THE HACK RACE
The members of the Wanda Canoe Club are pleased to invite you the 9th Annual HACK Race on the Hackensack River this Fall. Enjoy beautiful fall foliage, a real submarine, great paddling, camaraderie, food – and your 2024 HACK Socks! Hosted by Wanda Canoe Club and sponsored locally by Hackensack Riverkeeper, Inserra Shop-Rite Supermarkets, Goodboy Paddlesports and Puakea Designs, this is the season-ending race of the East Coast Outrigger Racing Association sanctioned OC1/OC2 points series. In addition to outrigger, other classes will include surfski, sea kayak, ICF sprint canoe/kayak, and marathon/war canoe. Please note: due to safety concerns, SUPs and OC4/6s will not be allowed in the race.
The race course is on the relatively protected water of the Hackensack River, beginning and ending in front of Wanda Canoe Club. There will be two races run concurrently. There will be a 9-mile Elite Race run in 2-3 heats with boats of similar speeds and a ~5 mile Novice Race for rec boats. Each participant must have in their possession a PFD, Type I, II, III, or V approved by the US Coast Guard, and each boat must have at least one pealess whistle while on the water.
Results will be posted on this website, Facebook, and sent via email at the conclusion of the race.
Parking: Boats may be dropped off on site. Parking for the event will be available on-site and within a 5 minute walk of the site but will be limited so please try and carpool. There is also free public parking across the railroad tracks from the concrete elephants and next to the old railroad station, One Station Plaza. There is also free parking on side streets within a block or two of the elephants. Do not park at metered spaces closer to the downtown area, as that has a two-hour limit. We are going to pack everyone in fairly tight to get as many vehicles safely close to the venue as possible.
Registration: Due to space constraints, registration will be capped at 75 boats or 90 paddlers across both the Elite and Novice races. The Elite Race will cost $35, and Novice Race will cost $25, plus credit card fees. All race finishers will receive HACK socks. There may be race-day registration dependent on how close we are to boat cap, but please reach out to us if you plan to register on-site. The race will be run rain-or-shine, barring thunderstorms.
Race registration is non-refundable and benefits Hackensack Riverkeeper Inc.'s and the Wanda Canoe Club's paddling programs. If the race is cancelled more than 3 days prior to the event, a $10 code will be issued towards next year's race.
Socks for sale: We will also sell extra socks from this year's race following distribution of socks to racers post-race. They are $12 each.
Minimum age is 13 years old, experienced paddlers only. Scout Leader or Coach must verify skill level of their paddlers prior to registration.
All paddlers must bring their own boats. No rentals will be available.
