Here's the contents of the first email sent to race participants on 9/30/25.
THIS Saturday, October 4th is the 16th Annual Race to the Dome.
If you are getting this email, you registered for the race.
THANK YOU so much for signing up – we’re looking forward to seeing you on the water. It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day. Temps start at 63 degrees, warming up to the mid-80's. It will feel warm out there...make sure you have plenty of water!
There's a ton of information in this email. Please sit back for a bit and read through. It will also be be published on the Race to the Dome website in the News and Updates feed, which may be easier to read.
Thanks to very generous donations from Missouri American Water, Rusty Drewing Automotive, Broadway Brewery, Logboat Brewing, Les Bourgeois Vineyards, Cooper's Landing, GovWatch, Klingner & Associates, Evora Women's Health, and JC Parks, all of the proceeds from your race entries go to support Missouri River Relief, who has been organizing Missouri River clean-ups and education for 20 years. Check out our work at www.riverrelief.org.
We give our deepest gratitude to Patrick Lynn, who started the race in 2010 to raise funds for Missouri River Relief and to help build a Missouri River culture right here in the State Capitol.
Please take a moment to fill out our online risk release waiver. Just takes a few minutes and it will save us time at Registration on Race Day - bit.ly/2025dome-waiver
The email includes your racer info, which you'll need to check to make sure it's correct.
Also, check the roster online to make sure everything looks correct. There is a separate roster for Hartsburg and Providence, and they are searchable.
We have a BIG registration for this race! Be patient and give yourself plenty of time.
Plan to arrive at your race course start: Hartsburg or Providence by 7:30am to check-in. Even earlier is better! Please carpool as parking at the ramps is limited. If you have someone who can drop you, your boat, and gear off and then head to the finish line at Noren, that’s the best scenario. The roads to the ramps are often narrow, especially to the Providence boat ramp. PLEASE DRIVE SLOW and honk as you round corners. Cooper’s Landing is having an event this weekend so expect roads out of Columbia to be more congested than normal.
For the Hartsburg Race, there are still a bunch of shuttle spots available.
It's only $5 per person!
That link includes how the shuttle works, but basically you drop your boat at Hartsburg, then drive to the finish line at Noren Access, then hop on the shuttle bus back to Hartsburg. That way your vehicle is waiting for you at the finish!
There is no shuttle available for the Providence Race.
Again, please arrive at the race start at 7:30 or earlier.
There will be a Check-In table where we will check your registration, make sure we have your waiver (fill it out online if you haven't yet), give you two boat numbers stickers (for each boat), give you a race sticker, safety card and your race tshirt.
Boat Number- each boat will be given their assigned boat number consisting of 2 stickers to place on the left and right side of the front/bow of the boat, make sure the number is above the water line and easily visible for safety boats and the finish line timekeepers.
Each race start will hold a safety talk at 8:15am at the ramps. Following the meeting, the first heat will have about 30 mins to get in the water. If you are in the first heat, line up your boats on the side of the ramp or as close to the ramp as possible so you can get in the water quickly.
Be mindful that recreational boat traffic may be using the ramp to launch boats so don’t block the ramps entirely.
The second heats, line up after the first heats are in the water. Once the first heat starts, get in the water. Your start time will be 9:30am.
I will share the heat schedule with you all on Thursday evening.
Be sure you are in the water for your heat, don’t get in at an earlier or later heat!
At Hartsburg, the bank will be crowded. Boats that are able can go upstream of the ramp to wait for the start.
At Providence, boats will line up in Perche Creek.
Be ready by 8:15am to get in the water if you are in the first heat directly after the safety meeting.
The Location page on our website has directions to everything, including Google Maps Links.
You can also download a PDF of those directions here.
This document provides directions to each ramp and from each ramp to the finish line. Note for Hartsburg- these directions take you through Ashland and Wilton to avoid driving through Hartsburg which can be more confusing.
The weather forecast for Saturday is a low of 63 degrees with a high of 85 degrees - no rain is expected at this point. Keep an eye on the weather the next few days. Wear layers to adapt as needed to the temperature throughout the morning.
Morning fog is a possibility but looking unlikely. If heavy fog is present, race starts will be delayed in 15 min increments until clear.
Water temps are around 74 degrees, which can get cold if you do end up submerged. Having a dry bag with extra clothes is advised.
Rain and storms are not in the forecast. If there is lightning/thunder at the beginning of the race, the race will be delayed in 30-minute increments. If there is lightning when the race is underway we request that you pull off the river and wait out the storm.
The race finishes at Noren Access-Wilson’s Serenity Point on river left just before the Jefferson City Bridge. Our plan is to have the finish line along the sandbar just downstream of the boat ramp. Just look and listen for us cheering you in!
The official finish is when your bow touches the shore at the finish line.
Parking will likely be cramped at the finish line. If it doesn't rain, we have permission to camp on the grass in the area between the parking lot and the ramp up to the bridge. We'll have a volunteer to direct you there. However, if it rains throughout the week, we limit parking to paved areas.
At the race finish, we need to keep the driveway and boat ramp/trailer pull-out open for recreational boaters and emergency crews – NO PARKING IN BOAT TRAILER PULL-OUT. Please single park vehicles to the side only while loading gear and then move your vehicle to the lot to make room for others.
First through third-place finishers will receive a medal for each racer.
These will be handed out at the awards ceremony which should begin around 1:30pm.
All paddlers receive a t-shirt, sticker, and lunch.
Lunch will be provided at the finish line. Broadway Brewery is cooking up some awesome vegetarian chili for us! Beer, cider and seltzer for racers is provided by Columbia’s Logboat Brewing Company and Rusty Drewing. Missouri American Water will have their water tent available, and we will have some sodas and sparkling waters available as well.
Put these phone numbers in your phone for cases of questions or emergency:
Steve Schnarr - Race Director - Finish Line – 573-289-2077
Safety Dispatch Phone - 913-283-0690
Racers must wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved lifejacket at all times while on the water. The lifejacket must have a whistle attached. Racers must also have a phone on board for cases of emergency. Alcohol is not permitted in this race. Be sure you are aware of all race rules.
Paddling the Missouri River is usually easier and safer than most people think. But there are still serious hazards to consider. On the Big Muddy, a few mistakes can turn a peaceful float into a very wet and dangerous situation. It’s a wide river and the current is deceptively swift and strong.
Each racer is responsible for looking over the safety guidelines. They are copied below, but you can use this link to read them as well.
If you should capsize on the river – RELAX and float first and grab ahold of your boat. Let your PFD float you as you regain calm. Do not attempt to swim upstream or against the current. Attempting to fight the current will only kick in your panic reflex, not to mention it is impossible. Once you get an idea of where the current is going, you can attempt to hold onto your boat, grab your paddle and move slowly to shore following the current. As soon as you are in a safe situation, call one of the numbers above and a support boat will come pick you up as soon as they can get to you.
We are all each other’s safety boats. If you see a fellow paddler in trouble, please offer assistance if possible and call one of the numbers above to advise on location.
Barges
When encountering marine traffic such as a barge, exit the navigational channel (that’s where the barges will be and where the waves will be strongest) and point your bow into the wake it leaves behind. Barges have the right of way. Exit to the inside of bends as barges will be using the outside of the bends. Barges have almost no ability to turn; it’s your job to get out of their way. The worst place to be is between a barge and a riprap shore where the waves can push you against the rocks. See this video for an idea of what this looks like.
You will pass sand dredges moored in the river just outside the main channel. The dredges are anchored to cables that stretch out on either side. Give dredges and other tied up barges plenty of space and do not approach them from the upstream end. Do not try to pass between an anchored boat and the bank, stay in the channel and pass on the outside of the bend.
We reach out to marine traffic to find out the latest info on barge placement before the race and pass that on to racers.
Boats
Make sure you’re visible to local recreational boats. Turning sideways to the current makes a bigger display. Point your bow into the wake the boat leaves behind. Wave a paddle above your head if you don’t think you’re visible.
Wing Dikes
These are the rock structures that jut out into the current. At this level, most wing dikes and obstructions are visible and out of the water, but the ends of some dikes are still underwater. There are some “trailing dikes” parallel to shore on the channel side where you don’t expect them. We recommend you avoid wing dikes as the water around and just downstream of wing dikes tends to have swirling currents that will slow you down and may tip an unstable boat. A rule of thumb is to stay in the middle of the river and toward the outside of the bends and the dikes shouldn’t give you trouble. Never approach any obstruction from upstream as the current can trap you against it.
Buoys
Navigation buoys are large metal red or green floats anchored to the river bottom. Give navigation buoys plenty of room. They are known to bounce around and a few are floating just at river level and may pop up and down. They are giant 7ft steel tubes attached with chain to their anchor so they can and will move side to side. Give them plenty of room, do not pass close to them, be aware there is a chain attached to them so don't attempt to cut close to a buoy.
Silver Carp
You may encounter the infamous “Flying Carp”, an invasive species that has invaded our big rivers. They tend to be in backwater, such as Perche Creek, in the few feet next to the bank, or behind wing dikes, including where the current of the main channel pushes against the wing dike eddy. You probably won’t see them jumping in the main channel unless you are fairly close to the bank. They can jump as high as 8 feet. Protect your face and head if you can. They can weigh 50 pounds or more.
Current
The current is deceptively strong on the Missouri. It can catch you off-guard and make a tippy canoe into a tipped-over canoe pretty quickly. Keep your center of gravity low and weight balanced evenly across the canoe. If you need to land on shore, approach your landing from downstream, paddling upstream to your landing spot.
Finding the swiftest water
One of the keys to your success in finishing this race will be finding the swiftest water. The Missouri River we have today was created by the Army Corps of Engineers by channelizing the much wider, more unpredictable historic Missouri River. Because of that engineering and the navigation markers maintained by the US Coast Guard, the channel is fairly easy to predict.
It can help some paddlers to think of the Missouri River as a five-lane highway, where you want to stay in either lanes 2-3 or 3-4 depending how the river bends. Here’s a video by Chris Luedke, designed for MR340 paddlers, that might help you visualize this.
Wind
If your canoe is perpendicular to the current and you get caught by a strong crosswind, the canoe will tip easier.Headwinds can be exhausting and you may want to consider where on the river you can escape the wind as you move downstream. Of course every time you go around another bend it all changes.
Fog
There is a chance there will be fog at the start of the race. If there is substantial fog, we will delay the start of the race in 15 minute increments until it clears. If you should encounter a thick fog bank during the race, it is recommended that you pull over and wait for it to clear. Fog is extremely disorienting, and there is nothing to say there won’t be a motor boat or barge headed upstream at you in the fog.
I look forward to seeing you Saturday! If you have any questions, please email me at: steve@riverrelief.org
Your Race Director,
Steve Schnarr
email
