Flatwater Classic
The 13th Annual Flatwater Classic will be held on Sunday, September 16. 2012. Stay tuned for more information to be added this spring!
The results are in! Click here to see the rest of this year’s results.
Thanks to everyone who braved the rain yesterday to paddle or pedal with us on the North Branch!
Please be ready to launch 20 minutes prior to start time. Shuttles leave Linne Woods (Finish) every 20 minutes from 8:30 AM until 1:00 PM. Please leave enough time to drop off your equipment at the Willow Road Dam (Start) prior to getting on the shuttle - the shuttle is only for people, paddles, PFDs, and helmets, no boats or bikes allowed.
Download Final Start Times Here
Click here to read an important race update!
Still have questions? Check out these frequently asked questions.
12th Annual Chicago River Flatwater Classic Paddle & Pedal Event - September 18, 2011
We did it!
The Chicago River Flatwater Classic began in 2000 as a fun, yet strategic, policy initiative. Our goal was to create a visibility event to prove that the Chicago River should be clean enough to support its role as a valuable recreational resource - while having fun in a competitive (or not!) canoe race.
And we were successful! Our ever growing presence on the Chicago River helped convince the Illinois Pollution Control Board that we need new water quality standards. It’s a great step forward, but we won’t stop there. For 2011, we’ve revised the Flatwater Classic’s goals to promote the modification or removal of some of the river’s oldest and most unnecessary dams to allow for fish passage and increase paddler safety.
Flatwater Classic Paddle & Pedal - The Basics
We’ve moved! We’re now on the scenic North Branch of the Chicago River! Join us and explore more of what the Chicago River can offer.
Who Friends of the Chicago River and hundreds of paddlers, pedalers, volunteers, and spectators. Join hundreds of paddlers of all experience levels to either race for the medal or just enjoy the trip. Bikes will enjoy a scenic ride down the North Branch Bicycle Trail.
What The Flatwater Classic begins with our Corporate Team Challenge, and then opens up to individual racers and non-competitive participants.
For 11 years, Friends of the Chicago River has been hosting the Flatwater Classic in the downtown canyons to create visibility around the importance of improving our water quality standards by showing that hundreds of people use the Chicago River recreationally. And we were successful! Our ever growing presence on the Chicago River helped convinced the Illinois Pollution Control Board that we need new water quality standards.
We’ve moved the Flatwater Classic to the North Branch to create the same level of visibility around dam modification. Paddlers will portage two dams on their way to the finish line - and we’re working with the Forest Preserve District and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to formulate a plan to remove and/or modify these dams. Built in the early 1900’s, these dams serve no purpose today, and in fact, severely inhibit fish and paddler passage along the North Branch.
Where The event starts just south of the Willow Road Dam. Paddlers make their way 6½ miles downstream to the finish line in Linne Woods. While navigating the meandering flow of the North Branch, paddlers will go through scenic Forest Preserves (perfect for wildlife spotting). Pedalers will ride 13 miles around the Skokie Lagoons, and right alongside the Chicago River on the North Branch Bicycle Trail.
Click on the map to zoom in.
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