TIMMINS—During the last weekend of August, Little Current’s Steve Arthurs and Robyn McGauley participated in the Great Canadian Kayak Challenge, setting personal best times and representing Manitoulin, and its waters, well.
In Ms. McGauley’s first ever race the kayaker did very well, ranking fifth in the five kilometer race to come home with some hardware.
Prior to the Timmins race, Mr. Arthurs was approached by Ottawa Outdoors magazine, asking him to represent their publication in the three-kilometre celebrity race, which he gladly agreed to do. He sheepishly said it was an easy win for him, as there were no professional paddlers in the event, but summed it up to being a lot of fun and a good warm up to his main event—the 6.5 kilometre open.
Mr. Arthurs said he was pleased with his fourth place finish, paddling harder than he has in his entire racing career, setting a new personal best just shy four seconds of his goal time of 38 minutes. He called the end of the race “a real dogfight” between he and another competitor and while he heard his family cheering him on from the shoreline, he could only focus on the finish line ahead, and edging out the competition.
“This is the first time I managed to beat out one of the Epic (race kayak) paddlers,” Mr. Arthurs said proudly. “I just gave it all I had. I couldn’t even talk after and almost fell out of the boat I was so tired.” He also managed to tear his bicep, which he is nursing now that the racing season is over.
Mr. Arthurs was effusive in his praise of his sponsors for helping to make his race dreams possible, including The Manitoulin Expositor, 100.7 FM The Island, OJ Graphix, Sam Nardi, Orr’s Valu-Mart, NBS Auto, Given Cortez, Bruce Laidley, Mark Gibeault and his ‘pit crew’ of Robyn and Hunter McGauley and children Rhyis and Alina.
Over the fall and winter Mr. Arthurs said he is looking to better his times at both the Sudbury canoe and kayak race and the Mindemoya Classic next summer through training.
