24 Hours of Pain

Last year he took the FIBArk crown while nearing his 50th birthday. This year wildwater paddler Andy Corra, from Durango, Colorado, set a new world 24 hour record by paddling a whopping 273.5 miles in 24 hours during the Yukon River Quest. While his mark is still awaiting certification by Guinness, it bested the old record of 261 miles set two years ago by Ian Adamson. PL caught up with the downriver don to get his take on the new record...

PL: How’d it feel overall?

Corra: It went pretty smooth, actually. At three hours I was wondering if I was going to able to make 24, but by hour 12 I knew I had too much into it to quit.

PL: What was the worst moment?

Corra: Hours 18-21 were the worst - low energy, general fatigue. I was thinking at 18 -- only six hours left – then, 6 HOURS, that's more than I ever paddle!! I was worried my rear end was going to get really painful, but it was never really a problem. By the last four hours my entire ribcage and lats were so sore I kept having to change my upper body position to accommodate the pain. After 24 hours it was a 130-mile motorboat ride to the next take-out, then a six-hour car ride in the back seat of a pick-up. That was by far the most uncomfortable ride I’ve ever taken. Not only had I been awake for 42 hours, but I was more sore in every single muscle than I have ever been. Days later I literally had bruises at the base of my lats, ribs and armpits from tearing up the muscles. That car ride was definitely the worst part of all.

PL: When did you realize you might beat the record?

Corra: I knew right where I stood the whole time. My GPS was giving me overall averages of 11.5 to 11.9 mph (I had to do better than 10.8 to beat the record). So the whole time I knew was paddling above record pace. It was not until 12 hours that I allowed myself to think I might get it. But, when I was thinking I might, I'd have to tell myself, "Calm down Corra, you have a long way to go.”

PL: Did you have to make up for the relatively normal/low river flow somehow?

Corra: Low flows of around 69,000 cfs compared to 107,000 when the record was set, certainly meant slower current speeds. Again, I just watched my average speed and kept it above 10.8 mph. I think my years of river reading experience also helped a lot. I think I did a god job of usually finding the fastest current.

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