Big Muddy Speaker Series presents:
Inside the Missouri River 340
The Missouri River 340 is the world's longest non-stop river race and is listed as one of National Geographic's Top 100 American Adventures. Starting in 2006, it has brought racers from England, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Denmark to come and race our river. The course spans the state of Missouri, 340 miles from Kansas City to St. Charles. Racers paddle day and night to finally reach the beach in St. Charles and say they did it! Come hear some stories about how this crazy thing got started and meet some of the paddlers who have done it a time or two.
Meet Your Presenter
Scott Mansker
, paddler and MR340 organizer
Scott is one of the founders of Rivermiles, the folks that organize the Missouri River. He has been paddling on the Missouri River since 1989. Scott is also a high school teacher. He is a co-founder of BigMAP (Big Muddy Advocacy Partners) and also co-produced the "Rivermiles" PBS documentary series.
Scott is the organizer of the MR340. He is the safety boat coordinator for the race and is shown here in his boat the Falcon.
photo by Steve Schnarr.
Related Presentations
Resources & Links
Dig deeper for more info on this topic:
- Rivermiles website
- MR340 Forum, with many years of experts sharing info on the race and the river.
- MR340 Facebook Group
- Missouri River Relief's MR340 Resource Page - An archive of links, articles, info, photos and more.
- BOOK - "MR340 First Time Finisher" - a guide to planning your first race
- VIDEOS - MR340 You Tube Channel - Veteran Paddler Christopher Luedke's amazing collection of How To videos on the race.
- 2018 Race Dispatches - eye-opening paddler's guide to doing this race
- Select MR340 Videos
- ARTICLE - "Finding Flow on the Mighty MO" - by Brett Dufur, June 17, 2013, Missouri Conservationist
- VIDEO - "Floating Dreams" by Paul Jackson
The Big Muddy Speakers Series in St. Charles
is hosted by these wonderful partners:
All speakers are presenting for free and Big A’s is sharing the space for free! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us!
The Big Muddy Speaker Series also takes place monthly in Rocheport and Kansas City.
A special thank you to Greg Poleski of Greenway Network for making this happen!
The views and opinions expressed by our presenters do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of Greenway Network, the Big Muddy Speaker Series or any of the partners that support this public forum. The Big Muddy Speaker Series believes that hearing diverse perspectives is a crucial building block for an informed public.
Upcoming Presentations
Introducing the Missouri River Center for Conservation Innovation
October 13, 2026Columbia, MO
Join us for an evening with Zack Miller to learn about the Missouri River Center for Conservation Innovation.
See Event
Leave No Trace Training on the Barge
October 14, 2026St. Louis, MO
Join us for a special Big Muddy Speaker Series on the Living Lands & Waters Barge where Perry Whitaker will lead us in a Leave No Trace Training.
See Event
Missouri River Relief: 25 Years on the Big Muddy
November 10, 2026Columbia, MO
Join us for a journey through time celebrating 25 years of Missouri River Relief's work on the Big Muddy.
See Event
Plastic Pollution, Gulf Hypoxia, and Water Quality
November 11, 2026St Charles, MO
Jennifer Wendt from MidAmerica Clean Future guides us through understanding regional water quality challenges.
See Event