Overview:Since 2004, the Petaluma River Marathon has served as the West Coast flat-water marathon/half marathon championship. This event this year is informal run by the participants and a few volunteers. There will be no on-the-river support.
This is one of the most beautiful and fun races on the the west coast. Bring plenty of water and food for the race. There is a beautiful picnic area for the post race potluck BBQ--grills and briquets provided.
The race takes advantage of a unique combination of favorable factors:
Excellent racing conditions: The water is usually flat at race time, and there is very little interference from
motorboat wakes. The air temperature is cool at start time. The “river” (it is really an estuary) is almost precisely half-marathon length. So the full marathon is from head to mouth (on San Francisco Bay) and back.
Beautiful venue: The picture above of the S curve on the lower Petaluma does not exaggerate the unique
character of the river. For most of its course, the river flows through a nature preserve that conveys an impression of pre-Conquest California. In the foreground, the competitors will pass next to native plants and wildlife, and in the background the California coastal range rises to define the horizon.
Fortunate coincidence: The river is almost precisely 13.1 miles from the mouth in downtown to the mouth at
San Francisco Bay. The marathon course is down and back. The Half Marathon turns around at the winery dock approximately half way.
Entry: All participants must READ and SIGN a NBRC guest waiver. THERE WILL BE NO ON RIVER SUPPORT. All participants must be fit and capable of steering a good course and handling any unexpected problems. NO NOVICE COXWAINS.
$10 suggested donation: You may just show up the morning of the race, but an email indicating your event and type of boat and the names of any others in your boat would be appreciated
(PetalumaRiverMarathon09@gmail.com).Prizes:Beautiful 3 Color Medals with a graphic of the above S-curve.
Eligible craft: 1x, 2x,2-, 4x, 4+/- and 8+ only. Due to insurance limitations this year's event is NOT open to paddled craft.
Start/Finish Location and Course: There will be a brief participants meeting at 7:30 am. Marathon boats will start at 8:00am, Half Marathon at
8:45.
The race begins and ends at the docks of the North Bay Rowing Club at the end of 2nd Street in
Petaluma California. Enter 38.2314° N,122.6294° W in the search box on Google Maps to see the start and finish point. Racers can park in the parking lot at Foundry Wharf adjacent to the gate into the North Bay Rowing Club boatyard.
The full marathon (26.2 miles) will begin at the NBRC docks in Petaluma, go downriver 13.1 miles and turn around under the Highway 37 bridge at the mouth of the river, and return to the start. Enter 38.115° N,122.505° W in the Google maps search window to see the downstream turn for the marathon.
The half marathon will begin at the same point and turn around at the winery dock (38.1756° N, 122.5356° W) 2600 meters down river from Lakeville (see pictures below). We are hoping to have a buoy at the winery dock, but participants should prepared to turn at the dock if there is no buoy. Look for the row of large palm trees at the winery. Those unfamiliar with the course should use a GPS or study the Google maps to be sure not to miss the turn. Note the “Half Marathon” is approximately 14.5 miles.
Participants MUST KEEP STARBOARD NEAR SHORE AT ALL TIMES.
The start will be on the ebb tide (flowing downriver). Slack water at the river entrance is at 9:34am, and at the half marathon turnaround at 10:14 and 10:25 at the finish. Marathon rowers will be riding the tides in both direction. Conditions are perfect for new course records.
Nutrition and Hydration:The half marathon can be as short as 1.5 hours for a fast double scull to twice that for a recreational paddler in a sea kayak. Double these times for the full marathon. The physical challenges for these distances are linked strongly to good nutrition and good hydration. Make sure you bring enough food and water. Five quarts or more of water and one to two thousand calories may be necessary during the marathon. The are excellent essays by Elizabeth Brown, a former national team rower and currently a sports nutritionist at San José State University are available on this blog at http://petalumarivermarathon.blogspot.com/2007/05/hydration-marathon-how-much-to-dri
nk.html.
Contact, Info, Questions and Comments:Email PetalumaRiverMarathon09@gmail.com
Volunteers needed and encouraged.
