The brains behind the race isn't surprising. The idea for it began two years ago when extreme kayaker Jeff Snyder of Accident, Md., approached Jim Greenbaum, manager of one of Ohiopyle's four licensed outfitters. "I'd like to run this thing," Snyder told him, "legally." That got Greenbaum thinking, and he began discussing it with local playboater Chuck Morris who saw it as an opportunity to "show the State Park officials that the falls are safe and to open it up on a regular basis." He suggested letting kayaks and canoes run the drop during off-peak times for sightseers.

Greenbaum then lobbied the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which oversees state parks. Department Secretary John Oliver, an avid whitewater paddler, was instrumental in gaining approval for the race. "All the credit goes to Secretary Oliver," says Greenbaum. "We couldn't have done it without his help." He then worked with American Whitewater (AW), to provide insurance and safety to satisfy the State Park permits.

Safety was emphasized thoughout the day, from the mandatory 9 a.m. orientation to the ropes, rafts and rescue kayakers stationed below the falls. There were no serious injuries. The race course consisted of a few hundred yards of tricky whitewater, the drop over the falls and a 100-foot flatwater sprint to the finish line. Maryland's Brian Homberg came out on top, finishing with his Wavehopper kayak in 1:13.93. Rating the whitewater above the falls as some of the best on the Yough, he calls the race "a good excuse for everybody to run the falls and a great step for paddling in this area." Ted DeVoe took the freestyle category by performing several pirouettes before cartwheeling into the foam below.

A $25 entrance fee collected from each boater went to The Ohiopyle-Stewart Volunteer Fire Department. Plans are already underway for next year's race and, many boaters hope, legal running of the falls all year long.