Family, competition at heart of Fox River race

Once a competitive 22-mile event, the Mid-American Canoe and Kayak Race along the Fox River has evolved into a shorter 10-mile race, with an even shorter 6-mile component that appeals to both families and competitive paddlers.

In the case of one group of participants Sunday, family and competition go hand in hand.

The Grimes family has been a fixture at the race for 37 years, ever since patriarch Jerry and his brothers launched from the original starting line in South Elgin.

These days the race begins at Mount St. Mary Park in St. Charles, from where Jerry, along with his sons Jason and Paul, and their cousins Dan and Jeff, launched Sunday to keep the tradition alive.

"Right now it's more of a family thing with us," said Jason Grimes, of North Aurora. "We're competitive amongst our family."

Jerry's brother Al did not compete this year, but waited at the finish line. He said the family competition can be fierce.

"There is a lot of trash-talking at the end of this," he said.

There is also partying, with nearly 20 family members on hand to celebrate.

Jerry Grimes, of Aurora, remembered as many as 1,000 canoes competing in the event's earlier years.

"You could see the highlights on WGN sports," he said.

Jason and Paul were among the first out around 9 a.m. and among the first to cross the finish line at McCullough Park in Aurora. They had an unexpected adventure along the way, flipping over when the front of their canoe hit a rock near Batavia.

"I actually like the stretch in between Geneva and Batavia, where it's a little bit deeper, open water," said Paul, a Yorkville resident. "I like when it's kind of like a highway. It's open, it's deep. You just paddle. You don't have to worry about getting in the right lane."

The first to cross the finish line - although not necessarily the fastest, since starts were staggered - were David Kies of Channahon and the team of Steve Conlon of Batavia and Pat Faul of Lake Zurich.

"It was a little shallow in spots, but it was a lot of fun," Kies said.

Race director Jeff Long said about 540 boats, with about 900 to 1,000 paddlers, embarked not only from the St. Charles launch, but also from Batavia for the six-mile journey.

The races have been steadily growing since 2008, when about 190 boats shoved off. There were about 250 rentals this year, indicating that many participants were not regular paddlers.

"It is kind of what we rebranded the race to be," Long said. "We wanted to keep the competitive aspect, but also bring in new paddlers and introduce families and curiosity seekers to the race."

The river was on the high side Sunday, with the volume of water at 1,760 cubic feet per second, the second highest in the last 10 years. It usually ranges between 1,200 and 1,800.

"This is just about perfect water level, just slightly fast, but that's good," Long said. "It will also cover up some of the boulders and some of the shallow shoals."

It was a family reunion as well as for Pete Simon of Plainfield and his brother, Daryl Simon of Missouri. The brothers have been competing in the race for more than 40 years.

For Pete, the race has not only gotten shorter, but also easier. He remembers the South Elgin version as "a more brutal race."

"The boats have improved so much," Daryl Simon added. "They boats weigh only half as much as they used to."