Times Observer file photo Paddlers in the K1 Unlimited Woman division churn the water at the tailwaters of Kinzua Dam Friday at the beginning of the U.S. Canoe and Kayak Association Nationals marathon course in 2021. The races come back to Warren County next week.

National champions will be crowned next week in Warren.

The 2024 U.S. Canoe Association – for the 10th time – is holding its National Marathon Canoe & Kayak Championships next Thursday through Sunday in Warren.

Youth sprints are set for Thursday at Chapman State Park.

The remainder of the races will center on the Allegheny River with an HQ at Betts Park.

Between 250 and 300 paddlers are expected to participate.

“(We’ll) start seeing arrival early in the week,” John Papalia, senior vice president with the Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry, who is coordinating the event, said. “A lot of them try to practice the course, come in and start running the river.”

The youth will kick the racing off Thursday with races of varying styles — canoe, kayak, stand-up paddleboard – set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Many of those races will start at the Kinzua Dam’s tailwaters and come through downtown Warren during the late morning hours.

There will also be a biathlon component — paddling paired with a run at Betts Park.

“They’re (USCA) always trying to do things like that to get people together,” Papalia said. “They have age divisions all the way up, ranging from kids all the way up to, in the past, we have had somebody pushing 90 years old padding down the river.

“It speaks volumes to the course that we offer, that they want to keep coming back here.”

This marks the 10th time that Warren has hosted the national races, more than any single other place in the country.

“I attribute a lot of that to the partners we get to work with,” Papalia said, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fish and Boat and volunteers.

“The community as a whole always makes them feel welcome,” he added. “The impact — staying in hotels, camping, hitting community restaurants. Warren County becomes home to them for a week sometimes. A lot of them make this their vacation.”

He highlighted the family nature of the event.

“A lot of them come from different parts of the country,” he said, bringing a “camaraderie that goes around it. It’s wonderful that they love coming back to Warren County.”

Anyone looking to learn more about paddling can go to the youth springs or visit Betts Park.

“I think that’s a really cool aspect of the group,” he said. “If somebody’s interested, come down. Learn a little bit. The group is really great about that.”

The racing each day starts at 9 a.m. and wraps up around noon.

“What we’ve seen over the years,” he said, “people continue to learn how wonderful a place Warren County. (It’s) a place they can come paddle when it’s not nationals and enjoy our community.

“At the end of the day, there are always areas we can improve as a community. We really do have a wonderful place to live, to recreate, to work. This really exemplifies (that).”