Published: August 01, 2009 09:02 pm      

Racing down the river

Magee wins annual canoe race

By PAUL STONE

Associate Editor



NECHES -- Twelve years ago, self-proclaimed “couch potato” Erin Magee took up canoeing in an effort to grow closer to her then-husband.

As the 46-year-old Magee puts it, “The marriage didn’t work out,” but her love for the river and “paddling” has only grown over time.

On Saturday, Magee, who resides in San Marcos, was the first female to cross the finish line in the Solo Unlimited division of the 19th Annual Neches Wilderness Canoe Race, completing the rugged 22-mile course in a time of 3:42:38 (three hours, 42 minutes, 38 seconds).

The race -- which started below the Lake Palestine dam and concluded at the U.S. 79 bridge at the Anderson/Cherokee counties line -- attracted 69 boats, with participants from Houston, Dallas, Austin, Oklahoma and Louisiana among those in the field.

Magee is a 12-time finisher of the Texas Water Safari, a 262-mile continuous race which begins at the San Marcos River in San Marcos and works its way to the Gulf of Mexico in Seadrift.

Since first competing in the Neches race in 1999, Magee only has missed the race one year -- that being in 2005 when she and Richard Steppe were paddling 300 miles in and around the rivers of Long Island, N.Y. in an effort to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s victims.

The 51-year-old Steppe, who lives in Dallas, was Saturday’s Solo Unlimited winner, turning in a course-best time of 3:11:22.

Falling a couple months after the long-distance Texas Water Safari, Magee views the Neches event as the kickoff to the 2009-10 “short distance” racing season in the state of Texas.

“Neches is a venue that will kick your butt every time,” she stated, “no matter what kind of shape you’re in.”

Recent rains added to the course’s challenge and degree of difficulty on Saturday, according to Magee. It is a technical course that tests a racer’s complete skill set, she added.

“It (recent rains) makes the water faster,” Magee said. “What it does is put you in the trees. From a navigational standpoint, it makes it more challenging.

“There’s a lot of blind approaches,” she continued. “There’s a lot of laying back and leaning forward, so there’s a lot of balance required.”

Magee said she routinely encourages newcomers to the sport to come to East Texas for a taste of the Neches River and the event’s warm hospitality.

“You want to do one race before you get your feet wet -- come to Neches,” said Magee, presenting a mock invitation. “Neches is life.”

Winners of the various divisions in Saturday’s race included: Solo Canoe Male -- Robert Smart, Anacoco, La., 3:46:42; Solo Unlimited -- Richard Steppe, Dallas, 3:11:22; TCRA Tandem Aluminum -- Frank Gray and Roy Tyrone, Houston, 3:41:14; TCRA Tandem Aluminum Female -- Kim Sorensen and Ginsie Stauss, Austin, 4:22:47; Junior Tandem Canoe -- Luke and John Parker, Tyler, 4:29:11; Tandem Canoe Mixed -- Michael Culotta and Monica Hamilton, Jacksonville, 4:47:41; Tandem Canoe Senior Male -- Marvin and Charles Parker, Tyler, 4:18:37; Tandem Canoe Adult Male -- Garnett Beard and Raymond Brooks, Frankston, 5:18:07; Solo Kayak Adult Male -- Scott Weinert, Dallas, 4:01:00; Solo Kayak Senior Male -- Bill Sleep, Austin, 4:37:25; Solo Kayak Adult Female -- Rachael Lamb, Dallas, 4:19:05; Solo Kayak Senior Female -- Mary Carter, Lumberton, 5:20:37.

The race is hosted by the East Texas River Runners Inc.

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Paul Stone may be contacted via e-mail at pstone@palestineherald.com