On Feb. 21, local River advocate and aficionado Robin Kalthoff was recognized during the Missouri River Relief (MRR) annual Awards Banquet in Columbia.

The goal of the MRR Awards Banquet is to recognize the many people who take part in the care of the river year after year. This includes crew members, partners, students, friends, family and various community members who give of their time to maintain the beauty, fun and safety of the river. These folks are recognized during the banquet for various awards which showcase the many ways a person can make an impact on the river and on their community. This year, Robin Kalthoff of Waverly was the recipient of the Heart of the Race award.

Rob Kalthoff

Have you heard of River Angels? Imagine that you have been paddling the entire Missouri River, from Three Forks, Montana, all the way to the Mississippi. Maybe beyond! You pull into the eddy at the Waverly, Mo., boat ramp, expecting to have to hike up the bluff into town to refill your water jugs and look around for a burger or a cold one. But there’s this skinny, muscled river rat in cutoff jeans standing there to catch your boat. He yells out your name. And…it turns out, he’s got a 6-pack of PBR and some home-fried chicken ready for you. That’s a River Angel. Not just any River Angel…it’s Rob Kalthoff, the Grand Pass King of the Lower Missouri River Angels and he’s got Muddy Water in His Veins!

Rob has been paddling the Missouri River in the Waverly/Grand Pass area since he was a kid. Hill’s Island is his happy place. When Rob heard about the MR340 back in 2006, he knew he needed to be involved if it happened again. So when rumors started in 2007 that the race was going to happen again, and even bigger, he marked it off on his calendar.

In the second year of the MR340, the race grew from 20 paddlers to 75. Rob knew people would need help, and he showed up at the ramp the day of the race to help people land and get whatever they needed.

And he’s been back nearly every year since. Over the years, Rob got the local high school baseball team involved to help carry boats, made connections with the local authorities, emergency personnel and Boy Scouts to make sure Waverly was ready for the MR340. He’s been the MRR point of contact ever since. He scouts Hill’s Island and sends MRR photos of the situation. He helps organize local volunteers, a bunch of which are his kin. His spirit infuses both Waverly ramps with real Missouri River hospitality.

Rob is also one of the mainstays of the Missouri River Paddlers group, which serves as the network of folks paddling long expeditions on the Missouri, River Angels and local paddlers.

Bringing that love for the river to anyone who is paddling through is one of the elements that makes the MR340 such a special community. Rob is one of the longestterm volunteers of the race, and his selfless giving to everyone on the river is the true Heart of the Race.

Additional Awards

Other awards presented at the 2026 MRR banquet were as follows: No Trash Left behind – Elke Boyd; Thalweg Award – Carrie Elliott; Favorite River Family – The Davenports; The Graduate Award – Anna Dickerson; Campfire Heroes Bernie Arnold & Glenn Rice; Most Honorable River Dog – Poco; Sponsor of the Year – Mid-Missouri Solid Waste Management District; Partner of the Year National Park Foundation; Inspiring the Next Generation – Dr. Avila Hendricks & Erin LaFlamme; Student of the Year – Ilana Bonaparte; Rising Star – Geovontay Jones; Dive in Head First – Robin Sherman & Hai Lin; One Step Ahead – Andrew Dress & Meg Trull; Metamorphosis – Melanie Knocke; Broken Prop Award – Dave Combs; and the organizations highest honor, the Cornerstone Award – Scott Mansker.