Area river enthusiasts should prepare to visit their local marina later this month, as the 21st annual MR340 is scheduled for July 28 – July 31, 2026.

As always, the race will begin at Kaw Point in Kansas City, Kan. (mile 367.5), with solo boats launching at 7 a.m. and all other boats beginning at 8 a.m. The race runs 24 hours a day, and paddlers usually begin arriving at Waverly early Tuesday afternoon.

All paddlers must have ground crews, so expect the marina to be packed by late afternoon. Additionally, each paddler must make contact with race officials at each designated checkpoint using RaceOwl or a properly formatted text message. This includes if a paddler elects to end their race early, which is marked as a ‘DNF.” For those who can’t make it on site, spectators can watch the progress of their favorite paddlers online using https://raceowl.com/.

Each checkpoint has as designated cut off time, which is designed to keep paddlers on track and within range of safety boats. To help paddlers stay on pace, a pace boat dubbed “The Reaper” will move along the river at the minimum speed required to meet each checkpoint. The Reaper is meant to be a physical representation of the cut off times for both spectators and paddlers. As a reminder, if The Reaper passes a paddler, there isn’t an immediate consequence; however, if the paddler doesn’t catch up to The Reaper before the next checkpoint, they will be disqualified. The Reaper flies a black flag when in “Reaper Mode.” If the black flag is not flying, it may mean that the Reaper is moving at a different pace for a variety of reasons. For these reasons, it’s important to note that The Reaper is not the endall be-all, but remember: Failure to reach a checkpoint by the designated cut off time results in disqualification.

The 2026 race schedule, complete with checkpoints and cut off times, is as follows.

• Monday, July 27 Noon to 8 p.m. – Mandatory race check-in, Kaw Point Park, Kansas City, Kan.

• Tuesday, July 28 – 7 a.m. solo start; 8 a.m. tandems & teams start, Kaw Point Park, Kansas City, Kan.

• Tuesday, July 28 – 8 p.m. deadline to reach Waverly checkpoint

• Wed, July 29 – 4 p.m. deadline to reach Glasgow checkpoint

• Thursday, July 30 – 4 p.m. deadline to reach Jefferson City checkpoint

• Friday, July 31 – 8 a.m. deadline to reach Hermann checkpoint

• Friday, July 31 – 7 p.m. MR340 Awards ceremony

• Friday, July 31 – 9 p.m. deadline to cross the finish line

The race officially ends at 9 p.m. on July 31, 2026, which allows 86 hours for solo paddlers and 85 hours for all others. Race participants who remain on the Missouri River after 9 p.m. on July 31, 2026 do so at their own risk, independently of the race.

New last year, boat numbers were assigned as competitors registered for the race. After the event, race coordinators issued a survey, and one common theme in the responses was the desire of paddlers to choose their own boat numbers. So back by popular demand, competitors in the 2026 MR340 are permitted to select their own boat numbers on a first-come, first-serve basis.

As of the latest update, on July 2, 2026, there were 640 racers registered in 465 boats. Area paddlers who were registered to compete at press time were as follows.

Women’s Solo Paddle Division
0116, “Silver Hawk,” Sherri Ulbrich of Marshall

Men’s Solo Paddle Division
2600 “Little Duck,” Adam Couch of Odessa

Women’s Solo Pedal Drive Division
2384 “Freebird,” Beth Burkhart of Sedalia

Men’s Solo Pedal Drive Division
7137 “Peddle Papa,” Larry Lightburne of Knob Noster
9815 “Wet Nuts,” Ben Fundaburg of Knob Noster

Men’s Tandem Paddle Division
3140 “H.M.S. Hot Dog Lovers 2,” Joshua Simpson of Warrensburg & TBD
4219 “All Hat, No Paddle,” Michael Carpenter & Logan Korff of Norborne

Mixed Tandem Paddle Division
4113 “Cancer Sucks!” Noel Solum of Watertown, S.D. & Barry Brock of Sedalia
6979 “River Sloths,” Erica Coney of Slater & Brad Riley of Marshall
8285 “River Assassins,” Brittany & Josh Ulshafer of Warrensburg

Tandem Pedal Drive Division
1997 “Red Hot Chili Pedalers,” Christy Butter of Marshall & Elizabeth Keehart Bertani of Miami, Mo.

New registrations will be accepted until July 23, 2026. Register online by visiting https://mr340.org/ register/.

The MR340 is hosted by Missouri River Relief, a nonprofit based in Columbia, Mo., which is dedicated to connecting people to the Missouri River through stewardship, education and recreation.