Great Falls Race Roundup

Tom and I would like to thank everyone who made this years Falls Race possible. Many people participated; the racers, volunteers, the P Fest Committee, the sponsors (Liquid Logic, our partners in crime), and the spectators all played a part in this years exciting race.

We had a large race this year with many paddlers choosing to race in both the short and long boat class. This year’s field included many local paddlers, first time Falls Runners, and paddlers from Team Riot, Dagger, Liquid Logic, Jackson, Fluid and Wavesport. We saw the return of Geoff Calhoun, coming off a dislocated shoulder, who edged out EJ and Jason by taking the win in the short boat class and placing 2nd in the long boat class. Aaron Mann, who took the place of another racer, won the long boat class, and ran fast all day. There was our usual local C-1 contingent, of Joe, Alden, and Seth, proving they only need one blade. Maggie Snowel, who began running the Falls just last summer, represented the women, running a nice race and proving that training and practice pay off. Spencer Cook brought a large crew from Riot with him with a couple of the Riot crew making the top ten. To see the excitement for yourselves, just look over the race results. Thank you to the rest of the racers, who raced in a timely and organized way and were kind and considerate of the race staff. We would welcome you all back anytime.

The racers make the race, but the volunteers make it happen. This year we staffed the race with all Liquid Adventures staff and students, with extra help from Mike Simpson and Woody Calloway of Liquid Logic, who sponsored up a great cash purse of $750 for the race. I would like to thank all of the safety and timing crew who stayed focused and ready the whole time. When the radios went down, special thanks to Middy Tilghman, He made the round trip from the timing rock to the parking lot and back in about 28 minutes and then, just for fun, raced a time of 49:59 on the course. Thank you to Todd Baker, who came out to race from out of town, and who shuttled a radio or two for us. You were a favorite of the timing crew. I want to thank the rest of the Liquid Adventures staff and paddlers who did a great job with the timing and safety. My appreciation goes out to Craig Campbell, Mark Andes, and Helene Scalliet who were recruited last minute right at riverside for various tasks.

Out last batch of thank yous goes to the Park Service and Cabin John Rescue Squad. Thank you for working with us on the race and being on hand for a rescue. We really appreciate it.

We hope you al enjoyed the race and perhaps we will see you all next year.

Tom McEwan and Nathan Nahikian

Liquid Adventures Kayak School