CRWA's Run of the Charles Canoe & Kayak Race a Success

Weston, MA—April 26, 2010—The 28th Run of the Charles Canoe & Kayak Race, the signature event of the Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA), saw over 1,300 paddlers race down Boston’s famed urban river on Sunday, April 25.  More than one hundred volunteers and thousands of spectators cheered on racers from Dedham to the finish line at DCR’s Artesani Park in Brighton. 

“It was great to see all the families, companies, paddlers and spectators fill DCR’s Aretesani Park for the Finish Line Festival,” said CRWA Executive Director, Bob Zimmerman.  “It’s amazing how many companies set up corporate picnics throughout the park.  People were excited, happy and into it.”

You can’t love what you don’t know, so increasing awareness about the Charles River is the key to maintaining its existence.  The CRWA does a wonderful job of showing people why it is so important to protect this river that means so much to everyone in the greater Boston area.

At the Finish Line Festival where all races ended, day-long activities for the public were held free of charge.  The Festival featured live music by the Dixieland-style New New Orleans Jazz Band, various food vendors and exhibits from groups such as Boston Duck Tours, Bosch, L & M Slush, New England Canoe & Kayak Racing Association, Owens Corning, Radio Disney and more.  Over 20 companies had picnics at the Finish Line Festival after their race was over, adding a sense of camaraderie and sportsmanship to the day.

The Run of the Charles Finish Line Festival was pleased to host the setting of a new Guinness World Records® record for the “Most People Throwing Rubber Chickens at the Same Time.”  The record was set by 265 people who participated in the“largest rubber chicken toss.”  With a $1 donation to the CRWA, participants received an official rubber chicken for the toss, courtesy of The Haywire Group, the award-winning toy company behind the Flickin’ Chicken™ game.

“This year’s Run of the Charles had a great turnout of racers and spectators,” said Zimmerman.  “We were happy to have this fun addition to our Finish Line Festival and are glad our race gets to be part of history!”

This year’s sponsors of the Run of the Charles included Boston Duck Tours, CDM, Gatehouse Media, Keewaydin Foundation, New England Biolabs, SignArt, Skanska USA Building, Tetra Tech and Weston Solutions.

“Equally important are our volunteers,” said Zimmerman. “Each year they come out to support the CRWA and the Run of the Charles, and without their unwavering support, this event would not be possible.” He thanked the volunteers including the group from Parrot Heads of New England who run the Moody Street Dam site.

In addition to the hundreds of people who lined the banks volunteering for the Run of the Charles, over 3,000 more worked diligently on the previous day during the 11th Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup. Volunteers cleaned up garbage and trash in an effort to bring beauty and cleanliness back to the Charles River.

The Run of the Charles featured a variety of races. In the 26-Mile Flatwater Canoe Marathon, the team of  Andy Triebold from Spring Harbor, MI and Josh Sheldon of Potterville, MI paired up to take first place with a time of 2:53:19.

Among the most challenging features of the Run of the Charles are the six portages where boats must be carried around an obstruction.  The dams in Newton, Wellesley, Waltham and Watertown forced paddlers off the river and onto their feet, shouldering their boats while they ran to the spot where they could get back on the water and resume paddling.  Paddlers raced across Route 16 on the Newton-Wellesley line and across Moody Street in Waltham, running for nearly a ½-mile on each of these portages alone.

In the 24-Mile Relay Race, the Quinobequin Canoe Club of Ashland, MA posted the winning time for the seventh year in a row, finishing the 5-leg, 10 person relay in 3:40:10, beating their time last year by 9 minutes and 33 seconds.  The Lantern Films team of Edgartown, MA placed first in the Corporate Relay with a time of 3:58:43.

In the 19-Mile Races, the fastest boat was a kayak paddled by Andrius Zinkevicus of Dover, MA who crossed the finish line in 2:28:25.

In the 9-Mile Race, Eric Schulz of Johnson, VT posted the winning time by crossing the finish line in 1:12:48. The 6-Mile Race was won by Chris Chappell of Wayland, MA with a time of 53:09.

The Run of the Charles builds support for the CRWA, which seeks to protect and enhance the health, beauty and enjoyment of the Charles River and its tributaries.  CRWA’s prominent role in protecting and restoring the Charles River since 1965 accounts for a much healthier Charles River today.

The work of CRWA encompasses all 80 miles of the Charles River, which meanders through 35 eastern Massachusetts towns and cities within the 308 square miles of the Charles River watershed. The nearly 1.5 million citizens who live in the watershed, totaling 23% of the state's population, benefit from a clean and healthy Charles River.  CRWA's successes have led many organizations across the country to emulate its science methods and watershed management models.

For more information or full results from the Run of the Charles Canoe & Kayak Race, please visit www.charlesriver.org.  To become a sponsor of next year’s Run of the Charles Canoe & Kayak Race, please contact (508) 698-6810 or rotc@crwa.org.