2026 Kayak Boatercross
2026 SUP Cross
2026 Downriver Paddle
🛶 Kayak Boatercross
📅 Saturday, May 16
A timed run determines racers seeds. Kayak Boatercross features a tournament format with 4 boats racing down the James with the top 2 moving to the next round.
Heats of 4 competitors (groups can be as small as 3 or as large as 6) will battle it out through the rapids and around the buoys/gates. There will be a mandatory roll in the middle of the course. The top two paddlers move on until only four are left to compete in the championship heat. Spectators can catch the carnage – err competition – from the Tyler Potterfield Bridge. The race starts at the boat ramp just upstream of the canal intake and racers paddle through the Fishladder rapid through several significant holes to the finish buoy.
⌚ Schedule:
- 12:30 PM – Pre-event Athlete Briefing
- 1:00 PM – Men's & Women's time trial followed by head to head heats
🛶 SUP Cross
📅 Saturday, May 16
In this paddling tournament, 4 paddlers race head to head on Stand Up Paddle Boards down the rapids with the top 2 advancing to the next round.
Top two survivors move on until only four are left to compete in the championship heat. SUP Cross starts at the boat ramp just above the canal intake and drops through several significant holes in the Fishladder rapid. Paddlers will finish when their body passes the finish buoy or flag and they are standing on their board.
⌚ Schedule:
- 2:30 PM – Pre-event Athlete Briefing
- 3:00 PM – Semifinals begin
- 3:45 PM – Finals begin
🛶 Downriver Paddle
📅 Sunday, May 17
Participants will start at Reedy Creek and race downriver through First Break, Hollywood, Fish Ladder (VEPCO Levy), Pipeline, and on to the finish at the 14th Street takeout.
And be prepared to test your skills and showoff to the crowds as you will have to complete a mandatory ferry just below the Potterfield Bridge at designated buoys. Racers will be sent off in a mass start based on gender and boat type and the fastest time will win! Pick your boat, kayak, canoe, or SUP.
Note: Boats must be under 4 meters in length and have no keel.
⌚ Schedule:
- 12:30-1:00 PM – Athlete check-in and instructions at Reedy Creek
- 1:00 PM – Event begins
🚧 Help Us Maintain Our World Class Trail System & Riverfront
The James River Park System and the Richmond Riverfront are extremely important asset to Richmond, and Dominion Energy Riverrock provides the opportunity to celebrate the Park System and Riverfront and all of the outdoor recreation opportunities RVA has to offer. Please consider a donation to benefit Richmond’s outdoor amenities. Your gift will help maintain, improve and enhance the James River Park System trails and Richmond’s riverfront. Donations and volunteerism make both our trails and riverfront nationally acclaimed… they would not be what they are today without the hard work of countless volunteers throughout the year and it is donations like yours that make this work possible. In the past Dominion Energy Riverrock donations were able to support not only general trail maintenance but also very specific infrastructure and equipment improvements like supporting the universal access ramp at Huguenot Flatwater, funding a Northbank retaining wall, the purchase of a chainsaw & trimmers to maintain trails, two new trail ramps, the replacement of all bike pumps at the bike repair stations around the James River Park System, and the Brown's Island improvement project. The James River Park System and riverfront continues to see heavy use so donations to maintain and make improvements are important to the overall sustainability of this RVA asset.
📖 Our Story
We live and work by Richmond’s picturesque riverfront. With a network of trails and amazing views just steps away from a vibrant downtown, we knew we had to let everyone in on the secret that was Richmond, VA. And what better way to celebrate than with the nation’s premier outdoor sports and music festival?!
Sports Backers and Venture Richmond both work to make RVA a vibrant place to live. Bringing our two nonprofit organizations together to create one of the nation’s most beloved outdoor festivals was a no-brainer! Venture Richmond provides the entertainment, and Sports Backers brings the athletes. It all adds up to a great showcase of Richmond’s riverfront and all it has to offer!
Sports Backers is a nationally recognized nonprofit whose mission is to inspire people from all corners of our community to live actively. Since 1991, Sports Backers has fostered a culture of active living in Central Virginia through its participatory sporting events and community-based programs that have inspired hundreds of thousands of people in the region to set fitness goals and pursue an active lifestyle. In everything that we do, we strive to promote health equity and create accessible opportunities for active living throughout our region. We fulfill our mission by: (1) advocating for bike and pedestrian infrastructure; (2) energizing the community through events; and (3) building a network of community-led group fitness programs in schools and neighborhoods.
Venture Richmond is a nonprofit organization formed to engage business and community leaders in partnering with the City to enhance the vitality of the community, particularly Downtown, through economic development, marketing, promotion, advocacy and events, to include: Friday Cheers, the 2nd Street Festival, the Richmond Folk Festival, and more.
🚨Cancellation Policy
Entries are non-refundable, non-transferable, and non-deferrable, even in the case of a event cancellation, postponement, event format changes, and/or if you are unable to participate.
Questions❓Feedback❓
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