Paddlers prevail over conditions in Des Plaines River marathon

The forecasts were filled with foreboding Sunday for the 58th Des Plaines River Canoe and Kayak Marathon.

At 8 a.m., those predictions seemed about to be confirmed as raindrops began to fall from the gray skies above the launch at Oak Spring Road in Libertyville.

Jack Snarr, the event's co-chair, said volunteers were prepared for bad weather, and were ready to order competitors off the 18.5-mile course in the event of lightning or heavy storms.

But 2½ hours later, as the first crafts straggled toward the finish line along the Dam No. 2 Woods in Mount Prospect, not only were the skies serene, but the sun appeared, seemingly casting its approval on the event.

More than 600 canoeists and kayakers paddled the Des Plaines River for this year's marathon, most for the big event, but some taking part in a 5.25-mile "Minithon".

That was added this year in hopes of attracting more young people, Snarr said.

And there were many young and less experienced boaters in the field, including first-timers Danielle Demarke and John Cole of Palatine.

"I just read about it, and it sounded really cool, so I decided to give it a try," Demarke said.

Marek Marganski, of Mount Prospect, brought his family. He ventured out into the water with his 10-year-old daughter, Veronica.

"This is what we can do together," said Marganski, who started canoeing about a year ago. "Kids spend lots of time on computers and stuff like that, so I decided to find something new to spend time with my children."

Once out on the water, the first paddlers found the elements something of a challenge.

Among the first to arrive at the finish line was Allen Limberg of Wausau, Wisconsin, who shared his craft with Barb Bradley.

"The headwind bothers us more than the current does," he said.

Water depths of only between one and four feet in some locations made for difficult paddling, Bradley said.

"The water level made the water what we call junk water," she said. "It's hard to go fast in the junk water."

Mark Koenig of Woodstock, who partnered with Jan Perrin from Janesville, Wisconsin, said, "It was a little slower than last year, when it was almost flood stage, but it was good."

The first to cross the finish line was the team of Sonja Gilman, from Bristol, Indiana, and Janet Perry of St. Charles.

"The water was really bad today," Perry said. "It felt like concrete. You didn't glide."