New Mexico's First Marathon River Race

The first annual Rio Grande 94 was put on this year by one of our all star guides, Wendy Meyer. She is a veteran racer having completed two of the most prestigious and brutal river races in the country, the Missouri 340 and the Texas Water Safari. The 94 mile race started at the foot of the Little Arsenic trail in the Wild Rivers Recreation Area just before sunrise. The racers enjoyed the sunrise while navigating through the La Junta rafting section and getting warmed up for the famous Taos Box. The first check point was at the Taos Junction Bridge and our very own Devin Beck was leading! The next two check points were after the Racecourse section and right before the White Rock stretch. The racers had to navigate through NINE dams on this section!! The race ended at the Cochiti Reservoir where all participants were met by Wendy with her trademark smile and a cold beer. Tying for first in the kayak division were Garret Schooley and Sebastian Munoz and first place in the inflatable kayak division was Devin Beck and an honorable mention going to Luke Kriken. The total race time was around 22 hours. We are excited to see how this race grows in the future and to cheer on and support all the participants as they take on the fun challenge. If you happen to get any of the participants or Wendy as your guide next summer, be sure to ask them for their first hand accounts!