The Texas Junior Water Safari represents approximately the first 16 miles of Texas Water Safari course. The finish line for the junior race is the bridge at Staples, the first checkpoint of the longer TWS race.
Compared to the Texas Water Safari, this is a sprint race, pure and simple. Because it occurs in September of each year, this race does not present a true scouting opportunity for next year’s TWS racers, as the river will have likely changed significantly by the following June. However, while this is considered a fun race by all, many racers take it very seriously, using it as one of the many training runs they will undertake prior to the start of the big race in June.
Join us for the party afterward where racers, from the most laid back to the most hard-core, have an opportunity to rub elbows with each other and to tell stories about their experiences in the Safari. Who knows? Maybe some of the stories are true!
The Texas Junior Water Safari is held every September. See the
TWS Race Calendar for this year’s dates and deadlines for registration.
“They don’t call the Texas Water Safari The World’s Toughest Canoe Race’ for nothing. In addition to the length, the challenges include whitewater rapids, multiple portages, and the relentless, soul-sapping Texas heat. Competitors have four days and four hours to paddle from San Marcos, in the center of the state, to the shy little town of Seadrift on the Gulf Coast. There is no prize money for the winners; just Texas-size bragging rights for the finishers.”
