The indomitable spirit: Steamboat Springs kayaker takes on 340-mile river race
John Starr/Courtesy photo
Roughly a decade ago, John Starr walked into work at Still 630 Whiskey Distillery in St. Louis where he was surprised to see a massive kayak sitting atop some whiskey barrels.
Curious, Starr asked his boss what the kayak was doing there. It turned out his boss had been preparing for a race but was compelled to drop out because of a back injury.
The cocky Starr looked his boss in the eye and declared he would take his boss’s place in the race. Starr had no clue he was about to enter the Missouri American Water MR340 — the world’s longest nonstop river race.
It turned out Starr was a natural in a kayak, and he has since become somewhat of a veteran in the MR340. On July 25, the 32-year-old Steamboat Springs resident completed the race for the sixth time, doing so with his friend Josh Mandel in the men’s tandem division for the second time.
“Sometimes I think I get to a point where I am so covered by the comforts of modern life and it’s almost like a renewal of how indomitable your human spirit is,” Starr said of his decision to return to the race each summer. “I need that reminder once a year.”
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For the 19th straight year, the MR340 started at Kaw Point Park in Kansas City, Kansas, taking competitors 340 miles across the state of Missouri to the finish line at the Lewis and Clark Boat Ramp in St. Charles.
This year’s race featured 611 paddlers from 37 states and three countries in more than 400 boats. In the end, 322 boats finished, 86 did not finish and 65 did not even start. The endurance race allows for exactly 88 hours to complete the course, any slower and kayaks get swept by the reaper.
Starr and Mandel entered the race with two goals in mind. The first was to finish in the top 10 in the men’s tandem division because they narrowly missed out in 2022 with an 11th-place finish. The second, and more challenging was to finish the entire race in under 50 hours.
Tired but pushing through, the duo recognized they were 25 hours, 30 minutes into the race at the halfway point 175 miles down the Missouri River. Having to complete the back half with a little more pace, the two paddled harder and were more focused than ever.
Reaching the state capitol, Jefferson City, the two had around 16 hours left and a little over 115 miles to float. Starr said that is when they turned on the jets and realized they could break the 50-hour mark.
There was just one problem.
Nearing the finish line with under 60 minutes left, a sand dredging boat floated across the river in the distance. The wakes were overwhelming for Starr and Mandel while pushing and pulling them every direction but forward. All of their momentum was killed, and the chances of completing in time were dwindling away.
Starr and Mandel fought the chafing under their arms and the strong urge to nod off, making it through the wakes one paddle at a time. Adrenaline kicked in just long enough for the tandem to fight their way out and reach the final boat ramp with an official time of 49 hours, 52 minutes and 7 seconds.
Averaging 6.95 mph for the full trip, the pair placed fifth in the men’s tandem division and 30th overall.
“When we got to the finish line, I looked down and it’s 9:52 (in the morning),” Mandel said. “We made it with about eight minutes to spare. It was an amazing moment to come in to that finish line. Our knees were so shaky, we couldn’t even stand up. We were falling backwards on ourselves. We both started breaking down crying at the end realizing we had beat our goal.”
What made breaking the 50-hour mark even more special was the tandem decided they would dedicate the race to their late friend Samantha Crall.
Previously, Starr and Mandel completed the race in just over 58 hours. Shaving off more than eight hours this time around was not for the light of heart.
Mandel attributed it to a combination of having gone through the experience before and not feeling obligated to stop at all the checkpoints along the way.
Starr took a different approach to the race this year with the knowledge he gained while recently earning his personal training certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
From a physical standpoint, Starr focused on functional-strength work for his shoulders to avoid the lactic acid buildups he had experienced in the years prior. This time around he was never sore.
Nutritionally, Starr dropped the beef jerky and turned to lipids and carbs for his body to consume. They ate mostly fruit chews and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Beyond the food, the men also had to pack several extra changes of clothes consisting of sun shirts, tights and some warm clothes as well as a rain jacket in case of unforeseen weather conditions.
Kayaking overnight also requires the use of a PFD, a strong flashlight to illuminate objects ahead and the occasional use of a headlamp.
The nighttime can be dangerous for competitors. Hallucinations are common, and even the smallest sliver of light reflecting off the water can play tricks on the sleep-deprived paddlers.
Starr and Mandel’s solution was to keep a positive and focused mindset. They listened to a lot of music and cracked jokes throughout their race.
“From that perspective, it was a lot like hanging out and paddling with your friend down the river for maybe just a little bit longer than you’d like to,” Mandel said. “There wasn’t much boredom because there was always something to do. You have to dig in your bag to get something to eat, refill your (water bottle) or paddle and keep the boat going.”
In the past, Starr’s father has provided ground support. He would drive from checkpoint to checkpoint and help Starr switch out waters or take trash to lighten the load.
This time around, Starr and Mandel competed without any ground support, meaning the boat was heavier than it was in previous years because they needed to pack enough supplies for the duration of the trip.
This added to the workload of each paddler.
“I try to keep my breaks from paddling minimal,” Starr explained. “Other than my 20-minute rest, I never stopped paddling for more than five minutes at a time. When you push yourself to that physical toll, it makes you emotional. There were a lot of cries in the river.”
The tears were mostly happy for Starr, who said he was enjoying the race so much he texted his younger brother mid-race to make plans for the MR340 in 2025.
For Starr, the pain is worth it if it ends in glory.
“You are sitting on your tailbone for a long time so your tuchus starts to hurt,” Starr said. “Ignoring that and getting past that is probably the biggest mental challenge. I would have to say this was the most fun I ever had crossing the state of Missouri on a river.”
