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Mississippi River 150 Canoe and Kayak Race and Tour Rules
General Rules:
In formulating the rules that govern this event, every effort has been made to foresee all situations and problems that may arise, however, officials of Two Paddles, LLC (Two Paddles) retain the right to change or amend these rules at any time without liability or recourse from any party regardless of the circumstances. Should such changes or amendments be made, every effort will be made to notify all entrants. Organizers reserve the right to modify rules to accommodate people with a disability. All decisions of the event organizers are final.
All participants are required to read and follow these rules. Failure to follow any rule may result in a time penalty or disqualification from the event. All participants are also expected to read and follow all information contained in the “MR 150 Paddler’s Guide.”
All participants or guardians of participants of Two Paddles events, must agree to the “Amateur Athletic Waiver and Release of Liability” and sign the form at check-in on the day of the event start. This waiver is required by the United States Canoe Association for participation in this event.
All participants are required to comply with any health guidelines issued by state, federal and/or local government that are in effect at the time of the event.
Participants must meet one of the following age requirements:
18 years of age by the date of the start of the event
16 or 17 years old so long as they are in the same boat with someone over 21 years old. The parent or legal guardian must sign the liability waiver for anyone under 18 years old.
All boats must be registered in the state of Minnesota except watercraft currently registered in another state and not kept in Minnesota for more than 90 consecutive days, or a watercraft owned by a person from another state that does not require licensing of that type of watercraft and it is not within Minnesota for more than 90 consecutive days, or watercraft from a country other than the United States and not kept in Minnesota for more than 90 consecutive days.
The original craft must be paddled from start to finish (does not apply to relay; see relay rules). Participants cannot switch boats unless their boat is damaged and unable to be paddled. In the event this happens the participants will still be eligible to complete the event and be considered finishers but will not be eligible to win a divisional or overall award.
A space must be available on each side of the boat, close to the bow on which to affix your official event number. Each team will be assigned a 4 digit number, listed on the roster. Participants must acquire and place their own numbers and they should be 3 or 4” in height. Numbers made for displaying your address on your home or mailbox work well. If you do not want the numbers to stay on your boat permanently you can try putting duct tape down first and then sticking the numbers on top of the duct tape.
Per the Minnesota boating guide, when transporting your boat to and from the event, participants must clean all visible aquatic plants, mud and debris off your boat, trailer and other water-related equipment before leaving a water access or shoreland property. It’s illegal to transport prohibited invasive plants or animals, whether dead or alive. Drain water-related equipment (boat, ballast tanks, portable bait container, motor) and drain bilge, livewell and baitwell by removing drain plugs before leaving a water access. Keep drain plugs out and water-draining devices open while transporting watercraft.
Deliberate littering of the river is illegal. Teams must keep their trash in their vessel and either transfer it to their support team or go ashore to properly dispose of waste. Campfires must be completely extinguished.
Use of alcohol and/or mind-altering drug use is prohibited prior to and during the event.
All participants agree to appear in event-related photography, videography and media coverage.
Safety Rules:
All team members should understand that there are risks involved in this endeavor. Constant vigilance, clear thinking and quick reaction will be essential at all times. Participants must use good judgment to determine when they should take a break. All team members (participants and support crew) enter this event at their own risk and will not hold this event’s organizers, judges, officials and sponsors liable for accidents to and or damage to any property.
All participants must wear a properly fitted, wearable (Type I, II, III) U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD) while on the water. Failure to wear a PFD at any time while on the water may result in disqualification. PFDs must be in serviceable condition. For more information on what is and is not considered serviceable condition, see the “Paddler’s Guide”.
A) Inflatable PFDs shall not be worn by non-swimmers; shall be worn in the front at the waist as the manufacturer designed it AND must be inspected by the user prior to wearing including ensuring that it is equipped with a properly armed inflation mechanism, complete with a full inflation cartridge and status indicators showing that the inflation mechanism is properly armed. Additionally, inflatable PFDs may not be worn while running the Sauk Rapids. If you are wearing an inflatable PFD you must switch it out for an inherently buoyant PFD at the “mid-rapids” put-in at Southside/Lions park before running the lower part of the rapids and keep it on until reaching the St. Cloud Dam portage, OR portage all the way to Wilson Park and skip the entirety of the Sauk Rapids.
B) In lieu of wearing a USCG approved PFD, competitors may wear an inherently buoyant form filled PFD which meets International Organization for Standardization ISO 12402-5 as long as the competitor complies with the instructions printed on the PFD, securely wears the PFD, and has a USCG approved PFD in the boat as well.
A pealess whistle must be attached to each PFD at all times.
All participants must check in with their boat and required safety gear and must attend the entire pre-event meeting at Lum Park in Brainerd, MN. At least one person from each team’s support crew must also attend this meeting except for participants using a virtual crew. Virtual crew members must review info prior to the event; participants will be told how to access this info. Vehicles may not be left at Lum Park overnight so all participants will need to make arrangements to have their vehicles moved.
Event organizers may notify participants to require them to go to shore in the event of severe weather, but participants should on their own go to shore in the event of dangerous conditions. Per the National Lightning Safety Institute; if lightning is seen or thunder is heard, get off the water immediately and seek shelter. Thirty minutes after seeing lightning or hearing thunder, the participants may proceed down the event course.
In the event of an emergency all participants should call 911 first and their support crew second (the support crew should then notify event officials). In the event a participant needs non-emergency assistance they should contact their support crew first and, if needed, event officials (phone number will be given out at the pre-event meeting). However, assistance may take hours to reach you, especially in adverse conditions, and all participants need to be prepared to self-rescue and/or hike to find assistance if needed.
All boats must have a spotlight or flashlight. Per the Minnesota boating guide this light must be strong enough so that other boats can see it at least two miles away and must be displayed in sufficient time to avoid a collision with another watercraft. This light can also be used to illuminate other things when necessary (for example, rocks in the river, things on shore, etc).
All boats must have a rear-facing stern light that is illuminated at all times during the night. This light can be fixed to your boat or displayed on your person (for example, a chemical light in a pocket or taped to the back of your life jacket). This light must be visible from at least 1 mile away.
If a participant asks for your assistance in an emergency you are obligated to help them to the degree that you can without harming your boat or yourself.
Rapids Rules:
Participants will be required to portage around the upper section and main drop of the Sauk Rapids, but may choose to run the lower section of the rapids at their own discretion. The Sauk Rapids at any level can be dangerous. Each paddler must assess their skills, knowledge and experience to determine if they can maneuver their boat through the rapids to avoid rocks, eddies, holes, large standing waves, recirculating currents, etc. See the “Paddler’s Guide” for more information about the length of the portage and running the rapids.
Event Timing and Logistics:
The event will officially end at exactly 5pm on Sunday or when the last boat has reached the Mississippi Point Park boat ramp, whichever comes earlier. The official end time for each boat will be recorded when the bow of the boat crosses the finish line. The finish line will be marked by a large inflatable archway that you must pass under OR it will be marked by an imaginary line between a buoy and the shore, close to the boat ramp. Teams still on the Mississippi River after 5pm are electing to continue independently of the event.
A team’s participation in this event ends when they have failed to reach a checkpoint by the cut-off time, notified event officials they are withdrawing from the event, or either reached the finish line before 5pm on Sunday or failed to arrive by 5pm. If any team elects to end their event before they reach the finish line, or is not going to make a cut-off time, they or their support crew must tell event officials either in person at a checkpoint or by calling event officials. Event officials will help determine when and/or where that team will pull off the river. Any team electing to continue downriver beyond the designated place and/or time is electing to continue independently of the event and unsupported by event officials. If you are going to arrive at any checkpoint or the finish line after the cut-off time do not expect any race officials or infrastructure to be present.
In the event of inclement weather during the event or particularly high or low water conditions or for any other reason, the course may be shortened or changed; start times, cut-off times and finish times may be altered.
Every boat must have a cell phone with activated cellular service that can can be used to place an emergency call and can be reached by their support crew or the event organizers via phone call and/or text message. We encourage people to use the Webscorer tracking system that will show the participant’s location so that event organizers, friends, family and support crew know where they are at on the course. See the Paddler’s Guide for more information about Webscorer. Cellular service is generally available along most of the event course for most carriers but there may be areas of low or no signal.
There are checkpoints during the event, each of which must be reached by it’s designated cut-off time:
Checkpoints: Cut-off times:
1) Brainerd Dam 6:30pm Fri
2) Little Falls Dam (portage) 7:00am Sat.
4) Blanchard Dam (portage) 10:00am Sat.
5) Sartell Dam (portage) 4:00pm Sat.
6) St. Cloud Dam (portage) 7:00pm Sat.
7) Mississippi West Regional Park (boat ramp) 3:30pm Sun.
8) Mississippi Point Park in Champlin (boat ramp) 5:00pm Sun.
Each event craft must be propelled exclusively by paddle power and/or pedal power while on the water. No sail or kite is permitted.
There are no restrictions on the use of electric bailers, outriggers, using double or single bladed paddles or any particular type of paddle, canoe covers or decking except for the USCA-defined Stand Up Paddleboard divisions (see divisions below for details).
Boats may be removed from the river by participants for breaks, repairs, or illness/injury but must re-enter the water at the point of exit. If a participant skips any portion of the course they are disqualified and may be barred from future competition.
Participants should stay in or close to the river at all times (except on portages). If a participant decides to take a break (to sleep for example) or to leave the race course and might be gone longer than 60 minutes they must let their support team know.
A support crew of at least one person is required for each team. Each team must designate a support crew captain no later than the pre-event meeting on the day of the event. The support crew may be in-person (i.e. physically present during the event), virtually present (i.e. monitoring the event via a computer or device) or a combination of both. Support crew are responsible to know the approximate whereabouts of their participants and be able to contact them. Both physical and virtual support crews must be available 24 hours a day for phone contact with event officials seeking information on their participants and must be able to travel to pick up their paddler in the event of illness, injury or the paddler quitting or missing a cut-off time. The support crew must be able to arrive at any point along the event course within 2.5 hours of being notified.
Support crews are not allowed to resupply participants from a boat. One support crew may serve multiple teams.
Outside assistance (such as from a motorboat or any craft not in the event) that provides intentional aid in the forward progress of a participating boat is not allowed. This includes towing, wake riding, deflection of wind and “rafting up.” However, wake riding and wind deflection between the boats in the event is allowed. No towing of event craft is permitted unless a participant is helping another participant get to a ramp or checkpoint to leave the event due to a medical/safety issue.
In order to make forward progress (except for the designated portages), participants and their boats must remain in the water except in the case that they need to get out of their boat to move it forward for a short period due to shallow water. Participants may take any channel of the river. Portages are only permitted at the designated locations.
A participant may quit and the remainder of the team may continue on, still in the same division. In the event a participant quits their original team, they can rejoin further downstream but the team will no longer be eligible for divisional or overall awards. Also, if a participant decides to join a different team during the event, the new team will not be eligible for division or overall awards.
Portaging:.
At each portage, all paddlers must take out at the event designated take-out place, follow the marked portage route and put back in at the designated put-in area. Each portage landing will be marked by signs and, at night, by lights.
At all portages, boat ramps or other break spots, participants will move their boat out of the water and out of the way of other participants as soon as possible to keep the landing area clear.
Participants may use portage wheels. Participants can keep the wheels in their boat or get them from their support crew. EXCEPTION: Support crews are NOT ALLOWED to meet paddlers at the Brainerd (Potlatch) Dam portage.
Support crew personnel and/or event personnel or volunteers may assist with moving boats and items out of the way at a portage take-out (or any other boat ramp or break spot) so long as they set the boat and items down within 100 feet of the spot the boat left the river. Once the boat and items are being moved along the portage path and are further than 100 feet from the take-out spot only the paddlers may propel the boat forward.
During portages,. all required gear (as listed in rule #43) must remain in the boat or be carried by the participants. Support crews can resupply the boat at any point along the portage, as long as they do not carry or transport any of the “required gear” or the boat.
Divisions:
Divisions:
NOTE: Event organizers reserve the right to combine or divide divisions for any reason.
Recreational Tour Division: see below
Relay Division: see below
Solo men: any boat paddled by a single man
Solo women: any boat paddled by a single woman
Tandem men: any boat paddled by two men
Tandem women: any boat paddled by two women
Tandem mixed: any boat paddled by one man and one woman
SUP Unlimited Men (see note below)
SUP Unlimited Women (see note below)
Team 3+: any boat paddled by three or more people
Recreational Tour: A non-competitive division open to all genders, boat-types and numbers of paddlers. No trophies given but participant’s are eligible for a finisher medal. Must still meet cut-off times and finish by 5pm on Sunday. Recreational tour participants skip the first ten miles of the race (i.e. they go directly from Lum Park to the Brainerd Dam portage). Recreational tour participants may use a vehicle to help transport their boat at any portage where it is possible, and may use a vehicle to drive them and their boat from the Sartell take-out to the St. Cloud put-in, thereby skipping the 5-mile Sauk Rapids section of the river.
Relay Division: Relay teams may paddle solo boats, tandem boats or team boats. All relay participants are in the same division, regardless of what kind of boat you are using or how many people are in the boat. The same boat must be used the entire time. Your relay team must have a minimum of 2 people. The relay course is divided into five sections.
You must stop at each of the four official relay checkpoints. At each checkpoint you must switch out all paddlers; no paddler can paddle consecutive sections. However, a person can paddle one section, skip the next and return. You cannot change paddlers anywhere other than at the official relay checkpoints. All of your relay teammates can help you move your boat on portages.
Lum Park to Fort Ripley (relay checkpoint 1): 34 miles
Fort Ripley to Blanchard Dam (relay checkpoint 2): 26 miles
Blanchard Dam to St. Cloud Dam (relay checkpoint 3): 39 miles
St. Cloud to Norin Landing (relay checkpoint 4): 35 miles
Norin Landing to Champlin (event finish): 20 miles
SUP Unlimited Men and Women: This is a USCA defined division. As such, any boat can enter this division but must meet the following regulations: It must be paddled in a stand up position and with a single blade. Skegs or rudders may be used on the bottom or stern unless they are designed to extend the waterline of the hull shape.
We have created a Gender Policy to help provide guidance so everyone can participate:
We will accept each person’s decision to sign up for any given division at face value, and no supporting evidence is required.
Two Paddles has adopted this policy out of the desire for inclusion and fairness. As such, we expect all parties to behave in a manner that is honest, compassionate, and respectful. We will not tolerate hateful or discriminatory behavior by any of our participants, or those associated with the event, regardless of the cause.
We plan to periodically review this policy to be sure it is up to date and equitable. Please contact the event directors at info@twopaddles.org if you have any questions, comments, or feedback.
Gear:
Required Gear:
Minnesota DNR Mississippi River maps 5-9 available at: Mississippi Water Trail maps
Personal Flotation Device (PFD) for each paddler that must be worn at all times when on the water
Pealess whistle attached to each PFD
Mobile phone—Phone should be kept in a waterproof container
Extra batteries and/or charger with charging cord for the mobile phone that is in the boat
Paddle
Spare warm clothes in a dry bag with you in your boat
Emergency blanket (reflective Mylar)
Warm hat (winter hat)
Rain gear
Water: see “MR 150 Paddler’s Guide” for more information
Food: see “MR 150 Paddler’s Guide” for more information
Garbage bag
Strong flashlight or spotlight
Stern/rear light (attached to boat or person)
Small button flashlight or chemical light/glow stick attached to PFD
Toilet kit: toilet paper, trowel
Recommended Gear:
Extra paddle
Portage wheels