Iowa's fastest paddler retains title

IOWA CITY – A stealth attack fell just short at the finish line of the second annual Great Iowa River Canoe Race today.

“They snuck up on us,” said Ted Cramer, 57, of Rock Rapids, the fastest paddler in Iowa for the past 15 years.

“I didn't notice them until they started to pull alongside us,” said Cramer, who with his partner, Steve McAlister, 57, of Danville, had been cruising at the front of the pack with the finish line just a few hundred yards away.

The challengers, Jeff Steinback, 60, of Roscoe, Ill., and his son, Judson Steinback, 30, of La Crosse, Wis., had planned to take the leaders by surprise and outsprint them to the finish line before they could recover. “We got into their wake, and they didn't see us coming,” Jeff Steinback said.

But, having never paddled the Iowa River before, they thought the finish line was farther down river than it actually was, and they made their move too late.

“I'd have liked to have had another 200 yards,” Jeff Steinback said.

Cramer said it would not have made any difference. “Once we turned on the power, they were not going to catch us,” he said.

Paddling together in a tandem canoe, Cramer and McAlister covered the 9.25-mile course from the Sturgis Ferry Park Access in Iowa City to the Hills Access in 60 minutes and 26 seconds. The Steinbacks were 4 seconds behind them. Cramer's son and daughter, Tommy Cramer, 32, of Rock Rapids, and Tracy Cramer, 23, of Ames, finished third.

They were among 62 official registrants for the race, a substantial increase from 35 entries in the inaugural race a year ago, said Tina Elwood-Gehrke, president of Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development in Amana, which co-sponsored the race with Fin and Feather outdoor store in Iowa City.

Though rain spattered the river during the last half of the race, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the participants, she said.

After the main event, several of the fastest peddlers made a second run with the title of Iowa's fastest paddler on the line.

Ted Cramer said he earned the title when points were awarded for placements in Iowa canoe and kayak races. Though that practice has since been abandoned, Cramer said he will relinquish the title when someone from Iowa beats him.

Cramer said he thought today might be that day and that he half-expected his son, Tommy Cramer, to beat him in the showdown.

But heavy winds that prevailed during the second race blew favorably for Ted Cramer.

“Tommy tipped over twice in the wind, and I am bigger and stronger, which enabled me to power through the waves,” Ted Cramer said.

As usual, Ted Cramer reached the finish line first, followed by Jim Braig of Dubuque, Rick Hill of Iowa City, Tommy Cramer and McAlister in that order.

Elwood-Gehrke said next year's event may feature a classification for “solo canoe with pet,” which would suit Gerry Kenney, 52, of Riverside, who for the second year in a row made the voyage with his mixed-breed dog Oki, whose modest demeanor gave no indication that she had been named outstanding pet the preceding evening at Riverside's annual Trekfest.