Director of Outdoor Leadership Andrew Jillings snagged first place in another long distance canoe and kayak race. Although not quite as arduous at the 460-mile Yukon River Quest Jillings won last June, "The 90-miler" still offered Jillings and his partner a challenge. The 25th anniversary canoe and kayak race from Old Forge to Saranac Lake was held from Sept. 7 to 9.
Jillings and his partner, John Ders from South Otselic, N.Y., finished first in their category as well as first overall, completing the course in 12 hours, 45 minutes and 38 seconds. Only one other team completed the race in under 13 hours, just a minute and two seconds behind Jillings and Ders. This was the first time Jillings competed in the 90-miler race. In the Yukon River Quest, the world's longest annual canoe and kayak race, Jillings finished first in the single male kayak division in 47 hours and 37 minutes. That was also the first time that he competed in the Yukon River Quest race.
Jane Cowles '10 and Hamilton's Assistant Director of Outdoor Leadership Sarah Weis raced in the two-person canoe "stock" class and finished third in that division with a time of 18 hours, 19 minutes, and 17 seconds. This was only the second canoe race for either of them; their first was an hour-and-a-half race in August.
Adirondack Adventure alumna leader Noelle Short '05 also completed the 90-mile course along with her partner, Jacob Resneck of Saranac Lake. This was Short's first canoe race, and she and her partner competed in the "open touring" class. Short wrote an illuminating first-person story for the
Adirondack Daily Enterprise describing her experience. In the article, Short explains that the 90-miler combines "a mix of intense competition, family fun and a priceless sense of accomplishment for groups and individuals."
Jillings, whose job it is to take students out into places that are beyond their normal bounds, says that, "If I'm going to do this (challenge students to push their boundaries), I should be doing it myself," in explaining his participation in races.
MP3, 3 MB - 3 min., 18 sec.
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