About the Race & PADDLE
The Race
The 9th Annual River Rat Paddle Challenge on our scenic Ouachita River will be held on September 20, 2025. Proceeds will benefit the Kiroli Foundation and ACE Charter School. We hope to have over 200 racers participating in this year's event. The race is 7.7 miles long and includes divisions for paddleboards, canoes, and kayaks (multiple lengths/styles) for men, women, and children. The Finish Line will be at Lazarre Park on the River.
** New this year - The Mini Mouse Paddle will be a non-timed 'fun paddle' for 2.9 miles down the Ouachita River. Start for Mini Mouse will be at Forsythe Boat Dock. Finish line will be at the same Lazarre Park location.
( MORE DETAILS TO COME )
Access Communication Empowerment
ACE is an innovative, specialty charter school dedicated to ensuring students with ASD have every opportunity to become lifelong learners by providing an academically-rich educational environment designed to support the unique learning needs of its students, grades K-5th.
Kiroli Foundation
The Kiroli Foundation the Fiscal Agent for this year’s event and a Non-Profit of the City of West Monroe which helps support projects for all the parks in the city of West Monroe, including the Downtown Marina. Kiroli Foundation has a vision in serving the needs of the community by giving back to all the city parks to help with maintenance, and coordination of special projects within the park system.
Attention Rat Packs
The River Rat Paddle Challenge is not just about speed, but our ability to showcase just what makes our event so fun! Some of our most coveted awards are presented to Rat Packs who are, well, a little special! "The Big Cheese" is awarded to the largest Rat Pack (as measured by the number on your team), "The Speedy Gonzales" is awarded to the fastest team (determined by the finish time of the third team member). Everyone's favorite, though, is the "I Smell a Rat" (as determined by the amount of fun your team is having, costumes or theme, or however you show off your River Rat style). What is YOUR definition of a river rat? We don't hide our crazy around here! We put it on the river for all to enjoy!
CYPRESS CONTRIBUTOR
Atomic Ink
Atomic Ink is a dedicated local business serving churches, schools, and businesses throughout Ouachita Parish and the surrounding areas. They specialize in providing custom screen printing, banners, decals, embroidery, logos, and one-of-a-kind custom gifts. Committed to delivering top-quality products at highly competitive prices, Atomic Ink takes pride in offering American-made goods whenever possible. With a strong focus on continued growth and customer service, they partner closely with their clients to understand and evolve with their expanding needs. Learn more at Atomic Ink.
Sandbar Sponsors
Making the World a Better Place to Paddle! Since 1880
Special thanks to the City of West Monroe for hosting our River Rat shenanigans! Alley Park in downtown Antique Alley is host to packet pickup, the Bayou D'Arbonne Boat Launch is our starting line, and Lazarre Park is where we finish and celebrate!
Special Thanks
- City of West Monroe
- Sheriff Marc Mashaw and the OPSO Reserve Unit
- Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
- Race Committee: Wesley Vanderhoff, Steve Birmingham, David Dupree, Stephanie Herrmann and Chris Nelson