HOULTON, Maine — Houlton’s annual whitewater canoe and kayak race is shaping up to be a good one with rain predicted for this weekend.
Last year’s Meduxnekeag Canoe Race was plagued with low water and rocky conditions that meant lots of maneuvering and portaging to get around obstacles in the river, although 60 racers still braved the rugged race.
But organizers said if weather predictions for weekend rain hold, this could be a good year for paddlers.
“If it rains that much this weekend it should be high,” said Jane Torres, executive director of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce, on Friday. Torres has been organizing the Houlton race for years.
The eight-mile race from New Limerick to Houlton is part of the Maine Canoe and Kayak Racing Organization Down River Point Series and it generally draws between 80 and 100 racers, Torres said.
Again this year, race expert Peter Blood, who has been tackling the Meduxnekeag race for nearly 40 years, will help Torres at the starting line.
Unlike some of the races in the Down River series, the Meduxnekeag race has a staggered start, with small groups of similar abilities starting together.
The whitewater racing season began in late March with the St. George River Race. The Meduxnekeag contest, Down River No. 8, will happen on Saturday, May 3. It’s one of the last races in the 2025 series.
New in this year’s series is the 1st Annual Tylor Kelly’s Allagash Dash, Down River No. 11, on May 18.
The 15-mile race will start on the Allagash River at the bridge that crosses the river in town.
Within 10 minutes, racers will be at the confluence of the Allagash and St. John rivers as they are dumped into its vast and powerful waters, finishing at Hart’s Landing in St. Francis off Route 161, said co-organizer Jake Feener.
Unlike the Meduxnekeag River Race, the Allagash Dash will have a mass start with six or eight classes of canoes and kayaks starting at the same time, Feener said.
For the Houlton race, the Hodgdon Fire Department will be on hand at Devil’s Elbow, the part of the river in New Limerick with rocky areas and fast-moving waters.
The Meduxnekeag race starts at Lynwood Wellington’s house on the Station Road in New Limerick and ends at Houlton’s Gateway Bridge, where there will be burgers and hot dogs and the presentation of awards, said Torres, adding that a bag of potatoes will go to paddlers.
Check-in at the race site runs from 8 to 9:30 a.m., followed by a mandatory race briefing before the boats begin hitting the water at 10 a.m.
Participants can pre-register at greaterhoulton.com or register on the day of the race. Registration is $20 for adults, and $15 for children under 18.
Contact Jane Torres (207) 532-4216 director@greaterhoulton.com for more information.
