2024 Grand River Madhatters Canoe And Kayak Race Review

The Madhatters Grand River Canoe And Kayak Race is an 8.5 mile downriver race open to canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards.  Racers compete in various classes based on type and size of boat.  The name of the race comes from the long standing tradition of participants wearing crazy and unusual hats while paddling.  Awards are presented to the paddlers with the best hats as well as the fastest overall paddlers, the fastest paddlers in each boat class, and for age groups in some of the larger boat class divisions.

I have competed in this race several times always using my Liquidlogic Intuit 13.5 kayak.  Because this  is an early spring race the weather for this race is typically less than ideal often being cold and raining.   This year the temperatures were cold lingering in the low 40’s but no rain for once.  Instead we were challenged with extremely windy conditions with gusts as high as 40 mph.  If you know anything about paddle sports than you know wind and kayaks don’t mix well.   I would have gladly traded the rain of the past for the gusting winds of this year.

I got to the race what I thought was very early knowing that parking is limited and the race was once again sold out.  I was surprised at how many people had the same plan as I did.  I was lucky to find a parking space close to the kayak drop off area.  Racer’s boats are staged based on drop off time and 3 boats are launched every minute in a staggered start until every boat is launched.  I try to be one of the the first groups launched and was lucky enough to be up towards the beginning.

My start was a little slow and deliberate as I entered my kayak and secured my spray skirt.  I always prefer to take a few extra seconds to make sure I am set up before heading down the river.  I think in the long run it really helps.  6 members of what appeared to be Coast Guard assisted with launching boats into the water which was nice.  They steadied the boats, pushed them off the bank and even held your paddles for you.   Once all tucked in I was headed down the river.  Being this was the first time I was in a kayak this year I didn’t know exactly how I would feel.  I was counting on my endurance to carry me where my lack of practice in a kayak was limited.  I had been training inside on a row machine so I was hoping that would help.   The first half mile my heart rate jumped up fast, but after about 20 minutes I settled down into a consistent steady cadence and felt better.

Right away I knew it was going to be a tough day on the river.  Immediately the strong wind gusts were pounding on my kayak pushing it in every direction.  Even though there was a decent river flow and the water was at a good level the wind was punishing.  I was constantly dropping my head down to keep my hat from blowing off.  The wind was also so strong it was pushing my paddle back into my body as I tried to extend it on my catch which is the phase of the stroke when the paddle enters the water.  This was some of the toughest paddling I have ever experienced because of the constant battle with the wind.

About a mile into the race I saw a few people on the bank of the river.  One appeared to be a safety spotter while the other was a woman walking downriver.  I thought she was with the safety spotter until I made the turn around the bend and saw her kayak upside down in the middle of the river caught up in some rapids.   Rule one of the river is you help anyone is distress.  Luckily everyone was safe and by the time I approached the kayak a couple of other participants had already secured the kayak so I was able to proceed without stopping.

The wind continued to howl and push my kayak around.  I was very conservative the first half of the race.  The second half of the race I was feeling more confident and started pushing harder.  There was a strong kayaker ahead of me who started in an earlier heat that seemed to be reading the river well and choosing good lines staying in the deeper faster water so I was able to key in on his line which made it easier for me to navigate.   I typically really enjoy the scenery of the cliffs high above on either side of the river and often spot bald eagles and waterfalls but this year I was more focused on trying to keep my kayak pointed straight and get to the finish.

The last big turn of the course was the worst.  The river opened up creating a wide swirling mix of water with headwinds that made the kayak feel like someone put on the breaks.  Once past that section it was one more turn and then to the bank of the river for the finish.  Once again the very helpful Coast Guard crew was there to assist paddlers out of their boats.  I had 2 of them steadying my kayak and 1 on either side helping me to stand up out of it.  That was a real luxury for kayak racing.  I lost a few seconds trying to unsnap my spray skirt, but once out I sprinted the 25 yards to cross the timing mat and rung the bell to officially end my race.

After the race I immediately headed to the awaiting shuttle to return back to the start to pick up my car and change into warm dry clothes.  Once I changed it was back to the finish area to pick up my kayak and wait for results.  Parking is very limited at the finisher area and I was fortunate to find a spot.   Because there is a staggered start results are not finalized until the last participant is off of the river.  After a long wait the race director announced that the website the timing company was using crashed and awards would not be presented.  This was probably a good decision to wait until all of the results could be updated and finalized.   They announced awards could be picked up later or they would be mailed.  Race participants received custom finisher medals and t-shirts.  Once the results where posted I found out I finished in a time of 1:13:30 which was 8 minutes faster than last year.  Finish times at this race are highly dependent on the river flow rate, water depth, and weather so it is a little difficult to compare results from one year to another.  I placed 4th overall out of 118 in my kayak class and 1st out of 24 in my age division.  The race was very well organized as usual by Lake Metroparks.   It was fun catching up and seeing so many kayaking friends that I often race against.