Think you’re a hard core kayaker? Well, how about a 340 mile, non-stop kayak race from Kansas City to St. Charles, MO? The event takes place July 15-19 this year.

Imagine a race across the entire state of Missouri, just you and your boat thrown against 340 miles of wind, heat, bugs and rain. This ain’t no mama’s boy float trip. This race promises to test your mettle from the first stroke in Kansas City to the last gasp in St. Charles. Just entering it will impress your friends. Finishing it will astound them… and winning it? Well, you always thought you were sort of a legend anyway, didn’t you? It’s time to prove it.

The Missouri 340 is an endurance race across the state of Missouri. Competitors will start in Kansas City and finish, some of them anyway, in St. Charles. With numerous towns and hamlets, the course offers plenty of opportunity for resupply while enroute. The Missouri River is also incredibly scenic and isolated in some stretches, with wildlife and beautiful vistas to rival any river in North America. But if you’re trying to win this race, you won’t have time to enjoy  any of it.

Participants are allowed exactly 100 hours to complete the course.  There are nine 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 100 hour pace. Failure to miss two consecutive deadlines is grounds for disqualification. To finish this race in 100 hours is a huge accomplishment. Only 2/3 of the teams were able to do that last year.

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