Middle Loup River Challenge gets folks on the water
THEDFORD - The 3rd Middle Loup River Challenge on Sept. 11 brought in racers from Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island, McCook, Valentine and Kansas. This year there were 51 entries as compared to 27 last year and 40 in 2019.
The races in 2019 and 2020 were collaborations between the Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway (SJNSB), Sandhills River Trips (Cay and Stephanie Ewoldt of Lincoln) and Ewoldt’s Grocery.
“The first year, the name was ‘Hills 2 Forest
Middle Loup River Race,’” SJNSB President Terry LIcking said. “It was 33 miles and ended on forest land where a permit to get out was an added cost.”
Last year the race was 27 miles and ended on private land. Repeat racers said they preferred the ending point the second year, hence the name change. Licking explained that now race organizers have flexibility with the starting and ending points.
Racers went into the water at 7:30 a.m. Ronda Graff won the Stand Up Paddleboard with a time of 5:41:51. Second was Sara Kay Carrell with a time of 5:53:35.
Calvin Hassel smoked all entries, finishing the race in 3.32.59. It was another hour and a half almost before the next racer, in a kayak, finished.
This year also saw the first organized “Hills 2 Forest Adventure Race,” a combination of river travel, biking and walking or hiking, collecting tokens along the way and finishing with roping a steer head. “We hope we can get it entered into the National Adventure Race series next year but did not have time to do that this year, “Doug Deden said.
Next year’s Middle Loup River Challenge is scheduled for Sept. 10, 2022.