ATHOL — Two Superwomen paddled their red canoe swiftly across the finish line by the Orange Fire Station, their red capes billowing in the gusts of wind that swept through the area Saturday afternoon.
The two, Heather Brissette, 46, and Kate Hickey, 60, both of Athol, waved to the spectators on shore, pleased to have finished their second River Rat Race together in dry costumes.
“Basically it’s like mayhem, but it’s really fun,” Hickey said of the 5.2-mile canoe race. “It’s this blur of fun.”
The 54th annual River Rat Race saw 211 teams of two, all of whom surged from the shoreline at the race’s 1 p.m. start. Men, women and children thrust their oars vigorously into the water again and again, creating shimmering waves in the Millers River.
The race means something different for everyone. For first-time participants Corinne Bishop, 37, of Athol and Sarah Wetherby, 28, of Fitchburg, it was a chance to see Athol — and Orange, where the race ends — from a different perspective.
“We’re here to see the view and take pictures,” said Wetherby, who grew up in Athol and remembers watching the race as a child.
For Cheryl D’Ambra, 63, of Worcester, it was a chance to spend time with 11 of her coworkers at Athol Savings Bank, one of the race’s sponsors, in celebration of the bank’s 150th anniversary.
“It was fun to just pull our team together, laugh … and be a part of the community, ” D’Ambra said after she and her colleagues crossed the finish line.
In the view of four friends from Winchendon, the race was a chance to earn some bragging rights.
“We were just joking about it when we started,” said Andy Brooks, 25, who partnered with Josh Cyganiewicz, 26, to narrowly beat Cam Couch, 20, and Mike Anderson, 25. “Then it became a competition between us.”
“This is a race within a race basically,” Anderson agreed.
Some first-time participants were surprised to find how difficult the competition was, particularly in the frigid temperature.
“I’d rather run a marathon than do this,” said Jennifer McLaughlin, 39, of Westminster, who said she’s run several half-marathons. “The wind was brutal. I thought it was going to be a cakewalk.”
After a mere 34 minutes and 50 seconds on the water, Ben Schlimmer, 28, and Trevor Lefever, 38, both of Oneonta, N.Y. crossed the finish line. It’s a third River Rat win for Schlimmer, a fourth for Lefever.
“They had such a lead coming in,” remarked Kevin McIntosh, a member of the North Quabbin chapter of the Lions Club, organizers of the race.
McIntosh sat past the finish line, meeting participants as they pulled their canoes from the water. He recalled that the record time for the River Rat Race was somewhere between 33 and 34 minutes, close to the winning team’s time.
“It feels good. This is an awesome place,” Lefever said. “Once you come out here the first time, you’re hooked … It’s like a sugar high.”
In second place was Ben’s brother Mike Schlimmer of Cortland, N.Y., and Matt Rudnitsky. Mike Schlimmer estimated he’d participated in the race for 10 years. It has become a tradition for the family.
“My granddad did it,” he said. “It’s what we do.”
The Schlimmer brothers said the River Rat Race is one of the first races they participate in each year, continuing through September, with some being as long as 120 miles.
Adam Gelinas and Patrick Madden came in third place.
In Lefever’s experience, 2006 provided the stiffest competition, he said, seeing an estimated 350 canoes.
McIntosh, too, remembered years when the race attracted as many as 350 to 400 canoes, a significant change from this year’s 211.
“We’re hoping we can build it back up,” McIntosh said. He told of the race’s youngest competitor this year, a 9-year-old boy, and how he hopes to see young participants return year after year.
“They are the future of this race, so we need to get them actively involved,” agreed David Flint, race director and fellow member of the Lions Club.
Saturday was also the 8th annual Big Cheese 5K. The run took off at 9:30 a.m. ahead of a parade. Brissette, a River Rat Race competitor, is also the 5K’s founder.
Brissette explained that last year, entry fees from the race allowed her and fellow organizers Matt Talbot and Jeanette Robichaud to donate more than $7,000 to various charities. This year’s recipients will most likely be the North Quabbin Food-A-Thon, Meals on Wheels and the YMCA, which uses the money to offer “camperships,” or scholarships for children going to camp.
“We run for food and fun,” Brissette said.
For Angela Wentz, 43, of Athol, who was participating in the Big Cheese 5K for the third time, donating to charity is the most important part. But, she said, it’s also an enjoyable time.
“We actually kick off the parade, so you feel like you’re famous,” Wentz said.
Having fun, Talbot said, gets to the heart of what the organizers originally set out to do.
“Our hope with this race is really just to get people out to enjoy the festivities as part of the weekend,” he said.
The 5K saw 405 entrants, down from the 520 who entered in 2016. The event regularly attracts a cross-section of the population.
“For us, it’s fun because all different people from the community take part in this,” said Wentz’s friend Jennifer LaRoche, 50, of Athol, who was participating for the first time. “You see people you know, some people walk, some people run, some people are serious … You see kids, you see grown-ups, you see seniors.”
The top three male finishers in the 5K were Aaron Stone, 34, with a time of 17 minutes and 32 seconds, followed by Brian Vaidulas, 27, with a time of 18:17, and Jack Bassett, 15, with a time of 18:31. Among female competitors, Emma Currier, 16, had the fastest time of 22:18, followed by Julie Dragon, 37, with a time of 22:33, and Jenny Koonz, 29, with a time of 23:24.
You can reach Shelby Ashline at: sashline@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 257