The Bloody Run Canoe Classic (BRCC) is a community

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

and

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

race along the Raystown Branch of the

Juniata River The Juniata River () is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 8, 2011 in central Pennsylvania. The river is ...

in Everett,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Historically, this event has comprised a five and nine mile race, with multiple race classes that include "both recreational and competition-class boats".

Origin and history

The

Raystown Branch Juniata River The Raystown Branch Juniata River is the largest and longest tributary of the Juniata River in south-central Pennsylvania in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Keystone Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2004. The Raystown Branch Juniata River begins a ...

Water Trail "hosts the annual Bloody Run Canoe Classic between

Bedford, Pennsylvania Bedford is a borough and spa town in and the county seat of Bedford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located west of Harrisburg, the state capital, and east of Pittsburgh. Bedford's population was 2,861 at the 2020 census. His ...

and Everett, Pennsylvania for both recreational and competition-class boats. The first race took place in 1982 after the founding of the Raystown Canoe Club. Annually held in April or May, there has been good years and bad, like the 1991 race that had high water perfect for racing, but cold weather that put racers at risk for hypothermia. The race was held annually until 2001, when the event was held in conjunction with a Spring Festival and triathlon. The Bloody Run Canoe Classic returned from a hiatus in 2008 with sponsorship from

REI Rei or REI may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Rei, a story arc of the anime ''Higurashi When They Cry'' *Rei, a shapeshifting godlike dragon in the Australian webcomic series ''Vainglorious'' *Rei I, II and III, episodes of ''Neon Genesis Eva ...

. In addition, community members played a large part helping Raystown Canoe Club to bring this nine-mile race back to life. When revived in 2008, "48 people showed up" and then in 2009 the BRCC attracted more than 60 participants to

Everett, Pennsylvania Everett is a borough in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,775 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Everett's original name was Bloody Run, after a creek that was the site of ...

’s local waterways. The Bloody Run Canoe Classic was named after the original name of its home town,

Everett, PA Everett is a borough in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,775 at the 2020 census. Everett's original name was Bloody Run, after a creek that was the site of a battle between settlers and Native Americans. The to ...

. Everett's original name was 'Bloody Run'. The Raystown Canoe Club owns the rights to and organizes the BRCC.

Updated communications

Previously, the Bloody Run Canoe Classic was only advertised through local radio and newspaper ads. When the BRCC was revived in 2008, new members of the Raystown Canoe Club began targeting people with more tech-savvy media, such as creating a website and a Facebook page.https://www.facebook.com/pages/Raystown-Canoe-Club/95661154239?v=info#/pages/Raystown-Canoe-Club/95661154239?v=wall Before these steps were taken, the Raystown Canoe Club and BRCC did not appear when searched with popular online search engines.

References

External links

Raystown Canoe Club website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloody Run Canoe Classic Annual sporting events in the United States Canoeing and kayaking competitions in the United States Sports competitions in Pennsylvania 1982 establishments in Pennsylvania