Lester River Race Marks Unofficial Open to Whitewater Kayak Season in Northern MN

DULUTH, Minn. — The Lester River Race happens during the spring thaw challenging expert paddlers from the Midwest to help kick start the white-water kayaking season.

The date of this year’s race has been up in the air this past month with organizers waiting for perfectly thawed conditions.

After the snow melts, it’s much easier to avoid rocks when flying downstream. It’s an annual trip a pair of friends who met over kayaking, take every year.

“It’s our friends like we’ve made bonds where, best friends for life kind of thing, you risk your life out there in the river and you have each other back always and it’s just one of those things that’s really like a bonding experience and I’ve met some of the best friends I’ve ever had through kayaking,” Chris Keller, Kayaker From Wisconsin said alongside his friend, Brian Robin of Minnesota who added, “just being able to be with your best friends on and off the river, it’s a very dynamic sport, you could be in the same river multiple times and it will be different every time”.

This is the Lester River Race’s 9th run, and the pair say this is one of their favorite races.