Paddlers from all over the country will come to the Adirondacks from September 6 through 8 to participate in the three-day Adirondack Canoe Classic also known as “The 90-Miler.”
Now in its 31st year, the race celebrates the historical means of transportation through the original “highways of the Adirondacks.”
The 90-mile course offers a mix of lake and river flat water paddling and includes 5.25 miles of carries. The number of boats is limited to 275 with the number of paddlers reaching upwards of 600.
Participants, ranging in ages from 10 to 80-plus, receive a t-shirt, mileage pins and for some, awards in various categories.
Day one of the race starts in Old Forge and finishes in Blue Mountain Lake for a distance of 35 miles. Day two is 30 miles and begins in Long Lake and finishes on the Raquette River, five miles east of the village of Tupper Lake. The third and final day, 25 miles, begins at Square Pond, winds its way through Upper, Middle and Lower Saranac Lakes and finishes at Flower Pond in the town of Saranac Lake.
In 2005 and 2006, the event was named race of the year by the New York Marathon Canoe Racing Association.
Race Director Brian McDonnell said there are 115 boats registered in the Open Touring “In it to Finish” class and over 60 in the C-4 (4-person) class. He also said they have registered the largest contingent of guideboats ever.
The event is organized by the Adirondack Watershed Alliance with over 100 volunteers turning out to offer assistance.
Among the locals participating in the race are: Ethan Kress, Sandy and Pierre Tetreault, Kevin Birtle, Peter Shannon, Joanne Maly, Rich Nelson, James Williams, Brian Schoen, Brian Morgan, Jason Villiere, Kristin and Korie Helmer, Sam Phaneuf, Shelby Egnaczyk, Natalie Tickner, Tina Olson, Olin Eddy and Dan Tickner, Jr., all of Old Forge; and Anne Garbarino of Eagle Bay.
The major sponsors include the Central Adirondack Association, Byrne Dairy, Town of Long Lake, Wenonah Canoes, Adirondack Bank, Forge Racing, Krapf Coaches, Placid Boatworks, Campmor, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, Hyde Fuel, Nice n’ Easy, Franklin County Tourism, Southern Tier Canoes, Paul Smith’s College, and MAC’S Canoe Livery.
