World-class kayaker returns to KC
By CAROLYN SZCZEPANSKI
Waiting in line for some much-deserved barbecue after blowing away the competition in the Missouri River 340 kayak race, Carter Johnson told me that his next athletic endeavor would entail building a raft out of rainforest logs and charging 80 miles down the Amazon River.
I thought he might be kidding. Or still suffering from the hallucinations that come from paddling furiously for 36 hours with no sleep.
Well, joke's on me.
Four of the top kayakers who kicked ass in the MR340 -- including California resident Carter Johnson and Texas native West Hansen -- became the first Americans to take the title in the Great River Amazon Raft Race in Peru last month. And, yes, they did it on a four-man craft they fashioned from eight pieces of timber.
The feat earned them airtime on National Public Radio last night. But that doesn't mean West Hansen's head is getting too big for his Big Muddy brethren.
This weekend, Hansen is bringing his world-class skills to a two-day workshop on Lake Peculiar for athletes who want to join the growing sport of ultra-kayaking.
The next MR340 is still nine months away. But it's never too early to start training with a guy who rules the sport -- from Kansas City, Missouri, to Iquitos, Peru.
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