The 2023 Cheat River Massacre-ence Down River Kayak Race - IR Headwaters Racing Series

Описание: The 29th Annual Cheat River Festival AKA Cheat Fest: Featuring the 2023 Rick Gusic’s Cheat River Massacre-ence Down River Race, Kayaking The Cheat Narrows Section of The Cheat River

Uncharacteristic in flow and with ocean-like rollers and the emergence of two class IVs, The Narrows made it know that it does not merely wash out at high water, but drastically transforms to the likes of the of the Cheat Canyon For many, the Cheat Narrows flowed like never before, akin to Little Falls at 5ft. attested one class IV kayaker.

The 29th Annual Cheat River Festival had officially kicked off with surging high water and an exciting start of the festival's annual Downriver Race, although this year taking place on the Cheat Narrows section of the Cheat River, rather than occurring on the traditional Cheat Canyon section. Being held for the first time, this was the third of the four races of the Immersion Research Headwaters Racing Series. The field consisted of 77 racers, 69 male and 8 female competitors. The race consisted of the following classes: Class A - Wildwater (2 males), Class B - K1 Boats over 13' (e.g. Wave Hoppers & Sea Kayaks) (6 males), Class C - K1 Boats between 10' to 12' 11" (e.g. Green Boat & Pirouette) (31 males, 5 females), Class D - K1 Boats under 10' (e.g. Creekers) (15 males, 3 females) Raft/Shredder (4 two man teams, 1 three man team) and Open Junior Class (4 males).
Overall Winners:
1st place Male time - 41:50
1st place Female time - 46:56
Winning Time by Class:
Class A: 41:50.2
Class B: 42:14.9
Class C: Male - 45:22.3, Female - 46:56.9
Class D: Male - 48:01.3, Female - 51:57.6
Raft/Shedder - 57:36.4
Open Junior Class - 46:16.2

Going forward, this race definitely should be considered as one of the permanent races of the Immersion Research Headwaters Racing Series, as it is par for the course, within falling in line with the nature of three of the four races of the series: the Red Moshannon Race, Slip Race, and the Stonycreek Downriver Sprint Race. This racecourse would make for a great alternate option for racers who seek to compete in all four races, but aren't yet ready for the Cheat River Massacre-ence Down River Race's traditional Cheat Canyon racecourse. Providing an option such as The Narrows race would allow those competitors to not have to opt out and miss the race due to required skill level (substantially above that of the other three races), thus keeping them competitive within the point system in being able to compete in all four races of the series.

Details:
Date: May 5, 2023
Racecourse: 7.95 Miles
Class: III-IV (at 10,800cfs)
Level/Stage (flow rate): 17.01ft./10,800cfs
*the Rick Gusic Cheat River Massacre-ence Official Facebook page reported a reading of 7,840cfs (no attribution to a stream gauge)
Water Temperature: 49°F
Average Gradient: 15.72fpm
Stream Gauge: USGS 03070260 CHEAT RIVER AT ALBRIGHT, WV
Location: Cheat River: Rowlesburg, WV - Preston, WV
Starting Line: Rowlesburg Park (Rowlesburg, WV)
12 Catherine St, Rowlesburg, WV 26425
39°20'56.9"N 79°40'16.5"W (39.349135, -79.671237)
Finish Line:
620ft. downstream from "Old Rail Crossing" bridge (72 W State Ave, Terra Alta, WV 26764)
39°25'53.3"N 79°41'02.4"W (39.431466, -79.683997)
Parking Lot:
West Virginia Route 72/River Road: 100ft. across the street from 11071 River Rd, Kingwood, WV 26537
39°25'54.3"N 79°41'06.6"W (39.431751, -79.685156)
Race Registration Fee: $25.00
Shuttle: Independently Arranged (encouraged to set shuttle between 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM)
Check-In: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Pre-Race Meeting: 4:50 PM
On The Water: 5:15 PM
Start Time: 5:30 PM
Featured Kayak: Wave Sport Recon

Resources:
Cheat River Festival official website - https://cheatfest.org/
Rick Gusic’s Cheat River Massacre-ence Down River Race information and race registration - https://cheatfest.org/down-river-race/
American Whitewater: Cheat Narrows (Below Rowlesburg to above Albright Power Dam) - https://www.americanwhitewater.org/co...
Facebook:
"Rick Gusic Cheat River Massacre-ence" - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...
Cheat Fest -   / cheatfest  
2023 Race Results - http://www.iplayoutside.com/Events/20...
USGS Stream Gauge:
USGS Cheat River at Albright, WV - 03070260 - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring...
USGS 03070260 Cheat River at Albright, WV - https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?si...
Appalachian Whitewater: The Northern States, 4th ed., 2001, John Connely, Ed Grove, John Porterfield, and Charlie Walbridge (first published January 1, 1987)

"God Is Our Refuge And Strength, An Ever-Present Help In Trouble. Therefore We Will Not Fear, Though The Earth Give Way And The Mountains Fall Into The Heart Of The Sea, Though Its Waters Roar And Foam And The Mountains Quake With Their Surging." - Psalm 46:1-3