FARMINGTON — There are a variety of ways to take on the Sandy River in April. None of them are for the faint of heart.

The 9-mile stretch of this river between Strong and Farmington might not look like much, but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s at all forgiving. It’s shallow and narrow, and located at the foothills of a mountainous region in a winter-weather state, it’s especially frigid this time of year.

Outdoorsmen, though, are a different breed, one that doesn’t shy from nature’s coarse, bitter realities. In Saturday’s Sandy River Canoe Race/Fun Paddle, 24 canoes, kayaks and even paddleboards full of them did exactly that, bearing the brunt of this ancestral Abenaki water but ultimately conquering it.

“It doesn’t look too crazy, but it’s got its dips and dives,” said Brian Pollard, who competed as a solo kayaker. “The water is freezing, and I was getting splashed left and right with whole waves of it. The wind was also blowing really bad. It’s a tough course, but it’s a lot of fun.”

The watercraft come in all sizes. Some, such as Pollard’s are solo sit-in kayaks; others are two-person kayaks and canoes, some sit-in and some sit-atop with mounted seats. Some appear custom-made with hours of work put into maintaining them; others look as if they just came off the walls of a sporting goods shop.

For the most part, though, they have one thing in common: They’re long, they’re skinny and, most importantly, they’re largely empty. In a race to the finish, there’s no room for unnecessary gear weighing boats down. Jack Burke and Ashton Mabee don’t even have backpacks, instead using life vests with water pouches.

A mixed group utilize a large SUP board as they compete in the Sandy River Canoe and Kayak Race on Saturday between Strong and Fairbanks. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

“The whole idea with that is to stay hydrated throughout the whole race so your mouth doesn’t dry up,” Mabee said. “I like it because I don’t always have to be reaching for water. Some people use it, and some people don’t. It all comes down to personal preference with these races.”

Although finisher after finisher looks built for racing, one eventually comes along that doesn’t: A 17-foot paddleboard manned by eight people in animal costumes, colored wigs and even tutus. Two of the paddlers, Travis Tierney and Jake Bogar, are Foster Career and Technical Education instructors, while the other six are students in the program.

From the costumes to the different look of this “vessel,” it’s about as out of place as something could look in this kind of an event. The mere concept of eight people paddleboarding in bone-chilling water seems almost absurd — yet they do it, reaching the finish line in a little under two hours before releasing sighs of exhaustion.

“We like to put the ‘Fun Paddle’ in Sandy River Canoe Race and Fun Paddle,” Tierney said. “It was fun, but it’s hard work; you’re paddling 9 miles for two hours straight, so it’s a lot of stand, kneel, stand, kneel, repeat. We’re going to be feeling it tomorrow, for sure.”

Everybody gets a little wet. Naturally, the costumed paddleboarding team has no way of preventing splashes on a craft with no walls, though wetsuits prevent the frigid water from getting too overwhelming. Even Pollard’s well-encased kayak has to be drained of water after he crosses the finish line.

“It took so long just to empty all that out of my kayak,” Pollard said. “I was carrying a whole 5-10 gallons of water. Every single turn, you’re getting nailed with an entire wave of it. … I’m freezing, but that’s why we came prepared with a change of clothes and blankets and stuff.”

For Pollard, it’s his first time competing in a canoe race. Others, such as Burke and Mabee, have been racing since they were 8 years old and will be taking part in next month’s General Clinton Canoe Regatta, a 70-mile race known as one of the country’s most prestigious.

Not too far from the University of Maine at Farmington, the race has the school’s handprints all over it. It’s organized by Mainely Outdoors, a UMF program that gets students at the school involved in outdoor activities. Although the event’s founder, Jim Toner, died in 2018, the race has lived on.

Jack Burk, bow, and Ashton Mabee, stern, glide their canoe past spectators at the finish line of the Sandy River Canoe and Kayak Race on Saturday in Fairbanks. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

“Jim was the one that brought this to the college and really got students excited about it and involved in the outdoors,” said Mainely Outdoors Director Alison Thayer. “He was really excited about being on the water and taking the kids out on kayaking and canoeing trips. It all really goes back to him.”

The race ends under a bridge adjacent to the Little League baseball field in Farmington’s Fairbanks neighborhood. Under the bridge, two Mainely Outdoors volunteers are there to time the finishes, which are then relayed to Thayer to be displayed on a whiteboard.

As they pass the second bridge column, many racers dip their heads in exhaustion. It’s a tiring 9 miles with even the fastest finishers taking an hour and 15 minutes to complete the race. Still, the outdoors calls you back, something Burke and Mabee know full well.

“Want to do that again?” Mabee yells to Burke as they pull into shore after crossing the finish line.

“Definitely,” Burke answers. “Just not right now.”

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