For the past 20 years, hundreds of paddlers have taken to the Missouri River to attempt an exhuasting, three-day journey across the state. Starting in Kansas City and ending in St. Charles, the MR340 race is billed as the longest nonstop paddling race in the world.
Before reaching the finish line, paddlers must traverse fog, sleepless nights and the prospect of hallucinations.
“You’re looking at the trees, and they’re just moving, they’re shifting,” recalled Nick Phillips, a senior editor with St. Louis Magazine who completed the 2025 race in July. “You’ve been up almost 24 hours at that point. … You see boats that aren’t really there, your brain is just playing tricks on you, and it gets weird.”…