The Missouri American Water 340 is an endurance canoe and kayak race across the state of Missouri. Competitors will start in Kansas City on Tuesday, July 20, and finish in St. Charles.

With numerous towns and hamlets, the course offers plenty of opportunity for resupply while en route. Some stops available are in the KMMO listening area, including Wellington, Lexington and Waverly in Lafayette County; the Grand Pass Conservation Area and Miami in Saline County; the Mouth of the Grand River near Brunswick and Dalton Access in Chariton County; Glasgow in Howard County; and the Mouth of the Lamine River near Blackwater and Boonville in Cooper County.

Participants are allowed exactly 85 hours to complete the course. There are checkpoints along the route where paddlers are required to sign in and sign out. Cutoff times will be associated with these checkpoints based on the 85-hour pace. Failure to checkpoint deadlines is grounds for disqualification. Only two-thirds of the teams were able to complete the course last year.

There are no dams, locks or portages on this stretch of the Missouri. You could, conceivably, finish this race without ever having left your boat, however the organizers don’t recommend it.

The Missouri 340 course is all on Class I water. The current is about 2-3 mph, and there are no rapids. The biggest hazard to paddlers are motorboats, fishermen, and the occasional towboat pushing barges. In-river obstacles include wing dikes, buoys and bridge pilings.

The United States Coast Guard has marked the river over the entire course with mileage and channel markers. At the pre-race meeting and safety check on Monday, July 19, racers will be briefed on how to read these markers, how to handle a tow and barge passage and what constitutes public property on the river. Paddlers will also be provided with a series of dispatches leading up to the race with details on training, strategy and safety.

You can see the route and stops along that way by going to this link: www.missouririverwatertrail.com.