Group of people kayaking on a river surrounded by green foliage and trees with visible roots and a fallen tree

26th Annual Lazy Beaver Canoe & Kayak Race

$30.00

July 25, 2026

The race begins at 10 a.m. in La Valle with paddlers released in timed intervals in order to space out paddlers on the river, which is narrow in many spots.

The entry fee is $30 per paddler. Early bird registration in $25. (ends July 20, 2026).

The entry fee includes a Lazy Beaver gift item and a picnic lunch of sandwiches and pop after the race. Early entry is encouraged as it helps Kiwanis in pre-race planning.

Any profits from the race go toward river-related improvement efforts and youth-related projects. Anyone wishing more information may contact race director Jeff Seering at (608)524-2987 or email him at seerjeff@yahoo.com .

Lazy Beaver Race 2026

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July 25

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Lazy Beaver Race 2026 * July 25 *

The 26th annual Lazy Beaver will be held on July 25, 2026.

Registration begins at 9 am. | Race starts at 10 am.

Poster for the Lazy Beaver Canoe & Kayak Race featuring photos of people kayaking and standing by the river, event details including date, time, registration info, a map of the route, and logos of the event organizers.

The father-son team of Brad and Stephen Roosma were repeat champions Saturday in the 25th annual Beaver Lazy Beaver Canoe and Kayak Race on the Baraboo River from LaValle to Reedsburg. The Lodi duo paddled their canoe 11.2 miles in two hours, eight minutes and 30 seconds, besting the field of 24 boats. They were the adult/child division winners and overall canoe champs and posted the best time of any paddlers, defending the titles they won in 2024.

Weather cooperated again for Saturday’s race, sponsored by the Reedsburg Kiwanis with support from the Friends of the Baraboo River. Early week forecasts predicted possible storms for Saturday but the race began in cloudy weather in LaValle with the sun starting to shine as morning turned into afternoon.

Todd Sampson was fastest kayaker in this year’s Lazy Beaver, finishing in 2:20:00. There was unusually high number of women kayak entries this year with Margaret Guanci winning that division with a time of 2:54:40, despite paddling a borrowed non-race type recreational kayak.

William Poole and Rory Rossman won the men’s canoe division and the older than dirt division (combined ages of over 100 years). Victor Statz and Kiara Hansen were the mixed couples canoe champs while David Clemens took home the prize paddle in the older than dirt kayak division.

Jenny Krey and Abby Krey entered tropical themed kayak and won the award for best decorated boat.