Headed down the Mighty Mississippi

Some of the nation’s best kayakers and paddle boarders are gearing up for this weekend’s YOLO Board Big River Regional.

Muddy Water Paddle Company and the Baton Rouge Paddle Club will host the event, which runs 13 miles down the Mississippi River starting downtown at Florida Boulevard and ending at L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge. This is the second annual Big River Regional and is a World Paddle Association regional finals race, showcasing nationally known racers. Some paddle boarders who might make an appearance include Gary Wise, Garret Fletcher, Michael Westenberger and more than 150 others.

The event will also feature kayaks, canoes, outriggers and surf skiers. Check in and race registration begins at 6 p.m. Friday at Hotel Indigo. The race starts at 8 a.m. Saturday. A pre-race check-in and mandatory safety checks start at 7 a.m. Registration is $99 per person. For more information, visit bigriverregional.com.

Jared LeRoy will be one of the paddlers on the river this weekend. He is the co-owner of Yakoholics, a clothing store and line for kayaking enthusiasts. LeRoy got into paddle boarding about four years ago. He finished last year’s race in just over two hours.

“Considering I’ll be going up against the best paddlers in the country, I’m just trying to beat my two-hour mark,” he says.

He sees the sport’s popularity growing nationwide, thanks in large part to its fitness benefits.

“It’s growing like crazy everywhere,” he says. “The coastal states are picking it up faster, but it’s a great way to exercise. You don’t realize you’re exercising. You’re using your entire core at all times.”

Another participant is Varsity Sports owner Jenni Peters, who will kayak Saturday. She’s been kayaking for about a year. Though she says she has less experience than other competitors, she is looking forward to the challenge.

“How many people have had the opportunity to ride down the Mississippi?” she says. “The thought of having a water craft on the Mississippi River sounds exciting. Being from the South, this body of water has such a magical allure. The race will be daunting; it’s not easy to begin with. It’s going to be fun.”

Walker Higgins, a local fitness guru who works with Muddy Water Paddle Company and Gorilla Fitness and is one of the event’s organizers, says he’s expecting an increase in the number of attendees this weekend.

“It’s an easy sport to pick up,” Higgins says. “You can go from complete novice to racing in a matter of no time.”

Holding the regional event on the Mississippi was something Higgins and other race organizers envisioned years ago.

“When we first thought of it, I don’t know if we thought we could pull it off,” Higgins says. “We started work on it two years ago, making calls to the Coast Guard and getting all the logistics set to make sure it would be safe. It will be special. It’s pretty monumental to be racing down the third-largest river in the world.”