

July 10: Saturday Night Special
July 11: Big 3 Challenge (15 & 21 miles) & Citizens' Challenge Races (8 miles)
Spring Green, 21 miles • Lone Rock, 15 miles • Gotham, 8 miles • to Muscoda
Wisconsin River Race 2021
• CANOE
• KAYAK
• SUP
For all races
Preregistration ONLY:
Online thru 6:00pm Saturday, July 10.
Onsite 3:00–3:40pm Saturday, July 10.
NO SUNDAY (DAY-OF-RACE) REGISTRATION.
Lions Club Challenge – Not in 2021 Come back in 2022!
But in 2021 there's still great Lions Club food & drink for both carnivores and vegans at finish line!
Saturday Night Special
- bonus solo race: canoe (USCA C1), kayak, SUP free for Sunday racers
Solo races, 4 miles loop course
Start & finish Muscoda's Victora Riverside Park
July 10, 2021
04:00 pm
Campsite #1, Victora Riverside Park, Muscoda
3:00 pm - 3:40 pm A. Registration and check in for Saturday Race
B. Registration and check in for Sunday Race
3:40 pm Mandatory safety briefing
4:00 pm Race Start
FULL SCHEDULE both days, all races.
RACE REGISTRATION: click button below.
The Big 3 Challenge - No day-of-race registration
- individual & multi-state challenge races at 21 & 15 miles
Spring Green to Muscoda – 21 miles
Start: Wisconsin Riverside Resort, Shifflet Rd
Finish: Muscoda's Victora Riverside Park
July 11, 2021
10:00 am
Racing Classes for the 21 mile race (men, women, & for tandem, mixed):
C2 Marathon (3x27 and USCA cruiser specs): Any two-paddler,
non-aluminum, racing canoe recognized by USCA.
Paddle type: single-bladed paddles only.
USCA C1: Any single-paddler racing canoe recognized by USCA.
Paddle type: single-bladed paddles only.
K1 Unlimited: Any solo kayak, including surf skis, without any limitation
except paddle type: double-bladed paddles only.
Wildcard: Any paddle powered craft that do not fit into any other
class in the "Big 3" race events. So: tandem kayaks, ICF spec
canoes, outrigger canoes, boats with 3 or more paddlers, etc –
but not solo kayaks, SUPs, USCA or "pro" (3x27) racing canoes.
Any paddle type.
See FULL SCHEDULE both days, all races.
IMPORTANT: Free shuttle bus PRE-RACE. There is NO post-race shuttle. Timing is strict. Please study FULL SCHEDULE.
RACE REGISTRATION: click button below.
Online registration closes 6pm Saturday, July 10
Lone Rock to Muscoda – 15 miles
Start: Otter Creek Landing, Hwy 130
Finish: Muscoda's Victora Riverside Park
July 11, 2021
10:30 am
Racing Classes for the 15 mile race (men, women, & for tandem, mixed):
C1 Stock: These are boats designed for tripping/touring, but suitable for
racing against similar designs. maximum length 17'2", minimum length 15',
no rudders, no gunwale concavities, minimal hull concavities. Paddle type:
single-bladed paddles only. Only boats listed here are allowed in the class*:
Current C1 Stock List
Wenonah Savage River Works Bell Canoe Works
Advantage Blackwater Magic
Prism Otegan (modified)
Encounter Mad River
Solitude Sawyer Independence
Summer Song
Grasse River Boatworks DY Special
Classic Shockwave
Classic XL
* If you have a canoe not listed here that you think should qualify, email
its make, model, and a photo to Bill Coady and Gareth Stevens at least
two weeks before race date and we will consider it, and let you know.
Note: if it looks like a racing boat, it is.
[Thanks: NYMCRA & Muskoka River X for input.]
C2 Marathon (3x27 and USCA cruiser specs): Any two-paddler,
non-aluminum, racing canoe recognized by USCA.
Paddle type: single-bladed paddles only.
C2 Stock:
Canoes built for tripping/touring but suitable for racing against
similar designs. Minimal concave lines in hull, no concave lines in gunwales.
No concavity in longitudinal axis of hull (bow to stern) no concavity in
cross section (side to side) below the 7" waterline. One of a kind canoes
not permitted.
Paddle type: single-bladed paddles only.
Only boats listed here are allowed in the class.
Current C2 Stock List
Wenonah Grasse River Boatworks Bell Canoe Works
Jensen 18’ Traveler 17’ 5" Northstar
Sundowner Traveler 18’ 6" Northwind
Minnesota II Traveler Northwoods
Odyssey Monarch
Champlain Savage River Works
Escape Mad River Susquehanna
Escapade Lamoille
Jensen WWX Horizon
* If you have a canoe not listed here that you think should qualify, email
its make, model, and a photo to Bill Coady and Gareth Stevens at least
two weeks before race date and we will consider it, and let you know.
Note: if it looks like a racing boat, it is.
[Thanks: NYMCRA for input.]
C2 Back Over the Hill: Combined ages of team 110+ in any tandem canoe.
Single-bladed paddles.
K1 Sea Kayak: Any kayak up to 18 feet in length, not including rudder
(if any). Excluded, any kayak clearly designed for racing, for example,
ICF kayaks, ICF trainers, surfskis and USCA spec downriver kayaks;
such"racing" kayaks must compete in the K1 Unlimited class in the
21-mile race. Paddle type: double-bladed paddles only.
SUP Unlimited, solo: Any stand up paddleboard of any length, must
be paddled entire length of course in a standing position.
See FULL SCHEDULE both days, all races.
IMPORTANT: Free shuttle bus PRE-RACE. There is NO post-race shuttle. Timing is strict. Please study FULL SCHEDULE.
RACE REGISTRATION: click button below.
Online registration closes 6pm Saturday, July 10
The Lions Club Challenge - Not in 2021. Back in 2022
- 8-mile aluminum canoe challenge for service clubs and similar groups
Gotham to Muscoda – 8 miles
Start: Pine River/Buena Vista Landing
Finish: Muscoda's Victora Riverside Park
Not for 2021
xx:00 am
Citizens' Challenge Races - No day-of-race registration
- 8-mile races for recreational tandem boats (canoe or kayak), recreational solo kayaks,
and stand up paddleboards
Gotham to Muscoda – 8 miles
Start: Pine River/Buena Vista Landing
Finish: Muscoda's Victora Riverside Park
July 11, 2021
11:00 am
Racing Classes for the Citizens Challenge Races:
Tandem: Any recreational two person canoe or kayak (no craft designed
for racing – "If it looks like a racing canoe or kayak, it is!"). Paddle type: any.
K1 Rec: Any recreational kayak up to 15 feet in length, not including
rudder (if any). Excluded, any short kayak clearly designed for racing,
for example, ICF kayaks, ICF trainers, surfskis & USCA specified down-
river kayaks; such "racing" kayaks must compete in the K1 Unlimited
class in the 21-mile race. Paddle type: double-bladed paddles.
SUP Unlimited, solo: Any stand up paddleboard of any length, must
be paddled entire length of course in standing position. Single-bladed paddles.
See FULL SCHEDULE both days, all races.
IMPORTANT: Free shuttle bus PRE-RACE. There is NO post-race shuttle. Timing is strict. Please study FULL SCHEDULE.
RACE REGISTRATION: click button below.
Online registration closes 6pm Saturday, July 10
How the "Big 3"* States Points challenge works.
Every paddler in any Big 3 race class (all classes at the 21- and 15- mile distance races) may win points for their state based on where they place in their class, & how many boats are in their class. (Craft with more than two paddlers, can win a maximum of 2 points per state.)
For classes with 5 or more boats in competition:
1st place will win 6 points per paddler;
2nd place will win 4 points per paddler;
3rd place will win 3 points per paddler;
4th place will win 2 points per paddler;
5th place will win 1 point per paddler.
For classes with 4 boats in competition:
1st place will win 4 points per paddler;
2nd place will win 3 points per paddler;
3rd place will win 2 points per paddler;
4th place will win 1 point per paddler.
For classes with 3 boats in competition:
1st place will win 3 points per paddler;
2ndplace will win 2 points per paddler;
3rd place will win 1 point per paddler.
For classes with 2 boats in competition:
1st place will win 2 points per paddler;
2ndplace will win 1 point per paddler.
For classes with 1 boat in it:
Finishing will win 1 point per paddler.
* Big 3? "But, wasn't it the Big 5?" Yes, it was. And before that the Big 4. IL, IA, MN, WI. Then a fifth state turned up. So, Big 5. And in many years we've had as many as 8 states represented. So, now, it's the Big 3, celebrating the "Big 3" states that win the most points – however many states come to play.
The Champions, the state with the most points, take home the Trophy, a walnut paddle carved in 1985 by Frank Brazelton, then race director.
Will your state be in the Big 3 in 2021? The more paddlers your state sends, the faster they paddle, and the more classes entered, the bigger your state's chances.
The Trophy is currently held (2017, 2018, 2019) by Wisconsin after 2 years in Minnesota. The race was canceled in 2020 due to COVID.
Multi-state Challenge States Points: The Big 3, 2017-19
2017 2018 2019
1. WI: 35 points 1. WI: 33 points 1. WI: 45 points
2. MN: 21 points 2. IA: 17 points 2. MN: 23 points
3. IL: 17 points 3. IL: 6 points 3. IL: 17 points
IA: 14 points CO: 3 points IA: 15 points
MI: 4 points NE: 2 points CO: 6 points
NE: 3 points KS, MN: 1 point each NE: 6 points

Safety and rules
1. United States Coast Guard approved PFD.
All paddlers must either wear, or have in their boat within easy access, an appropriately-sized
US Coast Guard approved PFD (life jacket). All paddlers under 18 years old and adults
paddling with them must WEAR their USCG APPROVED PFDs at all times on the water.
2. Important Safety Rules re Youth.
a) 21-mile races: no solo paddlers under 18 years old. No under-16s period.
16-17 year olds must paddle with a competent adult - 18 years or older - in the boat with them.
b) 15-mile races: no paddlers under 16 years old.
c) 8-miles: no solo paddlers under 16 years old. No under-10s period.
10-15 year olds must paddle with a competent adult - 18 years or older - in the boat with them.
Friends and Supporters
Special thanks to all who support the Wisconsin River Race:
• All our volunteers!
• The Wisconsin Riverside Resort
In 2018 we celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the "long race".
Since 1978, two generations of the Shifflet family at the Wisconsin Riverside Resort have graciously hosted the start location for the 21 mile race from Spring Green to Muscoda.
• The Avoca – Blue River – Muscoda Lions Club
... who host and run the Lions Club Challenge and provide food at the race finish line area. They also do great service throughout the year for the community.
• Friends of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway (FLOW)
... for their help providing a safety boat for the races, and for all their work to preserve and protect the wild beauty of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway which makes it such a joy to paddle.
• The Lower Wisconsin State Riverway
... for its work administering the 1989 Riverway legislation designed to preserve the "aesthetic integrity of the Riverway". Mark Cupp, its Executive Director, has personally supported (and participated in) the event for a good many years.
• The Spring Green Lions Club
... and their members who volunteer and help run the Wisconsin River Race.
They too, throughout the year, do great service in many ways for their community.

Saturday, July 13
“Saturday Night Special” C1/K1/SUP race: 4-mile loop course: 4:00 PM
Sunday, July 14
The Big 3 Challenge 21-mile races: 10:00 AM
The Big 3 Challenge 15-mile races: 10:30 AM
Citizens Races 8-mile races: 11:00 AM
Awards: approx 1:00 PM

Courses map and links to start lines and finish line
UNDER CONSTRUCTION for 2021
Awesome Races in Nearby Places:
APR-MAY-JUN 2019
Wisconsin
May 11:
46th Pewaukee Kiwanis River Run
Koepp Park, Pewaukee to Frame Park,
Waukesha, WI
May 18:
(Triathlon: run, bike, paddle)
Lapham Peak to Fox River County Park
in Waukesha
June 15:
Madison, WI
June: ON HIATUS
Rock River Race at Ixonia, WI
- BACK IN 2020
June 22:
Callie Rohr Memorial Canoe Race
Conover, WI
Illinois
May 5:
Pottawotamie Park, St Charles, IL
May 19:
62nd Des Plaines River Canoe, Kayak, and SUP Marathon
Libertyville to Mt Prospect, IL
June 2:
St Charles to North Aurora, IL
June 9 (canceled for 2021):
Voyageur Landing
Phone (847) 885-0836
or email Kevin Bradley
Elgin, IL
Indiana
June XX - TBA
Fort Wayne Canoe and Kayak Races
Fort Wayne, IN
June 30:
South Bend, IN
Iowa
June 8:
Iowa City, IA
Minnesota
June 8:
Chippewa Triathlon
Cass Lake, MN
June 9: (probably - TBA)
Smilin’ Joe’s Mississippi Classic Canoe Race, near Cass Lake, MN
July 29
Long Lake Beach, New Brighton, MN
July 30
Jensen Handicap
Rum River,
Anoka County Fairgrounds, MN
UNDER CONSTRUCTION for 2021
Awesome Races in Nearby Places:
JUL-AUG 2019
Wisconsin
July 13
Saturday Night Special solo races start
and finish at Muscoda.
July 14
Spring Green, Lone Rock, & Gotham,
to Muscoda.
Big 3 Challenge
– multistate points competition
Lions Club Challenge (not in 2021)
August 10:
Wannigan to Ojibwa, WI
Aug XX - TBA
Peshtigo River Race
Peshtigo, WI
- link to come. Joe Johnson
(715) 938-5362
August 17
Berlin to Omro, WI
Illinois
July 13: tba
Petersburg, IL
July XX: TBA
Pontiac River Race
Pontiac, IL
Indiana
July XX - TBA
Wabash River Canoe & Kayak Races
Lafayette, IN
July XX - TBA
Three Rivers Race and Festival
Fort Wayne, IN
July XX: - TBA
Mill Creek Community Lions Club
Paddlefest Canoe Race
Fish Lake, IN
Aug XX - TBA
Culver, IN
Iowa
July XX or XX - check web site
Clear Lake, IA
Minnesota
July XX - TBA
Grand Rapids, MN
July 12-13
Alexandria, MN
UNDER CONSTRUCTION for 2021
Awesome Races in Nearby Places:
SEP-OCT 2019
Illinois
Sept XX:
Vic Hopp Memorial Race
Wheeling, IL.
Sept XX
St Charles, IL.
Indiana
Sept XX
Michigan City, IN
Sept XX
South Bend, IN
Louisiana
Oct 1-3
Port Barre to Berwck, LA