allow canoes, kayaks, racing craft
of any designs, surf-skis, just about anything. We will open
our race to wind-assisted craft, but they will not directly
“compete” with paddle-only craft.
 Mission
statement
Our
goal is to safely host a new paddling event in the state of
South Dakota, a challenging one where competitors of many
skill levels paddle one of the most beautiful stretches of
the Missouri River, and in doing so, remind all who race,
support, volunteer, and watch the race of the necessity of
ongoing care of this amazing treasure called the Mighty Mo.
Schedule of events
Friday,
May 28
6:30 p.m (NOTE TIME CHANGE).
Pre-race briefing for all participants and crews @ Riverside
Park
Saturday,
May 29
7 a.m. race begins in Yankton
Sunday,
May 30
7 p.m. race ends in Sioux City
Insurance
We
will offer USCA race insurance and require it for all participants.
The fee is minor and we aim to include it in the registration
cost.
Safety
Local emergency medical teams are part of the South Dakota
Kayak Challenge team.
Safety boat crews will patrol the waters of the course as
necessary, including U.S. Coast Guard teams.
Emergency medical care will either be on-site or readily available
during the event. Most of the race is near river access points
and will give us plenty of safe places to evacuate racers
if needed.
Emergency
medical numbers will be given to all participants.
- Cell
service in the area is limited and radio communications
equipment is encouraged but not required.
- An
established race channel will be established during the
pre-race meeting.
- Four
mandatory checkpoints will be established, with a mandatory
check in and out.
- Failure
to comply will result in disqualification.
Each
participant must have a coast guard approved type I, II, III
or V Personal Floatation Device (PFD) in his/her possession
while on the water. Each boat must have at least one whistle
while on the water.
 Mandatory
equipment
-
Cell phone or two-way communication device
- Coast
Guard approved PFD for each person in boat
- Lights
for night racing
- Two
liters water per person onboard
- Whistle
and mirror on each craft
Good
idea stuff
Cut-offs and checkpoints
This event has a 36-hour time limit for all paddlers in all
classes.
There will be four checkpoints.
Racers must reach checkpoints in a reasonable amount of time,
but to promote an “as many racers as possible”
goal, we will not cut off racers who fail to make it to a
check point “in time.”
Support
teams
Each participant is allowed unlimited race support at the
few locations where vehicles can access the water. No replacement
paddlers or boats.
Racers may self-support using any of the listed spots.
Age
restrictions
Children ages 16 and younger must paddle in tandem kayaks
or in a team of two or more boats with a parent or legal guardian.
Race
shuttles
The SDKC will offer no-cost vehicle shuttle from the Sioux
City to Yankotn on Friday evening. This will leave your car
in Sioux City so it's there when you finish.
Awards
and post-race
All participants will receive t-shirts.
We hope to include awards for top finishers, and we’ll
develop more details on this as soon as possible.
DNF
on the Course
Paddlers who fail to notify race authorities after choosing
to exit the race will be banned from future South Dakota Kayak
Challenge events.
Sportsmanship
No win is worth the loss of life. Race camaraderie is encouraged
on this oft-challenging water.
Race officials will weigh in on line-crossing rudeness between
racers, and penalties include disqualification.
Logical
“leave-no-trace” rules
Racers who discard anything into the river or who fail to
maintain gear accountability are subject to penalty. Litter,
trash, etc. are verboten.
The
River Creed
The organizers of the South Dakota Kayak Challenge, when faced
with a unforeseen hazard or conflict, reserve permission to
revise any of the information on this Web site and on publications
or information offered on the site, or on the water.
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