The annual Mid-American Canoe and Kayak Race is set to return to the Fox River on Saturday, June 7.
First held in 1961, the event sponsored by the Fox Valley Park District features multiple categories for participants in both competitive and recreational divisions.
Launch points will again be offered in both St. Charles for a 10-mile course and Batavia for a six-mile course, following a change where officials “moved the launch to Geneva last year due to construction on the Island Park pedestrian and railroad bridge that spans the Fox about a mile upstream.”
Both courses will end in Aurora.
A press release from the Fox Valley Park District notes that “the 2025 long course returns to Mt. St. Mary Park in St. Charles” following last year’s change due to construction.
Facility manager at the Fox Valley Park District’s Prisco Community Center Lynn Piotrowski, the coordinator of the event, said she is happy to see the usual race format return.
“The nice thing going back is, for people who want a longer course, they have a better option,” she said. “Secondly, the actual launch pad at St. Charles is more conducive to what we’re doing since we launch approximately eight boats every five minutes. There’s a wider launch pad and it’s much smoother to get the boats into the water so they’re ready for their start and just the tradition of it. Many people prefer that longer run.”
Last year’s event featured 222 boats, a number that Piotrowski said might be hit again this year.
“What makes this event so special – it’s truly a community event – is that we have canoers and kayakers and that is their favorite hobby or sport and they’re traveling to races every weekend. Typically, we launch them first, but it’s also fun to see people who have never done this before,” she said.
Piotrowski said no other changes are planned this year for the event.
Registration is already open and 150 boats had already committed as of Thursday.
“We’re getting about 10 more every day,” Piotrowski said.
Race details offered in the park district’s press release note that heats begin at 8:30 a.m. in St. Charles and 10 a.m. in Batavia, and participants must register online at https://www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org/event/mid-american-canoe-kayak-race-3/ or at the Prisco Community Center at 150 W. Illinois Ave. in Aurora.
The race registration deadline is 9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 4.
The finish line for both courses is staged just beyond the Illinois Avenue bridge in Aurora, and a post-race lunch celebration will be held at adjacent McCullough Park. A wristband that’s good for lunch is included in the registration fee.
Reuland’s Food Service will be at the park for the celebration preparing a grilled lunch menu featuring several items for purchase, according to the release. Non-competitors of the race can purchase a $25 ticket that includes lunch in the park and a race T-shirt, organizers said.
For more information on the event, go to https://www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org/event/mid-american-canoe-kayak-race-3/
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.