Sprint kayak races Saturday in Patterson

The inaugural Lower Atchafalaya Sprint, a set of six-mile races for kayaks and canoes with cash prizes for first through third in each class, will be held Saturday in Patterson, according to a news release.

This Lower Atchafalaya Sprint is produced by Tour du Teche, the nonprofit organization behind the Tour du Teche 135, a 135-mile kayak and canoe race from Port Barre to Berwick in its seventh year to be held Oct. 6.

The sprint race course is a loop that starts and ends at Patterson’s Morey Park on Main Street.

Registration is 7:30-8:45 a.m. The first race starts at 9 a.m. The city will raise money from food and drink sales during the event to help renovate Morey Park.

The registration fee is $20 and is good for all races of the Lower Atchafalaya Sprint.

Classes are Men and Mixed Tandem, Women Tandem, Man Solo, Woman Solo, Men and Mixed Big Boat (three to six paddlers), and Women Big Boat. Payoff in each class are first place, $500; second place, $250; and third place, $100.

The city of Patterson is also putting up a trophy for the first-place boat in each class.

Races start at 9 a.m. for tandem boats, 11 a.m. for solos, and 1 p.m. for big boats. Men’s and women’s classes will race at the same time.

There will also be two-mile races for medals. Tandem boats start at 9:10 a.m. and solos at 11:10 a.m. in these races.

On Sept. 30, in Bossier City, Tour du Teche starts two of its odyssey-class marathons: Tour de la Rivière Rouge, the 275-mile non-stop adventure race from Bossier City to Port Barre; and the 410 de Louisiane, combining Tour de la Rivière Rouge and the 135-mile Tour du Teche for a 410-mile paddle down the entire length of Louisiana.

Starting with the two long races will be the more laid-back Race to the Dam, 24 miles on the Red River from Teague Boat Launch in Bossier City to Bishop Point Boat Launch, the release said.

See tourduteche.com for more information.