The MR340 is a grueling, 340-mile non-motorized race down the Missouri River from Kansas City to St. Charles. Because solo paddlers start an hour before the team divisions, they may be on the course for up to 86 hours; teams have 85.

In 2026, 623 paddlers from 37 states and three countries set out Tuesday morning in 404 boats across 16 divisions. By the race’s end, 254 boats had finished and 150 — 37.1% — had dropped out, a measure of how unforgiving the event can be.

Weston has a proud history of MR340 participants. This year, three area paddlers competed in solo divisions: Jason Richardson, Loretta Harris and Michelle Newkirk. Newkirk was the lone finisher, completing the race in an impressive 64 hours, 35 minutes and 10 seconds — more than 21 hours ahead of the cutoff.

I first learned about the race in 2021, when several determined Weston teams competed. Nate Magoon and Sarah Morelock raced in THINK I WON’T!!, finishing the mixed tandem division in 72 hours and 22 minutes. Jason and Rylan Richardson completed the men’s tandem division in Mighty Mo Maphia in 78 hours, 25 minutes and 33 seconds. Emily McCampbell and Ginger Coons competed in the women’s tandem division but did not finish. Shane Bartee and Paul Norman completed the men’s tandem division in Weston Benders in 73 hours and 52 minutes.

McCampbell first introduced me to the MR340, and her enthusiasm was infectious. She and Coons did not finish their first attempt, but in the spirit of the race, there was always next time.

In 2023, McCampbell returned with a new teammate, Megan Martin, in a boat aptly named Finishing Out of Spite. They had traveled 141 miles in 31.5 hours when severe weather, a rising river and dangerous debris forced race officials to end the event early. It was the first mid-race cancellation in MR340 history.

Just like that, their race was over.

The 2026 race was supposed to be McCampbell’s redemption year. She had trained harder than ever and was in peak physical and mental condition. Then, a freak accident at home changed everything. She slipped on a hill, and her leg became lodged in a retaining wall, fracturing her tibia.

Although she is sidelined for now, we are all hoping physical therapy and her relentless drive eventually carry her to the finish line in St. Charles.

I caught up with Newkirk after her successful finish, and honestly, I had no idea how she was still standing, much less talking.

Her boat, Shield Maiden, was named for her work as a wrestling coach and the fact that this was her maiden voyage. Even her boat number was personal, taken from the microchip number of her horse, Casey. Her students made the stickers for the boat.

Newkirk described how the river changes at night, when sleep deprivation can make paddlers see things that are not there. Her mantra, “The rhythm stays the same,” kept her moving until she met up with her friend Dan in Glasgow. They paddled the remainder of the race together.

Would she do it again? Newkirk compared the experience to childbirth. Ask a woman who has just given birth whether she wants another child, she said, and the answer is usually no. Give her a little time, though, and she might change her mind.

That may be the pull of the MR340: The river may stop a paddler, but it rarely keeps one from imagining next time.