Latest updates posted 6/10/25:

Bring warm clothes! Forecast is for temps in the 50’s.

Please see updated parking information at the bottom of this page.

If you are paddling as part of a team and you want to do live tracking on a phone you will need to log-in to the webscorer app using the username and password of whoever registered your team for the race.

Previous update:

Text or call the Race Hotline at anytime with questions (also for emergencies during the race)

507.400.0669

We recommend all participants save this number in their phone

Hello MR 145 Participants,

Thanks for signing up for the 4th Annual Mississippi River 145 Canoe, Kayak & SUP Race!

We can’t wait to see you on June 13th at Lum Park in Brainerd. This update includes everything you need to know—please read it carefully.

📋 Quick Checklist

• ✅ Sign the waiver (check the roster to confirm and see who else is racing).

• 🚣 Note your boat number (it’s on the roster) and purchase stickers (details in the Paddler’s Guide).

• 📘 Read: Paddler’s Guide | Race Rules | Race Overview

• 🗺️ Review: Google Race Map | MN DNR River Maps 5–9 (download and/or request free paper maps at info.dnr@state.mn.us). 

• 🚌 Need a shuttle? Edit your registration in Webscorer to add it (credit card needed for payment).

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Add or update your support crew info in your registration (you can edit your registration in Webscorer). All teams must have a support crew—virtual or in-person.

• 📱 Download the Webscorer app for live tracking.

• 👍 Follow us: Facebook Page and join our community group.

🛎️ Race Check-In

When: Friday, June 13th, 11:00 AM–1:30 PM
Where: Lum Park, Brainerd
Required Safety Meeting: 2:00 PM

🤝 Thanks to Our Sponsors

Special thanks to our Title Sponsor, Great River Energy, and all our amazing partners who make this event possible.

📊 Who’s Racing?

52 participants (as of 5/20) and counting; for latest numbers see the roster:

• 1 recreational tour

• 3 solo women

• 1 SUP man

• 9 solo men

• 10 tandem men’s teams

• 3 mixed tandem teams

• 1 four-person team

• 2 four-person relay teams

• 20 people from MN, 8 from MO, 5 each from WI and IL, 2 each from MB and MI and 1 each from SD and VA.

Every paddler gets a race shirt, finisher’s get a finisher medal, and every participant gets a free Dorothy’s Root Beer at the finish line! Top three finishers in each division get a trophy.

💧 Water Levels

Currently high side of medium (per St. Cloud gauge), leaning high. Water conditions can change quickly—keep checking MN DNR river levels.

🙋‍♂️ Volunteer!

We need volunteers Friday night, Saturday, and at the Champlin finish line. High-need roles get 50% off Sunday races. Email us: info@twopaddles.org.

🛶 Sunday Races

On June 15, join the:

• 5-Mile Root Beer Float – just $10! (includes shuttle)

• MR 12, 20, and 43 – register before May 21st at midnight to save.

Special Deal for MR 145 racers: Sign up now and you can:

• Switch races anytime before start

• Get refunded if you downgrade or withdraw

📡 Live Tracking

Live GPS tracking is via Webscorer—recommended but not required.
Instructions:

1. Install Webscorer app and log in with your race registration email. Do this now so it will know your username and password; otherwise you’ll have to remember those things on race day.

2. On race day, anytime before the race starts (i.e. 15 minutes before, or an hour; your choice) go to “GPS self-tracking” > “My Upcoming GPS Races” > “Mississippi River 145” > Start GPS tracking. If you are asked if it’s OK for the app to run in the background you must choose to allow it to run in order for it to work.

3. Keep your phone charged, dry, and in the boat. It pings your location every 5 minutes (when signal is available). You can turn the screen off but do not turn the phone off or put it in airplane mode. You can click out of the app but do not close out of it (by swiping it up for example). The phones “cellular data” setting must be kept on.

4. Friends, family, and support crew can follow along on this page where they can see either the ‘latest location of all racers’ or, by choosing ‘selected racer progress’ they can see your specific time stamps and track. At this page people can see your split times at various checkpoints by clicking on 2025 Mississippi River 145 Race–GPS Timed (won’t be available until someone gets to the first checkpoint)

Disclaimer: neither GPS tracking nor split times will be used to determine your official finish time. We record finish times manually. All GPS tracking and split time info is for personal use only and is subject to errors including dropped cell phone coverage, loss of power to the phone, wet phone, etc. 

📍 Manual Check-Ins

Required at Brainerd, Blanchard, and Sartell Dams.
Just give your boat number to the volunteer—no check-in means a time penalty.

💤 Sleeping Area at Blanchard Dam

Night #1: A designated tent area will be mowed ¼ down the portage path. Support crews may set up tents before paddlers arrive. 

🎉 Post-Paddle Party at Finish Line

This year’s celebration is right at the finish line in Mississippi Point Park, Champlin—live music by Uncle Kenny, sponsor booths, and cheering for finishers! Bring chairs or blankets. Enjoy the rides and food at the adjacent Father Hennepin Festival.

🛶 Boat Corral

Leave your boat at the finish-line corral and pick it up when you're ready—ideal if you finish Sunday and want to stay for the party.

🏁 Race Prep Tips

• Use the Paddler’s Guide to plan checkpoints, portages, and cut-off times.

• Expect 20–30 miles of flat water above each dam—pace accordingly.

• Prepare for cold water and night paddling: bring a dry bag with extra clothes and tie it to your boat. This bag should ONLY be opened in an emergency; have a different dry bag that you use for adding and subtracting layers of clothing.
  
  💪 Training

Anything helps—paddling, weights, running, etc. Just start!
Be cautious in spring conditions:

• Always wear your PFD

• Use a dry or wetsuit

• Stay close to shore, paddle with a group, and let someone know your route

Read: Frank Bures’ close call story—a helpful reminder.

Try paddling at night at least once beforehand—it’s a different challenge.

⏱️ Fastest Known Paddle

Director Scott Miller started Fastest Known Paddle—a site to record speed records on paddle routes. Check it out and set a time!

🚽 Pee, Eat, Paddle

The key to finishing? Stay in the boat.

• Figure out a urination plan (practice makes perfect—even for men).

• Eat while paddling—don’t waste momentum!

🏕️ Lodging

Thursday (Brainerd):

• Hotels, Lum Park (RV only), or Crow Wing State Park (camping)

Saturday/Sunday (near finish):

• Hotels in Coon Rapids or camping at Bunker Hills Regional Park

⛑️ PFDs

PFDs are required. See Rule #14 in the Race Rules for approved types.

❓ Questions?

Email us at info@twopaddles.org

See you on the water!
Scott Miller & Todd Foster
Race Directors

🚗 Parking for the Party in Champlin

Take 169 to Miller Road to E River Parkway to the Parking lots at Mississippi Crossings (orange on the map below) then walk down to the finish line/Post Paddle Party at Mississippi Point Park.
Note: Normally you can enter the parking lot from the south via West River Road but it is closed during the Father Hennepin Festival. See map at bottom of page.