Thirty-two elite paddlers from around the world will descend on Northeast Alabama this fall for a 650-mile journey that will take them from Weiss Lake to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Great Alabama 650, billed as the longest annual paddle race in the United States, returns Oct. 3 for its eighth year, sending competitors down the Coosa and Alabama rivers before finishing at Fort Morgan on Mobile Bay.
For North Alabama spectators, Gadsden offers one of the first opportunities to see the race after paddlers leave the starting line at Weiss Lake.
The grueling ultra-endurance race gives competitors up to 10 days to complete the course, navigating whitewater, changing tidewater currents and portages around nine dams along the way.
The route follows the core of the Alabama Scenic River Trail, beginning in the Appalachian foothills of Northeast Alabama and continuing through Gadsden, Pell City, Wetumpka, Montgomery and Selma before reaching Mobile Bay.
Competitors race in three divisions: male solo, female solo and two-person team. They may switch among kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards during the race.
The Alabama Scenic River Trail hosts the event as part of its broader effort to showcase Alabama’s waterways and outdoor recreation opportunities. The organization works with communities across more than 6,300 miles of paddling trails throughout the state.
While the starting gun sounds at Weiss Lake, the race quickly becomes a statewide event as paddlers make their way south.
Spectators in Gadsden can watch competitors travel directly through the city along the Coosa River, making the area an early milestone on the 650-mile course.
From there, racers continue through central Alabama before encountering another challenge closer to the coast: tidewater currents as they approach Mobile Bay and the finish at Fort Morgan.
The race begins Oct. 3 and officially concludes Oct. 13.
For those who can’t make it to the riverbank, each competitor will be tracked throughout the race on a live online map, allowing spectators to follow the field around the clock. Updates will also be posted through the Great Alabama 650’s social media accounts, @GreatAlabama650 and #AL650.
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