It has been 14 years since Jeff Smoke last competed in Memphis.
     In those days, Smoke was three years into a career that saw him eventually dominate his age group in thirty triathlons, including an Ironkids event in Memphis when he was 13.
     Now 27, Smoke will return to Memphis on Saturday as one of the showcase competitors in the 24th Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race on the Mississippi River, which bills itself as the largest canoe and kayak race in the southeastern U.S. More than 500 competitors are expected for the race, which features $5,000 in cash and prizes.
     Granted, Smoke loved triathlons, but deep down he has always aspired to be an Olympian. He comes from a notable kayaking family. His mother, Marcia, competed in three Olympics (1964, '68, and '72), while dad Bill was a member of the '64 U.S. Olympic team. The Smokes, who competed in sprint kayaking, live in Buchanan, Michigan, along with Smoke's sister, Jennifer.
     "My mom is definitely coming to watch (the race), but she is not going to race," Smoke said. "She just enjoys watching races now."
     Still, it'll be a reunion of sorts for Smoke's mother and one of her most famous paddling students--Greg Barton of Charleston, South Carolina, winner of four Olympic medals (two of them gold) and a four-time winner and holder of the course record for the Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race.
     Smoke's mother introduced Barton to paddling when he was a pre-teen.
     "Greg's also from Michigan and he'd come down and train with Mom," Smoke said. "At that time he only lived a few hours away."
     Those days were "long before" Smoke was born, he said with a laugh.
     Smoke and Barton are no strangers to each other's paddling talents, having raced against each other in the 2002 Nationals at Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia.
     "He's a pretty amazing athlete," Smoke said of Barton, who also owns four world championship titles and is the current U.S. National surf ski champion.
     Smoke doesn't think his mom has paddled the Mississippi River.
     For that matter, neither has he.
     "I think it's a great opportunity to come to what will be my first race of this season," Smoke said. "It's exciting to do a different style of racing from what I'm used to."
     Since January, Smoke has been training under the watchful eye of one of his former teammates, Angel Perez, in Miami. After the Memphis race, he'll relocate to South Bend, Indiana, to begin his summer training program, which will include time in Canada. Smoke said he recently received a Future Olympian Grant for training and competition expenses from the Indiana Sports Corporation.
     "I had a few great job offers back in Chicago, but ultimately decided to stick to my goal of getting a medal in 2008," he said. "I'm back on the full-time training regimen. After the Olympics I was kind of exhausted and needed a little mental break. I got that and I'm back into a full-blown, totally committed training program now."
     In other words, Beijing is at the top of his list.
     "You bet," Smoke said. "That's why I'm doing what I'm doing."
     Perez is the "private coach" for Smoke and three other paddlers with Olympic aspirations, including Smoke's former Olympic partner in the two-man kayak event, Andy Bussey of Hawaii. Perez was a member of Cuba's 1992 Olympic team as well as the 2000 U.S. Olympic team. He was also Smoke's teammate for the last three years.
     Though he was happy to be a part of the USA's 2004 Olympic team and get a chance to compete in Greece, Smoke admits he was not satisfied with his 13th-place finish. He wants to shave three or four seconds off his time, which, he said, "will be the hardest."
     Smoke, who is 6-3 and weighs 195 pounds, realizes he can do better.
     "I'm still improving," he said. "If I wasn't improving anymore and didn't see myself as a chance of winning a medal I definitely wouldn't continue, but getting a medal motivates me and I'm still fairly new at the sport."
     In fact, it wasn't until 2000 that Smoke began kayaking at the Lincoln Park Boat Club in Chicago.
     Before that Smoke had focused all of his athletic aspirations on being a world-class competitor in triathlons, a sport he first excelled in as a 10-year old when he won the 1988 Ironkids National Championship in Tempe, Arizona.
     Until he graduated from college (Notre Dame with a degree in business) Smoke was a hard-core triathlon competitor.
     "I got real bad tendonitis in my knees and I knew I couldn't make it to the Olympics in the triathlon, so I thought I'd give kayaking a try," Smoke said. "I'd work in Chicago and do some kayaking and see how it would go. I thought I wouldn't be very good in kayaking, but I got a break to go to the Olympic training center (in San Diego), and that's what kind of started it all. My mom was pretty shocked when I told her I wanted to start kayaking."
     His parents, he said, never pushed him into kayaking. In high school, Smoke played ice hockey and tennis, earning academic all-state honors in hockey and playing in four state tennis championship tourna-ments.
     "Paddling was so prevalent around me that I wanted to try something different," he said.
     Smoke plans to fly into Memphis on Friday in time to do a workout paddle on the Mississippi River.
     He'll be paddling, more than likely, a surf ski for the first time at the Memphis event.
     "Greg (Barton) is going to let me try his new surf ski out," Smoke said. "He's going to bring an extra one for me."
     A surf ski is a sit-on-top kayak, whereas you sit inside a K-1, or Olympic-style flatwater kayak, with your legs underneath the deck.
     Smoke said he has never been in a surf ski kayak. River conditions will dictate whether he'll stick with his traditional K-1 kayak or go with a surf ski.
     "If it is flat (the Mississippi River) I'll have a K-1," he said.
 
 

     Herman P. Markell admits to having always been fascinated by the Mississippi River.
     So fascinated that Markell decided in 1993 that he'd like to participate in the annual Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race on the Mississippi River.
     He talked a friend, Dr. Terry Hanson, into competing, too.
     It was love at first paddle for Markell and Hanson, who'll make their 13th consecutive appearance in Saturday's event, which is hailed as the largest canoe and kayak race in the southeastern United States and has become a major drawing card for not only people like Markell and Hanson, but world-class paddlers.
     The 3.1-mile race will begin at 10:15 a.m. Saturday with a field of more than 500 paddlers expected, including two-time Olympic gold medalist and course record holder Greg Barton of Charleston, South Carolina; 2004 Olympian Jeff Smoke of Buchanan, Michigan; and Pam Am gold medalist Mike Herbert of Rogers, Arkansas.
     And then, there will be "other" competitors, like Markell, who turns 72 on May 30, and Hanson, 51, who finished 18th in their rookie year in the race while competing in the event's largest class, tandem cruiser.  Three years later, Markell and Hanson broke into the race's top ten and have remained among the top eight finishers since.
     "When Outdoors, Inc., added a Masters Division (combined age minimum of 80) we competed in it, but (we) always really were interested in being the first Memphis canoe to finish overall," said Markell, who came to Memphis in 1958 fresh out of the Air Force.  "We accomplished that in 2003... and with a combined age of 122 (42 years older than the minimum), we were pleased."
     If Markell's name sounds familiar, it should.
     He has been one of Memphis's most successful businessmen.
     After leaving the military, Markell worked for Mills Morris Co., and later a spin-off part of the company, Parts Distributors Warehouse, which eventually affiliated with CARQUEST Auto Parts in 1974.  Once that company had been sold to General Parts Inc (GPI) in 1986, Markell remained as CEO.
     He "semi-retired" in 1966 and remains active, traveling across the U.S. teaching salesmanship and customer service.  He's also currently chairman of the Memphis division of GPI.
     Markell said he and Hanson, who is a chiropractor based in Germantown, usually begin practicing for the Canoe and Kayak Race in mid-February.
     Starting in the harbor, they work their way to the top of Mud Island.
     "By April, we're on the water three times a week," Markell said.  "The race is so well run and we have enjoyed seeing it grow to one of the premier outdoor competitions in this part of the country."
     In fact, Markell and Hanson were on the water earlier week testing the currents and wave power.
     It's the currents and winds that make the race so special for Markell and Hanson.
     "We really appreciate battling the winds and currents, avoiding the barges and their wakes (during practice; all barge traffic is stopped during the race) and marveling at God's beautiful creation of sky and water, forests and urban skyline," Markell said.  "And sadly, so few people know of it.
     "Whether you paddle on it, roller blade, walk, run or bike next to it, or merely enjoy a picnic on its banks, the Mississippi River is our front lawn.  We are grateful for its availability."
 
 

     Experience defeated youth on Saturday at the Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race on the Mississippi River.
     Greg Barton, a 45-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist, used his knowledge of the 3.1-mile course to overtake 27-year-old 2004 Olympian Jeff Smoke.
     "Jeff got off to a great lead," said Barton, who recorded his fifth victory since 1999 at the Memphis event.  "But I took the lead about a third of the way down."
     Barton, who hails from Charleston, S.C, said the key to his victory was his decision to go farther into the river, while Smoke, competing in this event for the first time, stayed closer to the shore.

Greg Barton

Spectators both canine and human watched the action unfold on the Mississippi on Saturday. Photos by Mike Maple

     "If this had been a 1000 meters like the Olympics, he would have beaten me," explained Barton, who last competed in the Olympics in 1992 at Barcelona.  "But I was able to hold him off until the end."
     Barton finished with a time of 15 minutes, 53 seconds to capture the title in the men's overall division.  Smoke, originally from Buchanan, Mich., was second at 16:05, and Mike Herbert of Rogers, Ark., was third at 16:23.
     Smoke said Barton's experience definitely was the key.
     "I'm not used to paddling on water like this," Smoke said.  "I'm used to paddling on much smoother water."
     Still, Smoke said he enjoyed his experience in Memphis.
     "I had a lot of fun," he said, "and definitely want to come back."
     Carol Lee Royer won the women's overall race with a time of 22:03.
     In all, around 450 paddlers in more than 230 boats competed in the race that started at the mouth of the Wolf River and ended in Memphis Harbor adjacent to Mud Island.
     Royer's husband, race director Joe Royer, said that although the cool morning temperatures were not ideal, the northerly winds made for a smooth, safe course.
     "What makes this event special are the Memphis people," Joe Royer said.  "The elite Olympians love the fact that there are so many out here."
     Many people at Saturday's race, like Cordova's Jeff Crevelt, were just out to have a good time.
     "We were trying to come in voluntary last place," said Crevelt, who was in a canoe with friend Dan Kammer.  "It's hard to do because there are people out there going really slow.
     "We had a great time, but we had the coast guard give us a verbal warning to paddle more because they wanted to open up the Mississippi."
     After the race, Crevelt, who was racing in the event for the first time, celebrated by jumping into the river.
     "That was our victory celebration," he said.

     There are some stories you just don't want your byline on. This is one of them.
     My canoeing partner and I got to the 24th Annual Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race a little after 8 a.m. Saturday morning. The starting area at Mud Island's Greenbelt Park was controlled chaos, with people unloading canoes from trailers and the tops of their cars and hauling them to the inspection area. It was chilly, but everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Friends For Our Riverfront was out putting bumper stickers on boats, and two racers dressed as glam rockers walked around with mullets and mesh shirts.
     Some of the kayaks were beautiful, streamlined crafts that looked state-of-the-art, while some of the canoes looked like relics from Camp Kankakee's summer of 1973.
     About a week before the three-mile race, a friend gave me a crash course in canoeing, using an ax handle to demonstrate the J-stroke--the twist at the end of the paddle stroke that lets you steer the canoe.
     "If you wear your PFDs--your life jackets--and you stay close to the shore, you should be okay," he said.
     And so we carefully launched our canoe into the Wolf River and paddled behind the starting buoys. Soon, all the canoes were clumped together. At times, I couldn't even put my paddles in the water because there were boats on both sides of us. We bumped and jostled our way to a semi-empty spot and someone near us remarked, "Number 161's going in." My partner laughed and then looked down at the number on her PFD.
     "Hey, that's us!" she said. We then made a pact to not fall in.
     And then it started. The kayakers took off, their paddles a whirl of motion. Apparently, Olympians Greg Barton and Jeff Smoke were duking it out for first place, but we never saw them.
     When the canoes started three minutes later, in an ugly frenzy of their own, we quickly realized the J-stroke wasn't working for us. As we zigzagged down the Mississippi River, there were only a few canoes near us, but it didn't seem so bad until we passed by an older couple in a canoe near the shore.
     "Do you need help?" they asked.
     They were a safety boat. We assured them we were okay and continued on.
     Another safety boat, this one piloted by a middle-aged man, paddled up to us a few minutes later. This time I admitted we were having problems.
     He quickly taught us some steering techniques, but it was just about this time that the canoe trying for last place overtook us.
     We rowed past Harbor Town and under the I-40 bridge, our personal safety-boat escort never very far away. When we got to the tip of Mud Island, we turned left into the harbor.
     The end of the race was rough. The wind was against us. We didn't have the current anymore, and we were tired. Up on shore, our friends yelled encouragement. (They assumed that the safety boat next to us was our competitor in the race for second-to-last place.)
     In Jefferson Davis Park, a bluegrass band was playing and boy scouts were selling hamburgers. It had taken us 43 minutes to get there.
     The race timers, standing at the finish, took pity on us and helped us land our canoe. Then several Boy Scouts appeared like little elves.
     "Can we carry your canoe?" they asked. Each grabbed a side and scurried the canoe up a very steep hill.
     It seems there are some perks to being last.
     And there's always next year.
 
 

     Greg Barton has won two Olympic gold medals and two bronze medals for kayak racing. He added another medal to his collection Saturday after winning the Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race on the Mississippi River in Memphis.
     Greg, who attended an after-race party Saturday night at Earnestine and Hazel's, said he liked the challenge of the Mississippi River. "The variety of water conditions adds to the race."
     Greg, who lives in Charleston, S.C., finished the race in 15 minutes and 53 seconds. This is his fifth win at the race. He was one of about 450 paddlers in more than 230 boats competing in the 3.1-mile race that started at the mouth of the Wolf River and ended at Jefferson Davis Park.
     Champion kayaker Scott Cummins of Houston said the "flow" makes racing on the Mississippi River different. "It's one of the largest rivers," he said. "It flows more water than any river in North America. The current is real squirrelly."
     Kayakers and guests were treated to soul burgers at the party hosted by race director and president/co-owner of Outdoors, Inc., Joe Royer; his wife, Carol Lee, who won the women's overall race with a time of 22 minutes and 3 seconds; and Lawrence Migliara, co-owner of Outdoors, Inc.