Stormy start doesn't stop Fox River canoe, kayak race

A stormy start to the Mid-American Canoe and Kayak Race didn't deter its approximately 500 participants from racing down the Fox River from St. Charles to Aurora on Sunday.

With the forecast calling for storms all day, Jeff Long, public relations manager for the Fox Valley Park District, admits he was nervous when he woke up Sunday morning.

But after only a 15-minute delay to the 10-mile race, the rest of the event proceeded as planned. The 6-mile race, which started in Batavia, began on time at 10:30 a.m.

The rain may have kept away a few preregistered participants, Long said. However, it couldn't stop veteran racers Tave Lamperez, 55, of St. Charles, and David Simon, 49, of Warrenville, who finished first in the 10-mile race.

"If they were going to have the race, we were going to be there," Lamperez said.

Lamperez and Simon, both members of the St. Charles Canoe Club, have been racing canoes all over the country together since 1988. They have won the Mid-American Race more than 10 times.

"We have practiced more than twice a week since April," Lamperez said of the pair's race preparations.

Other participants, such as Geneva resident Bruce Freier, used the race as an opportunity for family time. It had been 50 years since Freier, 66, competed in his first Mid-American Race, and he hadn't returned since.

This year, however, he added the race to his bucket list and talked his 39-year-old son Matt, of Freeport, into being his partner. They even used the same canoe that Freier raced 50 years ago.

"We had a good time," Freier said, adding that family members met them at the finish line to enjoy the post-race party at McCullough Park in Aurora. "We made it a family outing."

The event was a success overall, especially given the weather, Long said. In fact, he added, the rain raised the river and made it a little faster.

Aside from good competition, the race serves as a way for residents to enjoy the outdoors, said participant Ben Josefik, 42.

He and his 6-year-old son Luke traveled from Dwight, Illinois, a town nearly 60 miles away from where they started the race in Batavia. Josefik said he has participated in the race since 1990, though this is the second year he has competed with his son.

"It gets people out and enjoying the river," Josefik said. "Events like this put you more in touch with these great resources we have. (The race) ties all these communities together."