A Brief History and Letter
The picture above is the original team Aquaholics; Kevin Schwartz and Matt Green. Little did we know the team would soon grow to a very large group of close friends and family members. After our first trip to Kaw Point, the Aquaholics had developed into an intricate network of dedicated people drawn together for one common goal. That goal was to do the 3rd Annual MR340. The both of us were really interested in doing a 340 mile canoe race the instant we heard about it. Even though it was on a river we had never been on, we still wanted to give it a try. I think we actually made the decision to go for it about one week before the race. It’s needless to say we were very ill prepared. We had outstanding ground support and could not have done it without there dedication and teamwork.
Our trip down the muddy MO was absolutely awesome. We had no idea what we were doing! The longest either of us had every paddled was about half the distance to the first checkpoint. We loaded our 16’ canoe with everything we thought we might need for a week long trip to Cancun . Like many others have experienced, when we got to Lexington late in the afternoon on the first day, we were exhausted and overwhelmed by the grueling task ahead of us. Also like many others, we pressed on. We endured the pain, the blazing sun, the discomfort of sitting in a boat for over 70 hours just to say we did it. Even though at times it really did suck, we had a lot of fun doing our first MR340. We came into most check points yelling and screaming in excitement because we had made it another leg down the race course. At some stops we both would jolt out of our canoe and sprint up the ramp yelling and jumping. Other times we would roll out and need assistance back to our feet.
The day after we got to St. Charles I was back at work running the weed eater in the blazing hot sun when someone said to me, “How was the race?” I think it was then that I decided that the MR340 was really one the most fun adventures I had ever been a part of. I wanted to do the race again, but I wanted to go faster.
The Aquaholics always love a good challenge, trying new things and having fun. Since our first MR340 we have new appreciation for the dedication, talent, and strength (mental and physical) it takes to do events like the 340. As we were paddling all over the state of MO training and preparing for the next 340, we though it would be a great idea to host a race on the most beautiful river in MO. The original idea was to have two different groups "race" down the Gasconade River . One would be an adventure class that would camp a few nights and the other a racing class that would go straight through the night to complete the 100 mile course. All that kind of got pushed to the side and we ended up with the GAS60.
The Aquaholics have tried to put together "a race for the racers". We wanted another race for everyone to enjoy. We've had so many great experiences paddling and racing, we wanted as many people as possible to have the chance to have those same experiences! Every bit of our GAS60 inspiration has come from the 340. Thank you Rivermiles.com, we will never forget what you have done for us. Our goal was for the GAS60 to be appealing for experienced racers and for the most novice paddlers so that people new to the sport could be educated and inspired. Thanks for visiting our website. We look forward to seeing you at the local crag or the next race.
Cordially,
Team Aquaholics
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