Slow going, but great views, at Des Plaines River marathon

It was down a lazy river Sunday for the roughly 600 paddlers taking part in the 69th running of the Des Plaines River Canoe & Kayak Marathon.

After severe flooding pushed the river to flood stage last month, water levels dropped considerably by race day, raising concerns among participants about their crafts scraping on sandbars and obstacles.

“It will be a little slow, because there is not a ton of current. We’re not going to break any records this year,” Bill McDermott, the race's start line coordinator, said before the event.

The upside to the slow current, though, was the extra time to take in the scenery lining the banks and the light from the sun shimmering on the water.

“I think this river is very special,” event Chair Anthea Halpern said. “You feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. It's lots of trees, twisty and turny, and it’s just really fun to paddle. You don't even feel like you're anywhere near the Chicago area.”

The marathon takes paddlers on an 18.5-mile course that begins in Libertyville and ends near Mount Prospect. There’s also a 5.25-mile minimarathon that launches near Wheeling.

Pat Faul of Lake Zurich competed for 36th time Sunday, having won the race on 14 previous occasions. Paddlers dealt with low water levels last year as well, he said.

“Last year, that’s the lowest I’ve ever seen the river,” said Faul, who paired Sunday with Steve Conlon of Elburn. “I hit things I didn’t even believe were there. I hit an oil storage can. I watched a deer go across the river without getting its knees wet.”

Kurt Hartmann of Fox River Grove and Brandon De La Cruz of Wood Dale were paddling an aluminum Grumman canoe built in the 1960s and purchased by Hartmann's grandparents. The canoe was dubbed “La Derriere Mouille,” or Wet Bottom.

Heather Bloomquist and Megan Sandeno drove two hours from downstate Iroquois County to compete for the first time, after having previously completed a 13.5-mile paddle together.

“It's only five more miles — let's try it,” Bloomquist said.

Barb Bradley of Wausau, Wisconsin, alongside her husband Al Limberg, reached the finish line after about two hours and 50 minutes. Bradley said the river had improved from last year's extremely low conditions.

“It’s a really great race, and it’s a beautiful river,” she said.