Chattajack 31, live.

31 miles through the Tennessee River Gorge

Chattajack 31 is a 31 mile paddle race for stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, surfskis, outriggers and canoes through the Tennessee River Gorge from downtown Chattanooga.

The 2027 race is on Saturday 23 October. Paddlers start from the docks at Ross's Landing in Chattanooga and follow the Tennessee River downstream through the gorge to a finish just below the old Hales Bar Dam. In 2026 the race welcomed 808 participants, and results on the organiser's site go back to 2012.

Racers go off in heats. The organiser's schedule for 2027 puts stand-up paddleboards, prone boards, wider kayaks and canoes at 8:30, OC-6 teams at 8:40 and surfskis, OC-1, V-1, OC-2 and OC-3 at 9:00. A mandatory safety meeting is held at 7:30. There are no mile markers, so paddlers carry their own GPS and are responsible for knowing where they are.

Cut-offs keep the field moving: Suck Creek boat ramp at mile 10 within 2 hours 30 minutes, Sullivan's boat ramp at about mile 23 within 6 hours, and 8 hours 30 minutes for the whole course. Aid stations at miles 16, 22 and 27 hand out water and gels. After the finish chute, paddlers continue about a mile downstream to the River Gorge Ranch take-out.

The race suits paddlers with solid distance training who are ready for changes in wind direction as the river turns through the gorge. Spectators can watch the start at Ross's Landing, and to welcome racers back to land they park at Riverdance Restaurant and ride a Chattajack passenger van to the River Gorge Ranch take-out. The awards ceremony and after-party follow on the Saturday evening.

On Livebib you can follow a paddler live if they choose to share their own position from the phone they carry. That position comes from the paddler, not from the race timing, and the official results are published by the organiser.