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Outdoor

Vail Whitewater Race Series Is Back

April 22, 2019
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BLOCH & CHAPLEAU VAIL WHITEWATER RACE SERIES KICKS OFF MAY 7

(Vail, Colo.) - Get ready to paddle your way down Gore Creek, finishing at the International Bridge with a cheering crowd! The 2019 Bloch & Chapleau Vail Whitewater Race Series returns on May 7, with races taking place from 5:15 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays through June 4.

The Vail Recreation District partners with Bloch & Chapleau Attorneys at Law, Alpine Quest Sports, Town of Vail and Howard Head Sports Medicine to put on these exciting races. All races will be held at the Vail Whitewater Park where spectators will enjoy viewing the action from the banks of Gore Creek.
 
The Bloch & Chapleau Vail Whitewater Race Series is open to paddlers ages 16 and up with intermediate to expert abilities. The skills to run class III whitewater in your chosen craft are required. This is a fun way to track your individual performance, progress throughout the series and compete against others. Five races are scheduled and overall series prizes will be awarded following the final race on June 4.  

The races will be divided between three categories including kayak (under 9'6"), two-person raft (R2) and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) with different course challenges every week. The two-round format will consist of an individual time trial with results determining the seeding for the second round, a head-to-head race.

Hyside will provide a limited number of rafts available for R2 teams to use on a first-come, first-served basis. An after-party will also be hosted in Vail Village each week with prizes awarded to the winners of all three categories. The after-party on May 7 will be held at the Altitude Bar & Grill in the Evergreen Lodge. All participants and spectators over 21 will receive free beer courtesy of New Belgium Brewing Company!

To get pumped for the 2019 Vail Whitewater Race Series, the VRD is introducing the "HALA-rious" Video Paddleboard Giveaway Contest! Create and share a short video for the chance to win a HALA RADO paddleboard from HALA Gear! The contest is open to anyone who registers for the 2019 Vail Whitewater Series in any category and uploads a video to Facebook or Instagram explaining their best excuse to leave work early on Tuesdays to get to the Vail Whitewater Races on time! Videos should be 30 seconds or less and contestants should tag Vail Whitewater Race SeriesAlpine Quest Sports and Hala Gear on Facebook OR Vail Rec District, Hala Gear and Alpine Quest Sports on Instagram. The contest closes April 26. Three finalists will be selected and their videos posted on Facebook and Instagram May 1. The video with the most likes by May 6 will be declared the winning video. The paddleboard will be awarded to the winner at the first series after-party on May 7 at Altitude Bar & Grill.
 
Kayak and SUP participants can register for the whole series for $45 and R2 participants can register for the series for $70. The first 50 people to register for the entire series will receive a custom DrinkTanks insulated cup!

Individual race registration for kayak and SUP participants is $12 preregistered or $18 day-of, and $18 preregistered or $26 day-of for R2 teams. Preregistration ends at 5 p.m. the day before each race. On-site, day-of registration will begin at 4:30 p.m. at the Vail Whitewater Park and all participants should be present at the safety talk at 5:15 p.m. 

Register online at vailrec.com/register. For more information, visit vailrec.com, call the VRD Sports Department at 970-479-2280 or email sports@vailrec.com.

The 2019 Vail Whitewater Series is presented by the Bloch & Chapleau Attorneys at Law, Town of Vail, Alpine Quest Sports and and Howard Head Sports Medicine. Additional sponsors include HALA, SOL Paddleboards, Badfish, Hyside, Eagle River Water & Sanitation District, New Belgium Brewing Company, Evergreen Lodge, Altitude Bar & Grill, Drink Tanks, Vail Mountain Coffee and Tea, Kokotat, Outdoor Tech, Optic Nerve, Down River Equipment, 10th Mountain Whiskey and Sweet Protection.

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