Welcome!

Great Russian River Race

& FREE Beach Party

Saturday, May 4, 2019!

UPDATE – 5-3-19: RACE REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. NO ON SITE REGISTRATION AVAILABLE.

UPDATE – 5/1/19:

We are so excited to see you this weekend for the Great Russian River (fun!) Race! If you are registered to participate, here are the details!

The river is in great shape, but after the rainy winter, it is higher than usual! It’s running at 620cfs (cubic feet per second) today and will be roughly 550cfs on Saturday. For comparison the summer flows average about 120cfs. This section of river is class I and quite nice for paddlers with some experience, but keep in mind it will be a faster course than usual.

The course will be marked for hazards with pink tape and the safe side of river will be marked with green tape. There are some very short portages for less confident paddlers to make sure everyone has a safe race. We will have a safety crew out to help anyone who tips over or has any problems along the course.

Don’t forget – there’s a costume contest! Prizes will be awarded for: Most Original (Men’s, Women’s, Youth) and Funniest (Men’s, Women’s, youth).

We’re thrilled to announce the following vendors joining us: Black Piglet, Jams Joy Bungalow, Seismic Brewing, La Crema Wines. Plus live music by the Freshmakers and kid’s zone with amazing face painting by Symmetry Entertainment & Design.

NOTE TO BEGINNERS!
With the higher flows we have to ask: are you a complete beginner? As in you’ve never paddled a boat before or, if you have, just could never get the hang of steering? If this is you, please know that it’s always a good idea to spend some time in a boat before you decide to enter a race so please be honest about your skill level. If you’ve never paddled before, we will gladly give you a refund if you decide the race isn’t the best day for a first time paddling experience.

We’ll send out an update Friday on latest river conditions after we do our final pre-run Friday morning.

Other details:

  • Check in location: Max Machinery, 33 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg.
  • Check in opens at 9 am and ends at promptly 10:15 am.
  • Don’t forget to bring water, sunscreen and a dry bag for your personal items in the boat.
  • All racers will receive a t-shirt and one free drink ticket. To get your drink ticket, please check into the Russian Riverkeeper booth at Memorial Beach. Beer/wine tickets require ID, so please come prepared.
  • If you are bringing your own boat:
    • Please remember your personal flotation device – this is REQUIRED!
    • Please check in on the early side
    • You will check in at Max Machinery (address above), drop off your boat, then park your car at Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach. You will walk back (5 min walk) to Max Machinery to catch the shuttle to the race start
    • No parking at Amy’s Wicked Slush
    • We still need volunteers! Spread the word! Volunteers get a free lunch and a t-shirt! Register here.