Return to the James River Rundown

Today I registered for the James River Rundown to be held on June 24-25. They changed the distances of the various races this year and did away with the 20-mile, 100-mile, and 140-mile variations and switched to a 120-mile version that requires an overnight stop in the town of Scottsville, VA, a 50-mile, one-day race on Sunday the 25th, and a 5 mile “fun float” also on Sunday.

I thought about it for a little more than a week since they announced the race, not sure if I liked the idea of a required overnight stop, but also not sure if entering the 50-mile version would be too big of a step backwards.

Since last year I’ve been mulling over a return to the 100 or stepping it up to the 140, so that’s where my mind has been.

After careful consideration, I decided to register for the 120-mile race. It might actually make logistics a little easier for my support crew since I can self-support myself at the starting line in Lynchburg, VA on Saturday morning and then really only require some help at Scottsville in terms of supply replenishment Saturday night…and that is the closest the race will get to my home in Charlottesville so it actually means I could just have somebody meet me there for a few hours Saturday night with fresh supplies and then meet me again at the finish line at Tucker Park in Goochland County at the end of the day on Sunday to take me back to Lynchburg.

It would be a HUGE help if I found somebody in Scottsville willing to let me have a room for the night or just let me use a bathroom with shower Saturday night and Sunday morning. I’ll also probably eat dinner Saturday night at Tavern On The James, so meet me at the boat ramp in Scottsville and let’s walk over for dinner together.

The race route

As odd as it might sound, I think the toughest part is going to be getting off the water Saturday evening and then getting back on the water again early Sunday morning. I would much rather do it in one, straight shot like last year, but I fully understand why race planners might not like the idea of having people paddling through the night.

So there it is, on my calendar for June 24-25. My official on-water training begins within the next two weeks.

It will be good to paddle the Lynchburg section of the James River again. I haven’t been on that section since 2012 when a day camp named Camp Kumbayah coordinated a race there.

I’ll be staying in Lynchburg Friday night so if you want to get together for dinner that night just let me know.