"The 90-Miler" Suggestions and Information for First Time Participants
So, you are considering entering the Adirondack Canoe Classic – The 3-day, 90 mile canoe, kayak, and guide boat event from Old Forge to Saranac Lake, for the first time.
You will want to prepare yourself mentally and physically. This is a ‘back-country race’, which is different from a 5K run round the town park, or even a triathlon. While on the course, you are often miles away from immediate medical care or rescue. The weather can be very hot, or very cold, and it is always windy at some point over the three days. There are mile-long
portages, big open lakes, twisty beaver-dammed streams and shallow rivers with so many twists and turns it is hard to keep track of where you are.
Race organizers attempt to plan for most contingencies, and we take your safety seriously. We partner with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, search and rescue groups and volunteers to provide a safety net of boats and personnel out on the course. Nevertheless, there will be times when you are by yourself, and you are ultimately responsible for your own safety. You should know where you are going and be prepared for emergency situations.
Paddlers in the 90 Miler are a tight community, and most will come to the aid of fellow paddlers in time of need.
Here are some things to contemplate:
If you have never participated in a canoe race before – WE DO NOT RECOMMEND you start out with the 90 Miler! The New York Paddle Sport Association (https://www.nypra.org/) (formerly known as NYMCRA) offers a full calendar of events from April to October. Go to some races, talk to people and paddle. The experience you gain by seeing, listening and doing
will be invaluable, and you will meet some friendly folks who are passionate about paddle sport.
Finishing the 90 Miler requires mental and physical stamina. We all look at it as a personal challenge. The better prepared you are the more you will enjoy it. Do some research on the course. Come up for a weekend in the summer to paddle a couple of sections of the course. Know your equipment and make sure it is in great condition. Nothing replaces time in the seat! No matter what class you enter, your successful completion of the three days of the event will be more likely if you and your team have spent some time paddling. You do not have to be a professional paddler or have years of experience to participate. BUT the more effort you put in to preparation the better your results will be, and the shorter your recovery time will be. There’s a big difference between the first three hours of paddling and the next three (and the next three…) Find out
what food you can tolerate and will make you happy in the second half of the day. Hydration is essential. Most people use a bladder system like a Camelbak, some have a sugary electrolyte drink, but these are decisions you need to make before race day. Test and repeat...test and repeat.
YOUR BOAT - The type of boat you choose is up to you. Check out the boat classifications and specifications. We have classes for solo, tandem, four person and eight person canoes, solo recreational kayaks over 12 feet, touring kayaks and unlimited kayaks. One and two-person guide boats and Stand Up Paddleboards. If you are not sure – ASK. For most people
entering the 90 Miler for the first time, a solo recreational boat, stock boat or touring kayak are popular choices . You want a craft you can be comfortable in for up to seven hours on the water, yet light enough to portage across the carries.
DO NOT SHOW UP at the 90 never having paddled or carried your vessel! Have a plan and practice carrying your canoe or kayak with the gear you will have with you during the 90 Miler! You will need an extra paddle and some extra clothing, Know where everything goes, and who is going to carry it! Make sure your life jacket is comfortable, Coast Guard approved and readily available should you decide not to wear it. There are times in the 90 Miler when they are mandatory. If we ask you to put it on there is a very good reason. DO IT!
WHEELS - Some people use wheels on the portages. They can help a lot on Day One as the carries are long, relatively wide and mostly level. Know how your wheels work and how to repair them. Make sure the tires are in good shape and connections work. There are times when wheels aren’t an option, so practice carrying your boat on the flat, then uphill and on a bumpy trail . On Day Two, there is only one portage (1.25 miles) and you cannot put the wheels on until you get to the top of the first hill. Know how you will move the boat up the steep stairs and through the rocks! For day three the wheels are helpful on Bartlett Carry but not on the carries around the locks. Please note – for all competitive classes – if you start with
wheels on Day One you must carry them with you all three days. The touring (non-competitive) classes are not required to keep their wheels throughout.
PIT CREWS - Are an essential part of your 90 Miler success. At a minimum you will need someone to drive your car from the start to the finish line each day. The road distance - day 1 is 35 miles, day 2 it’s 30 miles and day 3 it’s 17 miles). Some teams have managed to attract near-professional support crews who meet them on carries to replenish supplies, provide
moral support, set up their camping gear, do equipment repairs, cook and clean, do laundry and even offer massages. Thank your Pit Crew in all the ways you can.
CUT OFF’S - The cut off times are designed to make sure all participants and volunteers are off of the water before dark. At the pre-determined times there will be a Cut Off Ambassador meeting participants at designated locations on the course. On rare occasions event organizers will also need to pull people who are FAR behind the rest of the field at Fifth OR Eighth Lake on Day One at the end of Long Lake on Day Two and at the Route 3 Bridge on Day Three to ensure that the event does not get so stretched out that we are compromising our volunteer resources.
SAFETY BOATS - Your safety is our number one priority. We rely on the men and women of the NYSDEC, along with Search and Rescue Teams and interested volunteers to stretch a chain of safety boats along the course. On a beautiful blue-bird day it seems like there are a lot of safety boats out there, BUT when the weather gets rough on a big lake, there is no such thing as too many safety boats! Should it get rough: use your head, follow directions and stay close to shore. In the unlikely event that the wrong side of your boat points to the sky: attempt a self-rescue, get to shore or accept assistance from other paddlers or the nearest safety boat. Make sure you know how to right your canoe and have practiced self-rescue.
MOST OF ALL HAVE FUN. The 90 Miler was conceived by people who wanted to inspire others with Adirondack scenery from the seat of a human powered boat. The emphasis has always been on community, camaraderie and personal challenge, over pure dogged competition. That is not to say that you won’t find people to race with – after all if there are more than two boats on the water, someone’s going to want to race! In looking at the “competitive classes” you will find opportunities for nearly a third of the participants to “take home some wood” by placing first second or third in one of the many boat categories and age classifications! Many consider the race to be ‘Type 2 fun’; it isn’t always fun in the moment, but it is when you look back on it.
Ready to sign up??? Please email your USPS mailing address to adirondack90miler@gmail.com by June 1st.
You will want to prepare yourself mentally and physically. This is a ‘back-country race’, which is different from a 5K run round the town park, or even a triathlon. While on the course, you are often miles away from immediate medical care or rescue. The weather can be very hot, or very cold, and it is always windy at some point over the three days. There are mile-long
portages, big open lakes, twisty beaver-dammed streams and shallow rivers with so many twists and turns it is hard to keep track of where you are.
Race organizers attempt to plan for most contingencies, and we take your safety seriously. We partner with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, search and rescue groups and volunteers to provide a safety net of boats and personnel out on the course. Nevertheless, there will be times when you are by yourself, and you are ultimately responsible for your own safety. You should know where you are going and be prepared for emergency situations.
Paddlers in the 90 Miler are a tight community, and most will come to the aid of fellow paddlers in time of need.
Here are some things to contemplate:
If you have never participated in a canoe race before – WE DO NOT RECOMMEND you start out with the 90 Miler! The New York Paddle Sport Association (https://www.nypra.org/) (formerly known as NYMCRA) offers a full calendar of events from April to October. Go to some races, talk to people and paddle. The experience you gain by seeing, listening and doing
will be invaluable, and you will meet some friendly folks who are passionate about paddle sport.
Finishing the 90 Miler requires mental and physical stamina. We all look at it as a personal challenge. The better prepared you are the more you will enjoy it. Do some research on the course. Come up for a weekend in the summer to paddle a couple of sections of the course. Know your equipment and make sure it is in great condition. Nothing replaces time in the seat! No matter what class you enter, your successful completion of the three days of the event will be more likely if you and your team have spent some time paddling. You do not have to be a professional paddler or have years of experience to participate. BUT the more effort you put in to preparation the better your results will be, and the shorter your recovery time will be. There’s a big difference between the first three hours of paddling and the next three (and the next three…) Find out
what food you can tolerate and will make you happy in the second half of the day. Hydration is essential. Most people use a bladder system like a Camelbak, some have a sugary electrolyte drink, but these are decisions you need to make before race day. Test and repeat...test and repeat.
YOUR BOAT - The type of boat you choose is up to you. Check out the boat classifications and specifications. We have classes for solo, tandem, four person and eight person canoes, solo recreational kayaks over 12 feet, touring kayaks and unlimited kayaks. One and two-person guide boats and Stand Up Paddleboards. If you are not sure – ASK. For most people
entering the 90 Miler for the first time, a solo recreational boat, stock boat or touring kayak are popular choices . You want a craft you can be comfortable in for up to seven hours on the water, yet light enough to portage across the carries.
DO NOT SHOW UP at the 90 never having paddled or carried your vessel! Have a plan and practice carrying your canoe or kayak with the gear you will have with you during the 90 Miler! You will need an extra paddle and some extra clothing, Know where everything goes, and who is going to carry it! Make sure your life jacket is comfortable, Coast Guard approved and readily available should you decide not to wear it. There are times in the 90 Miler when they are mandatory. If we ask you to put it on there is a very good reason. DO IT!
WHEELS - Some people use wheels on the portages. They can help a lot on Day One as the carries are long, relatively wide and mostly level. Know how your wheels work and how to repair them. Make sure the tires are in good shape and connections work. There are times when wheels aren’t an option, so practice carrying your boat on the flat, then uphill and on a bumpy trail . On Day Two, there is only one portage (1.25 miles) and you cannot put the wheels on until you get to the top of the first hill. Know how you will move the boat up the steep stairs and through the rocks! For day three the wheels are helpful on Bartlett Carry but not on the carries around the locks. Please note – for all competitive classes – if you start with
wheels on Day One you must carry them with you all three days. The touring (non-competitive) classes are not required to keep their wheels throughout.
PIT CREWS - Are an essential part of your 90 Miler success. At a minimum you will need someone to drive your car from the start to the finish line each day. The road distance - day 1 is 35 miles, day 2 it’s 30 miles and day 3 it’s 17 miles). Some teams have managed to attract near-professional support crews who meet them on carries to replenish supplies, provide
moral support, set up their camping gear, do equipment repairs, cook and clean, do laundry and even offer massages. Thank your Pit Crew in all the ways you can.
CUT OFF’S - The cut off times are designed to make sure all participants and volunteers are off of the water before dark. At the pre-determined times there will be a Cut Off Ambassador meeting participants at designated locations on the course. On rare occasions event organizers will also need to pull people who are FAR behind the rest of the field at Fifth OR Eighth Lake on Day One at the end of Long Lake on Day Two and at the Route 3 Bridge on Day Three to ensure that the event does not get so stretched out that we are compromising our volunteer resources.
SAFETY BOATS - Your safety is our number one priority. We rely on the men and women of the NYSDEC, along with Search and Rescue Teams and interested volunteers to stretch a chain of safety boats along the course. On a beautiful blue-bird day it seems like there are a lot of safety boats out there, BUT when the weather gets rough on a big lake, there is no such thing as too many safety boats! Should it get rough: use your head, follow directions and stay close to shore. In the unlikely event that the wrong side of your boat points to the sky: attempt a self-rescue, get to shore or accept assistance from other paddlers or the nearest safety boat. Make sure you know how to right your canoe and have practiced self-rescue.
MOST OF ALL HAVE FUN. The 90 Miler was conceived by people who wanted to inspire others with Adirondack scenery from the seat of a human powered boat. The emphasis has always been on community, camaraderie and personal challenge, over pure dogged competition. That is not to say that you won’t find people to race with – after all if there are more than two boats on the water, someone’s going to want to race! In looking at the “competitive classes” you will find opportunities for nearly a third of the participants to “take home some wood” by placing first second or third in one of the many boat categories and age classifications! Many consider the race to be ‘Type 2 fun’; it isn’t always fun in the moment, but it is when you look back on it.
Ready to sign up??? Please email your USPS mailing address to adirondack90miler@gmail.com by June 1st.
