Upcoming in Rocheport, Mo.
MR340 Race Stories
Presentation by MR340 Race Director and Founder Scott Mansker and Missouri River Relief Director Steve Schnarr
Scott Mansker and Steve Schnarr will start out our presentation talking about our excitement in bringing the race into the River Relief family of Missouri River events and what this new partnership means. Then we’ll share some of the great history and stories of the community of paddlers that makes this race unique and precious.

The scene at Wilson's Serenity Point, the Jefferson City Checkpoint for the 2017 MR340. photo by Steve Schnarr
Time and Place
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
7:00 pm
Online Presentation by paddler and MR340 organizer Scott Mansker & Steve Schnarr, Missouri River Relief Director
Hosted by Missouri River Relief on Zoom and live-streamed on YouTube.
Streaming sponsored by Rivermiles, the folks that bring you the MR340
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
- 7 p.m. presentation
- The presentation will be hosted on Zoom. Click here to register.
- We will allow 115 to register, but only 100 will be allowed to connect for the presentation. By watching through Zoom, you will have the opportunity to ask questions.
- Anybody can watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel!

Scott is the organizer of the MR340. He is also the safety boat coordinator for the race and is shown here in his boat the Falcon.
photo by Steve Schnarr.
Hosted by Missouri River Relief
At the end of 2020, Missouri River Relief announced that we would be acquiring the MR340 race. Although we’ve been involved with the race for many years, we are really excited to increase our involvement and being a part of the future of this race. We’ve always seen this race as a perfect alignment with our mission of connecting people to the Missouri River.
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 around the world 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!
Scott Mansker and Steve Schnarr will start out our presentation talking about our excitement in bringing the race into the River Relief family of Missouri River events and what this new partnership means. Then Scott will share some of the great history and stories of the community of paddlers that makes this race unique and precious.
Scott is one of the founders of Rivermiles, the folks that organize the MR340. 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.
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
- MR340 Race Library – An archive of links, articles, info, photos and more.
- NEWS – “Rivermiles passes paddle of MR340 race to Missouri River Relief” – by Charles Dunlap, Columbia Tribune, Dec. 7, 2020
- BOOK – “MR340 First Time Finisher” – a guide to planning your first race
- VIDEOS – 340 Paddler YouTube Channel – Veteran Paddler Christopher Luedke’s amazing collection of How To videos on the race.
- 2020 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 Speaker Series in Rocheport
is hosted by these wonderful partners.
- Missouri River Relief
- Les Bourgeois Vineyards
- Katy Trail Bed & Breakfast
- Missouri River Cultural Conservancy (MoRivCC)
Streaming is sponsored by Rivermiles, the folks who bring you the MR340.
Click here for a list of upcoming presentations»
Special thanks to Les Bourgeois Vineyards for giving us the opportunity to use their beautiful space overlooking the Missouri River. All speakers are presenting for free! Thank you all for sharing your knowledge with us!
The Big Muddy Speaker Series also takes place in Kansas City and St. Charles.
The views and opinions expressed by our presenters do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of Missouri River Relief, 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.