River Run cruising to 41st year

CLAUDVILLE, Va. — As its name implies, the annual Kibler Valley River Run requires the presence of swift water, which will be the case this year despite recent dry conditions.

The run now in its 41st year is scheduled next Saturday (July 20) on the Dan River in the Kibler Valley community of Claudville.

It is a competitive event in which canoeists, kayakers and participants in other floatation categories, including paddleboarders, challenge a river course through the countryside in great numbers.

“It’s going to be in the range of two to three hundred,” said Tom Bishop, a spokesman for the Red Bank Ruritan Club that sponsors the River Run.

(Cold) water appeal

In addition to the racers, the Kibler Valley event attracts spectators who line its banks and perch on bridges free of charge to see them float by, with photographic opportunities also an attraction.

“It’s a pretty big celebration weekend,” Bishop added Friday regarding how some folks camp out and otherwise frequent the valley during that span.

And with temperatures recently exceeding 90 degrees on a regular basis, the notoriously frigid water of the Dan River flowing down from the mountaintop offers a refreshing amenity.

“It’s a fun thing to go up there and stick your feet in the water even if you don’t get in a canoe,” Bishop said.

Drought effects

A key practice that is at the heart of the Kibler Valley River Run involves the Pinnacles Hydro Plant on the Dan, located at the starting point for the kayak and other events, cranking up the current on Race Day.

This provides much swifter and deeper water than normal, resulting in optimum floating conditions.

However, the drought gripping the region in recent weeks has posed concerns related to that.

“The reservoirs up on the mountain are low on water,” Bishop explained, which has limited the ability of the hydro plant receiving their flow to increase its intensity.

“They’ve had some issues at the power plant,” he acknowledged.

Yet steps have been taken to ensure a sufficient output for the 2024 Race Day.

“There will be water released,” Bishop assured. “There might be a limited time frame.”

Event details

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. next Saturday for race participants. This will occur at a staging area on Kibler Valley Road known as the Fox property which is near a bridge.

The cost is $35 per racer, with registration including a free commemorative T-shirt. Others can buy the shirts for $20.

Under the race format, participants park at the staging area and they and their watercraft are shuttled in groups to the power plant area to then float back downstream.

From Mount Airy, the River Run area can be accessed by taking N.C. 103 to Claudville and turning left onto Route 773, also known as Ararat Highway, then right on Kibler Valley Road and proceeding about four miles.