Supporting the Impossible — The Missouri River 340

I wasn’t the one paddling 340 miles down the Missouri River.

I wasn’t sleeping in a kayak, watching the miles tick by, or pushing through exhaustion.

I had a different job – I was support crew.

A group from church was taking on the Missouri River 340 — widely recognized as the longest continuous, nonstop river race in the world. Several teams from our church were participating, including my friend and her mom racing together in a tandem kayak.

This was my first time being part of the support crew, and I quickly learned that supporting a race like this is its own kind of adventure.

The night before the race, we helped get everything ready — hauling kayaks, setting things up, and making sure everyone was ready for the early morning start.

Race morning was something to see.

Boats everywhere. People everywhere. The excitement and nervous energy of hundreds of paddlers getting ready to push off.

Then the real work began.

For the racers, the challenge was paddling 340 miles.

For the support crews, the challenge was different — zig-zagging from checkpoint to checkpoint across the state, watching updates, sleeping wherever we could, helping when needed, and trying to be in the right place at the right time.

Sometimes that meant finding a place to rest whenever you could.

And apparently, my support adventure needed its own little side quest.

At one point, I realized my wallet was missing. I convinced myself I must have left it at home, so I turned around and drove an hour back to look.

No wallet.

Luckily, I had one credit card safely at home, which meant I could still get gas and keep supporting the teams.

Because apparently even the support crew gets unexpected challenges.

At another checkpoint, I ended up helping support another racer. A solo paddler was having a rough time and ultimately had to come off the course to be checked out. Thankfully, he was okay.

His wife and daughter were there, but they needed another set of hands getting his boat pulled, secured, and ready to head home.

That is one of the things I loved about being part of this event — everyone was helping everyone.

After days of paddling, waiting, driving, and cheering, the finish line finally arrived.

I wasn’t the one crossing the finish line.

But I was pretty proud to be there to watch. Supporting these amazing ladies — and being part of a group of people who showed up for each other — was its own kind of adventure.