Record-breaking runs highlight 67th Des Plaines River race

Memorial Day may be the unofficial start of summer for many, but if you’re a paddler, you could make a case for the annual Des Plaines River Canoe and Kayak Marathon instead.

About 700 paddlers rowed the 18.5 miles between Libertyville and Mount Prospect on Sunday in the 67th annual edition of the race.

Bolstered by favorable breezes at their backs and a strong current, it was a record-breaking trip for a couple of paddlers who were aiming to finish in under two hours.

“Nature is conspiring to help us break what is similar to a four-minute mile,” start-line coordinator Bill McDermott said before the paddlers got underway at 8 a.m. “Back in the ‘70s, we had another excellent opportunity. The best time ever turned in was in the ‘70s, of two hours and six minutes.”

Two almost did it, when Joe Crnkovich of Kingston, Tennessee, edged out Robert Hartman of Holland, Michigan, at the finish line. But both beat the 2:06 mark — Crnkovich arrived in two hours, one minute and 48, and Hartman was just a second behind.

“This was the fastest time ever, for sure,” McDermott said. “It was literally a photo finish.”

“We were both working together the whole way,” weaving through traffic and trading off, said Crnkovich, formerly of Naperville.

“We were less than a foot apart for sure,” Hartman added.

Among the others taking to the water Sunday was Christine Chabot of Arlington Heights. She said she hoped to complete the course in under four hours, and managed to cross the finish line in about three hours and six minutes.

Since a bad ankle has kept her off the hiking trails, Chabot said being able to kayak is allowing her to enjoy the beauty of nature.

Pieter Visser of South Bend, Indiana, and David Hutton of Phoenix, Arizona, paddled in a two-person kayak, finishing in two hours, 11 minutes and 58 seconds. It was much better than last year’s ride, when their kayak filled with water.

“Last year we couldn’t pick the boat up when we landed,” Hutton said