Great Russian River Race Announced
Lynda Hopkins
The Healdsburg Tribune
02/08/2011
This May, Healdsburg will host the first-ever Great Russian River Race, a
kayak and canoe competition designed to bring much-needed attention and funding
to Veterans Memorial Beach.
“The whole goal is for everyone to have fun.
The race will not only serve as an opening day on the river, but also as one of
the first events to start revitalizing Veterans Memorial Beach,” said Don
McEnhill, executive director of Russian Riverkeeper.
“That place was the
center of town every summer when I was growing up, and it’s not as well used by
the community anymore. We’re going to remind people what a great park it is,
right in the middle of town.”
One third of the event proceeds will go to
Sonoma County Regional Parks to help fund the raising of the dam and the
establishment of the Memorial Beach swimming hole, which costs the county
$85,000 each year. The remainder of the proceeds will support expansion of
Russian Riverkeeper’s Clean Campus Clean Creeks, a program that educates local
students about storm water runoff and empowers them to implement storm water
treatment on campus.
Over the past couple of months, a public-private partnership has formed to make the
Great Russian River Race possible. Local environmental non-profit Russian
Riverkeeper, local business River’s Edge Kayak and Canoe, and Sonoma County
Regional Parks have stepped forward to host the event. Marmot, an outdoor gear
company based in Santa Rosa, has offered financial support as one of the first
event sponsors.
The City of Healdsburg is excited about the race,
according to vice mayor Gary Plass.
“We’re coordinating what the city can
do to help facilitate this,” said vice mayor Gary Plass. “It does start in the
county and ends in the county park. We’re supporting it, we think it’s great.
Any use of Veterans Memorial Beach that we can encourage, we’re behind it. This
is all coming about because we started conversations with the county about the
dam. Everyone realized that Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach has been
under-utilized for a while. So we’re looking for ways to re-instill excitement
in the community about the park.”
The Great Russian River Race will be
divided into two segments, both of which will finish at the Memorial Beach
bridge. The16-mile Bridge to Bridge Race will challenge professional and expert
paddlers, and the six-mile Rio Lindo Race will provide fun and friendly
competition for intermediate and team paddlers.
“The Great Russian River
Race will be held on one of the most scenically beautiful sections of river in
California,” noted race director Tony Hansen. “The long and short courses cater
to both professional athletes and teams desiring a fun forum to test their river
skills.”
At stake is $5,000 in prize money—enough, organizers say, to
draw in world-class athletes.
“We should have a number of
the top professional and Olympic caliber paddlers in the world at this race. A
$5,000 cash prize is certainly fairly substantial in racing circles locally,”
McEnhill said.
And locals will have the chance to rub elbows—or
paddles—with top athletes.
“Our goal is to have a world class competitive
event paired with something fun us regular people can enjoy, and watch these
pros. It’s this wonderful mix, where you get to essentially be in the same race
with some of the fastest guys in the world,” McEnhill said.
A race party
with live music, educational booths, food, local wine and beer will be held as
paddlers cross the finish line. Attendance will be free and open to the public,
with purchases of food and beverages going to support Memorial Beach and the
Clean Creeks program.
Adventuresome locals with a penchant for paddling
are invited to enter the six-mile Rio Lindo Race. The Rio Lindo divisions
include single kayak/canoe/Surfski, double kayak/canoe/Surfski, and open
recreational canoe with two paddlers. Athletes may use their own boats, or rent
from River’s Edge Kayak and Canoe. The early entry fee is $50 per person before
April 15, and $75 per person afterwards.
