06/04/2026
📣 The General Clinton Canoe Regatta's new social media deserve big accolades for their top-notch content leading up to this year's .
Now the members of the socials team are sharing their GCCR on-the-water race stories. First up is Dylan Kirk. Enjoy!
👉 "Meet the Clinton Social Media Team:
"Last October, a team of canoe racing volunteers came together to create exciting digital content for the General Clinton Canoe Regatta. We love this event so much that every single one of us raced the 70-miler last weekend! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be using this account to introduce ourselves through our race stories.
First up: My name is Dylan Kirk."
👉 Continued in the post below.
Meet the Clinton Social Media Team:
Last October, a team of canoe racing volunteers came together to create exciting digital content for the General Clinton Canoe Regatta. We love this event so much that every single one of us raced the 70-miler last weekend! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be using this account to introduce ourselves through our race stories.
First up: My name is Dylan Kirk.
Last Sunday, I raced C2 Pro with Tim Garland in my 8th General Clinton. I first came to the Clinton in 2014 after racing the ADK 90-miler a few times. This race is a constant reminder of how far I’ve come in paddlesports—and how very far I still have to go.
The Start
Knowing the fastest pro teams line up far left on the starting line, Tim and I chose to line up center-right. We knew we were well-suited to grinding in deep water, and having undisturbed water in front of us for the first mile was more important than jockeying for position in the lead pack's wake. Glancing to my left, I believe we came off the lake in 16th position, right next to Sarah Lessard and Vincent Desilets.
Surviving the Swamp
The first quarter of the race, known as "the Swamp," is defined by tight turns, fast current, and an excessive amount of submerged debris. Lammi/Fisher and Rousseau/Mecklenberg passed us in this section, never to be seen again. We spent most of our time packed up with Chamberland/Bellemare, Lessard/Desilets, and Lowry/Curley.
While we did an excellent job navigating wake with the other boats, Lowry/Curley and Chamberland/Bellemare both reached Milford before us, where we came to a complete stop during our pit. If there’s any section of the race where Tim and I could improve the most, I believe it’s the Swamp.
Finding Our Groove
From Milford to Goodyear, the river straightens out and gets a bit deeper. Tim and I ran a smooth boat, passing Lowry/Curley and Triebold/Baudoux. Meanwhile, Lessard/Desilets made up a lot of ground on us by the portage after taking an early swim. Ourselves, Triebold/Baudoux, and Lessard/Desilets all hit the Goodyear portage at about the same time, but Tim and I managed to put in first on the other side.
A few corners past the portage, we all caught Chamberland/Bellemare dumping water out of their boat, turning us into a pack of four going into the Oneonta dam. Then, a minor disaster: as Tim ran up the bank, I fell into the river! I spent the rest of the race debating whether to take off my wet, heavy clothes versus how cold I might be if I did. We put in last at Oneonta and had a hard time getting back into the current.
The Final Push
In the deep water past 205, we ran down Triebold/Baudoux before packing up with Chamberland/Bellemare, Lessard/Desilets, and Jones/Crotser. Pitting at Otego, we managed to break away from the pack with Chamberland/Bellemare before Wells Bridge. Shortly after the bridge, however, Chamberland/Bellemare broke away from us.
We ran decent lines to the finish, but Jones/Crotser ran them better. They passed us just before the Gen Gap Start, and we traded side waves all the way to the final corner. In the end, we finished 15th—a personal best finish for both Tim and me—just 13 seconds behind Chamberland/Bellemare and a mere 1 second behind Jones/Crotser.
Gratitude
A huge thank you to our incredible pit crew, Melinda Garland and Kellie Cheney. Thanks to my wife, Elise, and our new baby, Douglas, for giving me the time to train. And finally, thank you to Betsy Ray, Mike Kauffman, Christine Smith, Jeff Pedersen, Al Shaver, Kate Reitz, Steve Southard, Ryan Matthews, and everyone else with the drive and vision to make the General Clinton Canoe Regatta a world-class event!
