MR 150 Overview — Two Paddles Canoe & Kayak Races

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Paddle the 3rd annual Mississippi River 150 Canoe and Kayak Race, Tour and Relay (aka the “MR 150”)! The MR 150 is a 147-mile endurance paddling event from the great north woods of Minnesota to the Twin Cities - from Brainerd to Champlin. Beginning at 3pm on Friday, June 7th, 2024, paddlers (paddling solo, tandem, in teams or in the relay) have 50 hours to make it to Mississippi Point Park in Champlin. Using canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards or any kind of self-powered boat, participants navigate through eight checkpoints, each of which must be reached by a designated “cut-off” time. The event is designed to be a grand adventure, filled with challenges and excitement. To rent a canoe or kayak, contact our friends at Clearwaters Outfitting. They’ll even pick it up at the finish line!

A few paddlers will try and win the race and/or their division; most people will simply be trying to finish. A recreational tour division is an option for those who favor being more relaxed, with a focus on the goal of finishing in the allowed time versus competing against other paddlers (see Paddler’s Guide for more info). A relay option allows a team of people to take turns paddling 5 sections of about 30 miles each. Finishing in under 50 hours is not easy but with a bit of training and determination it is possible! For example, if you paddle at an average of 4 mph your total moving time would add up to 37.5 hours. You’d have up to 12.5 hours for portaging and rest stops. How much sleep paddlers choose to get is up to them. Some participants won’t sleep at all while others will stop and sleep for a few hours Friday and/or Saturday night. Few things are more magical than watching the sunset and paddling the river by moonlight. Paddlers must negotiate six portages (over 2 miles in total) around five dams and the main drop of the Sauk Rapids. Some portages are along city streets while others follow hilly single-track paths through the forest.

On the second day of the event paddlers will arrive at the class I-II Sauk Rapids; paddlers are required to portage around the main drop but can choose to run the lower class one section or extend the portage to avoid that stretch as well.

The Mississippi is gorgeous, with mostly forested, undeveloped riverbanks. At times, the river becomes a maze of braided channels running around dozens of islands. There is a 13 mile state-designated “wild and scenic” section through the Beaver Islands below the St. Cloud dam. With over 15 hours of daylight each day, paddlers will enjoy the scenery and may spot otters, beavers, deer, eagles and other wildlife.

All participants must have a support crew (in-person or virtual). For those with a virtual support crew, there may be an option to purchase a service where we will bring your gear to Blanchard Dam and the finish line, and reserve a sleeping spot for you in our large tent at Blanchard—contact us for details. The support crew can meet the paddlers to re-supply food and water. The river flows through or near many towns and past many parks and ramps, so opportunities for re-supply are never far away. The speed of the current varies in different sections of the river and, depending on water levels can add between 1 and 4 mph to your moving speed.

Start of the MR 150 at Lum Park in Brainerd

Above every dam are a few miles of flat water—about 30 miles in total. All portage routes will be clearly visible to paddlers, marked by signs during the day and bright lights at night.

The fastest section is the Sauk Rapids but there are many other places with fast current, small rapids and riffles. Potential hazards include motorboats and river obstacles like fallen trees, rocks and bridge pillars as well as heat, cold, rain, bugs and exhaustion. There are no barges on this stretch of the river.

Paddlers start by paddling 5 miles upstream in the lake-like section above the Brainerd Dam, then turn around at a buoy. Recreational Tour division participants skip the first ten miles. From the buoy to Little Falls is 46 miles. The next section is then 33 miles to the cities of Sartell, Sauk Rapids and St. Cloud.

After St. Cloud the final 55 miles of the event have no portages as the river passes by Clearwater, Becker, Monticello, Otsego, Elk River, Dayton, and Ramsey before finishing in Champlin. The final 8 miles lie within the 72 mile Mississippi National River and Recreation area administered by the national park service.

The entire route is part of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) “Mississippi Water Trail.” The DNR has excellent river maps made for paddlers that show all ramps, campsites, bridges and other waypoints. There is an excellent article about the MR 150 that was published in the DNR’s magazine, read it here.

The route can be found on Mississippi River maps 5-9 at the following link: DNR maps. There is also a custom Google map which can show you the entire route and important landmarks: MR 150 racemap

All participants are recommended to use the Webscorer tracking system, which is an app on your smartphone. There will be a link where friends, family and support crew will be able to follow the progress of those who are tracking.

2024 MR 150 PER PERSON FEES:

$160 (Relay $130) if you register by April 15th at 11:59pm (you will be guaranteed to get the official race t-shirt)

$210 (Relay $180) if you register after April 15th and before May 21st at 11:59pm (instead of the official event T-shirt you may be given an alternate design and/or the shirt may need to be mailed to you after the event)

$260 (Relay $230) if you register after May 21st and before June 2nd at 11:59pm (instead of the official event T-shirt you may be given an alternate design and/or the shirt may need to be mailed to you after the event)

Refund Policy: Full refunds available for cancellations up until April 15th at 11:59pm. No refunds after April 15th for any reason.

Divisions include: Recreational Tour, solo (men/women), tandem (men/women/mixed), SUP (men/women), Relay and Team (for more details on divisions the Event Rules page)

When you register for the event you can also sign up for a shuttle service that will bring paddlers from Mississippi Crossings to the event start (for more details see the Paddler’s Guide). All participants are required to read the MR 150 Rules and the MR 150 Paddler’s Guide.

Join us at the Mississippi River Community Festival from 12:00pm to 5:30pm on Sunday, June 9th at Mississippi Crossings in Champlin, with a closing ceremony at 5:30pm. All participants, family members, friends, and support crew are warmly encouraged to attend. There will be live music and food, carnival games as part of Champlin’s Father Hennepin Festival, and you can watch other boats paddle past the amphitheater to the finish line! All paddlers will be entered into a drawing for prizes (must be present to win; drawing happens at the Closing Ceremony).

All participants will receive an event T-shirt. All finishers will receive a finisher medal. Top 3 finishers in each division winners receive a trophy.

Event fees are used for insurance, to support dozens of volunteer race staff, provide aid stations, timing, safety boat(s), park and pavilion rental fees, Post Paddle Party and more.

Experience a grand adventure on America’s most famous river! Join us for the annual Mississippi River 150 Canoe and Kayak Race and Tour. Please like and follow our Facebook page for the latest updates at https://www.facebook.com/TwoPaddlesMN

Register HERE.

Watch a recorded Zoom info session about the MR 150 here.