My nagging forearm injury kept me from racing in the Colorado River 100 this year. But I still wanted to see the race, and see the people that I have made friends with who race. So I decided to volunteer to help out with the race. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.
I was to be at the last checkpoint at 3:30pm and stay until it closed at 11:30pm. The last people to get to that checkpoint didn't get there till after midnight, and they needed my help at the finish line in Columbus.
Who says that canoe and kayak racing isn't a spectator sport???
Traffic jams were common on the boat ramps.
Lots of people ended up dropping out at this checkpoint. This is the last place before the finish that has public access. Once you leave this checkpoint, you have no choice than to paddle the remaining 36 miles. I would say that at least half of the boats that got to La Grange after dark ended up choosing to not finish the race.
I ended up working until 5:00am and then catching a couple hours of sleep before driving back to Austin. It was tiring, but I had a good time, and caught up with some old friends and made a few new ones too. Maybe next year I will be back racing again.
Looks like a pretty spot.
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