Andrew Szymanski is rattling off a list of the obstacles that participants face during the Great Alabama 650 (AL650), one of the country’s longest annual paddle races, which debuted in 2019.
On top of the physical and mental fatigue that accompanies any endurance race, there are whitewater rapids, small craft advisories, hours spent alone in the wilderness, malnourishment, hallucinations, and even feral hogs that sound like screaming children marauding through the delta at night. He pauses to emphasize the horror of that last prospect. It’s a competition few are capable of completing.
“And plenty don’t,” says Szymanski, executive director of the Alabama Scenic River Trail. “These are elite paddle athletes. Some are entering to win, and some are entering just for the challenge of finishing.”
Contestants at the Great Alabama 650 starting line. Photo courtesy Great Alabama 650
Starting September 30, spectators can follow the action for themselves as more than 20 teams set out from Weiss Lake on kayaks, paddleboards, and other arm-propelled craft, all vying to reach the Fort Morgan finish line before the 10-day race clock runs out.
Since the 650-mile course is designed to highlight the broad diversity of Alabama’s waterways, calling it “adventurous” is an understatement. Paddlers largely follow the Coosa and Alabama rivers through slow-moving flatwater, bubbling rapids, and busy lakes before dropping into the brackish tidal waters of the Tensaw Delta and wrapping up the race in the wildly unpredictable Mobile Bay.
Along the way, paddlers and their dedicated land-based support crews must portage 9 dams, which—in addition to posing a physical obstacle—can slow the water flow, making forward progress that much more difficult.
No other race in the world combines all those types of water, which can surprise even veteran endurance paddlers.
One year, retired Army medical operations officer Salli O’Donnell emerged into the bay around midnight to find 4- and 5-foot chop.
Mirko Prufer (right) is ready to take on the Alabama 650. Photo courtesy Great Alabama 650
“At that point, I’m thinking, why am I doing this?” O’Donnell recalls with a rueful laugh. “But it’s hard to know which limits are self-imposed and which are real until you push them. That’s what got me into the military. That got me into distance running and a lot of the other trouble I’ve gotten myself into.”
O’Donnell, who at 63 years old boasts the best time for any solo competitor (4 days, 22 hours, and 39 minutes), strapped in and took it stroke by stroke through the finish line.
Last year, similar conditions waylaid a tandem team for 12 hours when they were a mere 2 miles from Fort Morgan, according to race organizers. At other times, that stretch can be smooth as glass—just one of many potential pitfalls awaiting paddlers along the route.
That’s why, in order to get here in the first place, they must have completed another endurance paddle competition within the last 5 years.
“We get the best of the best in endurance paddling coming to do this race,” says race director Greg Wingo. “The people at the starting line show up with a pretty decent idea of what they’re about to suffer.”
Sleep, for example, is a particular pain point. Some may camp for an hour or 2 a night. Others may rent a hotel room mid-race. The record-setting tandem team from 2021 slept a combined 7 hours over 4 days and 17 hours.
Despite these agonies—or perhaps because of them—the AL650 sees competitors return year after year to paddle in 1 of 3 classes: solo male, solo female, or tandem. More than half the 2023 cohort has raced the route before, including homegrown competitor Ryan Gillikin of Bay Minette.
She travels the country as part of a tandem team and is excited to have such a challenging race in her own backyard—and not just because it makes for an easier commute.
You can track the contestant's progress online at AL650.com. Photo courtesy Great Alabama 650
Since Alabama has the most navigable freshwater rivers of any state, Gillikin says she hopes the race inspires recreational paddlers to venture away from the boat ramps, and to enjoy moonlight rides and overnight trips into more magical remote stretches.
The state’s water system also happens to be the country’s most bio-diverse, earning its nickname “America’s Amazon” and sheltering everything from deer to dolphins. That’s another unique aspect of the race, organizers say.
But the wildlife aren’t the only locals this state-spanning endurance test is known for.
On riverbanks, on lakes, and at campsites along the way, racers report enthusiastic support from onlookers.
“You’re in this race, and you don’t see the person ahead of you. You don’t see the person behind you,” Gillikin explains. “When you hear someone calling your name or cheering you on, that really makes the race for you. You get such a boost.”
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Who’s racing?
Entrants competing in the Great Alabama 650 must paddle 650 miles to complete the race. Photo courtesy Great Alabama 650
More than 20 teams compete in 3 classes: male solo, female solo, and tandem. These are just a few folks to keep an eye on.
Paddler Bobby Johnson is considered one of the best long-distance surf-ski paddlers in the world. Photo courtesy Great Alabama 650
Bobby Johnson of Dunedin, Florida, who is considered one of the best long-distance surf-ski paddlers in the world, returns to the AL650 for the fifth time. Each time he’s raced solo, he’s come in first.
Competitor Salli O'Donnell holds the top overall time for any solo racer and returns this summer for her fifth year. Photo courtesy Great Alabama 650
Salli O’Donnell of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, holds the top record for any solo racer and returns for the fifth year with the goal of beating Johnson head-to-head in solo competition.
Göran Gustavsson of Sweden and Brad Friesen of Canada are both vying to be the first solo competitors to complete the AL650 primarily using a stand-up paddleboard. (Because they face such diverse conditions, competitors may change craft throughout the race.)
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Where to watch the AL650
Spectators can watch the race from various locations, including the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Photo by Getty Images/PhotoAlto
Each craft is fitted with a tracker that provides minute-by-minute location info so spectators can follow all of the teams’ progress online at AL650.com. The Great Alabama 650’s Facebook page also offers photos, videos, and updates in real time from along the route. Several on-shore places give fans the chance to spot racers in person.
Weiss Lake: The race kicks off September 30 in Centre. A dinner the night before at Jake’s on the Lake is open to members of the public who’d like to meet the racers.
Gadsden River Walk: Racers are still relatively close together at this point. Look for several paddling through on Saturday evening.
Lakes Logan Martin, Mitchell, and Jordan: Spectators with their own boats can spot competitors making their way through this series of recreation hot spots. They should be sure to keep a safe distance, lest they add another obstacle to racers’ paths.
Moccasin Gap (Wetumpka): The course’s sole stretch of rapids varies with water levels and tends to be the most worrisome spot for first-timers, race organizers say.
Montgomery: Racers paddle past Riverfront Park adjacent to downtown.
Selma: Miles later, they cross under the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge downtown.
Tensaw Delta: Remote, meandering, and affected by tides, the difficult stretch south of Selma makes for interesting online viewing.
Daphne: As racers enter Mobile Bay, Daphne offers the next chance to spot them following the shoreline and facing unpredictable conditions.
Fairhope: The extra-long Municipal Pier offers an up-close view of paddlers in the final stretch.
Fort Morgan: With an endurance race this long, competitors rarely finish even close to the same time. Once a craft turns at Sailboat Bay, spectators can better gauge when it will make it to Fort Morgan. Race organizers celebrate every finish there.
Travel pro and group trip host Jessica Fender loves to kayak almost as much as she loves a good night’s sleep. Track her decidedly leisurely adventures on Southern waterways, byways, and more at travelerbroads.com.
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