ARNOLD, MO- For anyone that has been around this race for the past few years, knows that this race has been plagued with everything from flooding to a pandemic, but this year went off without a hitch. We had gorgeous weather with a hint of fall colors flashing in the trees as paddles took off from their respective starts.
The “Marathon” course of just under 20 miles launched from the Meramec Landing Park boat ramp in Valley Park, MO with crisp temperatures in the 40’s for a cold start, but the tandem of Thien “Tom” Le and Jeff Behrens started off hot and never looked back. This gave Thein his 4th consecutive overall win and brought Jeff into the #1 spot from last year’s 2nd place finish as they took home the tandem win. Katherine Norton paddled her way to the overall solo women’s top spot while Rusty Self won the Men’s Solo in his canoe.
The short course launched out of the old Hollywood Beach ramp just under the Lemay Ferry bridge as Sierra Mertz led the way to a first place finish.
Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2023 Meramec Marathon and we look forward to having you race with us again!