KIRKSVILLE, MISSOURI -- Usually when one thinks of road trips, they think of getting in the RV and traveling the highways and byways. Well, one local man has decided to take a sightseeing tour of the state of Missouri, in a canoe.
Kirksville native Tom Morrow is a video producer by day, and a canoe enthusiast by night. He has signed up to do the Missouri River 340 canoe race Tuesday, Oct. 11.
He'll have up to 88 hours to paddle his homemade wooden canoe from Kansas City to Saint Louis in a race that he says is one of the longest non-stop canoe/kayak races in the world.
So why would he sign up to do such a thing?
"I thought on my own, it'd be neat to see all of the Missouri River in Missouri and to start up from the Nebraska border down to St. Louis," said Morrow.
Then, one might ponder how a person prepares for hours of backbreaking paddling, with only a few breaks to sleep and eat?
"There's really no way to prepare for 70 hours straight of paddling. It's just food, and supplements."
Also, he said his handy, dandy GPS navigation system is a big help.
"I got a handheld GPS in my canoe. I watch the GPS to stay in the current and to find the fastest water in the river. I'm no athlete but I'm just going to try to make it through."
Morrow has been practicing his paddling at the Thousand Hills State Park for the past year. He said he usually paddles four hours at a time.
"My biggest fear would be just giving out. "
Morrow said his research reveals that about 30% of race participants quit during the race.
For more information on the race, head to this website.
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