Spring is when life re-emerges from the cold, dark ground in a bright, colorful declaration of life and hope. Every spring we wait faithfully for the re-emergence of wildflowers and wildlife, mushrooms and migratory birds. And like the emergence of mushrooms or spring flowers, the Goshen Race is something that cannot be predicted or scheduled. The Goshen Race just … “occurs.” When certain flows occur on a certain day of the week, at a certain time of the year...the Race is on. This is not an organized event. This is not an official gathering. This is a spontaneous mass-occurrence of colorful kayakers and canoeists suddenly emerging from hibernation and rejoicing in the coming of springtime!

The unpredictable nature of a whitewater race on a natural flow river, like the Maury River, can be a challenge. We are all busy folks and even this time of year other endeavors call out for attention: the remains of the ski season, flows on other rivers and creeks, and the usual weddings/birthdays/chores... It is the CORE paddler who can drop everything and drive an hour or more to the river on a cold morning with short notice. And it is the CORE paddlers who make this race what it is: Local paddlers sharing their local river with all-comers, and celebrating the river community and the coming of spring. This year was no exception. A heavy, wet snowfall blanketed much of south-west Virginia while much of the state didn’t even get rain. So it was a bit of a surprise when flows bumped-up on Saturday and opened the “race window” for the next day. We expected a small crowd due to the short-notice and cold temperatures, but – to our surprise – two dozen paddlers lined up at the top of Goshen Pass to give it a go. Spectators staked out the choice photo locations high up on the sides of the river. A drone hummed quietly over Corner Rapid.

Like a field of new wildflowers – or a flock of migrating songbirds in colorful spring plumage – the mass-start of so many canoeists and kayakers is a striking sight to behold. From the flurry of wind-milling paddles, Charlottesville’s Tate Huffman emerged from the pack right away and kept that lead for over two miles; taking the golden paddle 1^st place trophy for a second year in a row. Young Isaac Hull, from Richmond, took home the “Not Gordon” 2^nd place trophy, and Cody Adams, from West Virginia was just 16 seconds behind, for 3^rd place. Samantha Belcher, of WVa, represented the Women’s Class for a respectable 8^th overall finish. Cameron Hall took first among the “short boats” in a Pyranha Machno, with Andrew Koehn and Robb Faulkner not far behind for 2^nd and 3^rd, in another Machno and an Antix.

The Maury River in particular, and Virginia in general, have a strong tradition of open canoeing. The Goshen Race has had good participation from the single-blade crowd since the beginning. Indeed, canoeist Phillip “Flip” Merica – a longtime Goshen regular – is the only person to have paddled in every Goshen Race since the first one in 2007! This year Travis Overstreet showed up to take 1^st in the OC-1 class, with Lee Williams and “Flip” taking 2^nd and 3^rd.

The cold morning turned into a bright, warm, bluebird day with no wind. Flows were good and it is safe to say, “A good time was had by all.” The 11^th annual Goshen Race was a surprise – just like the first trout lily blooms popping up out of the snow. And it was a surprise success!

Thank you to Appomattox River Company and Pyranha Kayaks for their ongoing support of the best kayak/canoe event in Virginia! And thank you to Josh Tracy, Yarra Acker, and David Bruce for their assistance with Goshen Race 2018!

Race Results:

Who will take the trophy next year? Will someone unseat repeat champion Tate?