Members of the cross-country team took to the water September 7, 2016, for an amphibious workout that’s been a Bowdoin tradition for nearly three decades—the cross-country team canoe race.

The team ran a two-mile warm-up to the Brunswick Boat Launch on the Androscoggin River. Runners then jumped into sixteen canoes, and paddled three-and-a-half miles into Merrymeeting Bay and the finish line that is the old Bay Bridge between Topsham and Brunswick. Three canoes capsized during the race—one by a paddling error, one by a mischievous opponent, and the third one in retaliation for being tipped over. After the canoe race they then ran six-and-a-half miles back along the river to campus in time for the end of a dinner featuring locally grown food that was raised or caught in Maine, such as mussels, roasted potatoes, and strawberry shortcake.

“It’s a character-building workout to paddle for three miles,” said Coach Peter Slovenski. “The combination of running and canoeing is a powerful way of practicing mental toughness over a long span of time. Then we got to the finish with such a great dinner in the dining hall.”

Results
First place: Bridger Tomlin ’17 and Ryan Barrett ’17 — 57:38
Second place: Jack Richardson ’19 and Nicole Anthony ’19 — 1:01:28
Third place: Bennett Sneath ’20 and Caroline Corban ’17 — 1:04:54