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All day Saturday, the river vultures fed on the banks of Kenduskeag Stream as paddlers battled their way toward the finish line of the 42nd annual Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race.
A beautiful, sunny day was a treat for spectators – the vultures – and the moderate flow of the stream made for enjoyable paddling for experts and novices alike.
A few observations from Kenduskeag No. 42:
Kenduskeag’s present: Trevor MacLean, the friendly paddler from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, reasserted his dominance … with a bit of help.
Paddling with a partner in a flat-water racing kayak, MacLean earned his fourth win in seven tries. The other three times he entered, MacLean finished second.
A quick disclaimer for my friends who prefer open boats: I realize kayaks have an advantage over canoes in this race, and win the overall title most years. Still, we do keep track of overall winners, and giving credit to those who earn that victory needn’t discount the effort of the elite canoe paddlers.
MacLean’s record is impressive. But there are others who have done better, over the years. Such as …
. Kenduskeag’s past: Robert Lang remains a race legend, and on Saturday he showed why. The 52-year-old from Rothesay (formerly known as Renforth), New Brunswick finished second overall, and first in his one-man long-kayak class.
Lang won the race 11 times, including six straight from 1982-87, and he showed he has lost little over the years. This year was the first since 2002 that he had entered the race.
Good news for spectators who enjoy a bit of tradition: Lang hinted he won’t likely wait so long before coming back again.
“We’ll try to make it a habit,” he said after completing the course.
. Kenduskeag’s future? When MacLean got out of his boat, he stood beside his paddling partner and began answering questions from the media.
That partner (and Kenduskeag co-overall champ), we quickly learned, was only 16 years old.
Christian Hall began paddling when he was 7 or 8, and learned from his dad, former Canadian national team coach Tony Hall.
Something to consider: Lang, he of the 11 Kenduskeag titles, didn’t win his first until he was 26 years old.
MacLean earned his first crown at 26 as well.
That puts Hall a decade ahead of record pace … if he eventually chooses to chase that record.
Hall, a flat-water specialist in Nova Scotia, is gunning to make the Canadian team for the junior world championships in the future. He admitted running rapids in a narrow flat-water boat was a bit interesting.
Here’s hoping Hall keeps coming back to Bangor for a yearly dose of whitewater … and perhaps a run at the race’s all-time win record.
. Tough cookie. For many, the thought of paddling 16 1/2 miles down the Kenduskeag would qualify as a week’s worth of exercise.
Or a month’s. Or a year’s.
For Paula Lunt of Tenants Harbor, that was just the beginning of an impressive long weekend display of endurance.
On Saturday, Lunt won her one-woman short kayak division (and finished 21st overall) in a time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, 54 seconds.
She wasn’t done.
On Monday, she was in Hopkinton, Mass., toeing the line for the 112th Boston Marathon.
Lunt finished that race in 3:47:25, coming in 835th in her age class.
She was, I’d hazard a guess, the only woman in her class who had paddled 161/2 miles just two days before.
. Lost and found? A year ago, high water flushed away nearly everything a paddler could think of toting.
Boats were lost. Car keys were lost. Cell phones and paddles and spare clothing were lost.
Some of it, of course, washed up, and was delivered to the Bangor Parks & Recreation building, where owners were reunited with their gear.
On Sunday, race director Tracy Willette said this year’s paddlers seemed to have secured their valuables better … or left them ashore.
Very few items had been turned in at that point, Willette said.
Which probably meant far more paddlers than usual were looking for replacement car keys … or phones.
Friends of NRA banquet set
If you’re a fan of the National Rifle Association and its efforts, you may want to show your support at an event that will be held Saturday.
The Penobscot County Friends of the NRA will hold its ninth annual fundraising banquet Saturday at the Bangor Conference Center on Hogan Road.
The festivities begin at 6 p.m. with a social hour that will include games and a silent auction.
Dinner will be served at 7 p.m., and a live auction featuring auctioneer Frank Coombs will follow.
If you’re interested in attending, tickets are $40 each and must be bought in advance … which doesn’t leave you much time.
Call Charlie Rumsey at 941-8575 or Tony Richard at 827-3440 to reserve a spot for what promises to be a fun evening.
jholyoke@bangordailynews.net
990-8214
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