With kayak and canoe season well underway, we’re glad to bring you the following information on some really great paddling events happening around the country.

These kayaking and canoeing events and races for May and June 2010 look like some of the most fun anyone who loves to paddle could have on the water.

We encourage you to take part in these or any of your local river, lake and ocean paddling events. As always, if you’d like us to post your event on our blog and include it on our kayak and canoe races and events calendars (by month or by state), please use our handy contact form to send us all of the info.

Kayak / Canoe Event and Races for May 2010:

May 22, 2010 – Saturday

• Great Suwannee River Race
Suwannee County, Florida

This event includes a raft race and canoe / kayak race.

Schedule of Great Suwannee River Race Events:

7 a.m. Rafts — Registration begins at Camp ‘O The Suwannee Subdivision boat ramp. Rafts launch from the boat ramp and assemble at the starting point, Little River Spring.

7 a.m. Canoes and Kayaks — Registration begins at Royal Spring boat ramp. Canoes and kayaks launch from the boat ramp and assemble at the starting point north of the Royal Spring Run.

10 a.m. Raft race begins

10 a.m. Canoe/Kayak race begins

1 p.m. Presentation of awards and trophies

Ivey Memorial Park – Branford

For more information on this and other events, please check our BornToPaddle.com Kayak & Canoe – Races & Events Calendar pages.

May 29, 2010 – Saturday

• Metedeconk River Run
Windward Beach – Brick, New Jersey

*This race is part of the Tune-Up Kayak Training Series culminating in the New York City Kayak Championships Mayor’s Cup.

The event includes a 1 mile Family Frenzy, 6 mile Kayak & Surf Ski race, and 12 mile Kayak & Surf Ski race

Here are the race day details:

8:00 am – 9:00 am – Check In

9:30 am- Safety Briefing

.5 mile Family Frenzy 10:00 am Launch

1.0 mile Family Frenzy 11:00 am Launch

6 mile course – 12:00 pm Launch

12 mile course – 12:00 pm Launch

2:00 pm Finish Party and Awards

For more information on this and other events, please check our BornToPaddle.com Kayak & Canoe – Races & Events Calendar pages.

Kayak / Canoe Event and Races for June 2010:

June 5, 2010 – Saturday

• Annual New River Canoe Race
Ashe County, NC

This is a great race for novice as well as experienced paddlers. Trophies, race T & door prizes. Also holding a silent auction with some really great items to bid on. All proceeds go to the 4H scholarship fund.

For more information on this and other events, please check our BornToPaddle.com Kayak & Canoe – Races & Events Calendar pages.

June 12, 2010 – Saturday (start)

• Texas Water Safari – World’s Toughest Canoe Race
San Marcos to Corpus Christi

260 Miles, 100 Hours, June, Texas. They don’t call this the world’s toughest canoe race for nothing!

That pretty much says it all!

For more information on this and other events, please check our BornToPaddle.com Kayak & Canoe – Races & Events Calendar pages.

June 12, 2010 – Saturday

• First Annual Grand River Kayak Race
Grand Haven, Michigan

This fast 3-mile race is the First Annual Grand River Kayak Race to benefit the “Friends of Ottawa County Parks”. Race is aprox 3 miles in length and start and stop location in Stearn’s Bayou, Grand Haven, MI.

For more information on this and other events, please check our BornToPaddle.com Kayak & Canoe – Races & Events Calendar pages.

June 25-26, 2010

• Ohio River Way Paddlefest
Cincinnati, OH

The Ohio River Way Paddlefest is the largest paddling event in the US with 1,700 paddlers in over 1100 canoes and kayaks paddling down the Ohio to celebrate the beauty and recreational benefits of this majestic river.

Schedule of events:

Festival at Coney Island on Friday, June 25

8.2 Mile Paddle Event with 1,700 participants on Saturday, June 26

For more information on this and other events, please check our BornToPaddle.com Kayak & Canoe – Races & Events Calendar pages.

Looking for paddling locations in your state?

Search our places to paddle page for places to kayak or canoe for flatwater or whitewater.  Kayaking and canoeing paddling locations are listed by U.S. State

Rain is all our Borntopaddle.com kayaker saw on his way to Outdoor Inc’s Canoe & Kayak Race. After leaving at 4am and traveling 190 miles to race his 9.5 ft Swifty kayak and being extremely confident of bringing home a medal, the race was cancelled. Because of, you guessed it, rain! And lot’s of it. Although he was disappointed, he was happy to get his t-shirt, ear buds, glass case, and red tow flag.

 He didn’t get to race today, but traveling home gave him the challenge his was looking for on the river. Interstate 40 was closed in Memphis because of flooding, so he needed to use his gut instinct and his compass to travel east on side roads dodging manhole covers pushed out by rising flood waters in pouring rain and lightning to head home. He finally made it home in 5 ½ hours instead of the usually 3 hours.  I’m sure if you ask any kayaker that got to the kayak race about their trip home it would have the same challenging events.

Is our kayaker going back next year rain or shine? You bet! This kayak race is one of his favorite paddling events. Kayaking on the Mississippi river is a challenging paddle, and he has paddled it in a little 9.5 foot Swifty kayak and an 18 foot Sea kayak and brought medals home each time.

Will team Borntopaddle.com be there next year to root on our kayaker? You bet! We love to support our racing kayaker and this race is a great one to watch.