Missouri 340 River Race continues

COLUMBIA — The scene at Cooper’s Landing, the fifth checkpoint on the Missouri 340 River Race, was laid back Wednesday as boats trickled in, carrying exhausted paddlers.

The first competitors to reach the landing were Team Texas and Team Belize, both of which are 6-person crafts, and they arrived around 4 a.m.

Carter Johnson, the leader in the men’s solo division race, piloted his boat in almost two hours later, at 5:48 a.m.

James Kaufman, a local racer, and his teammate, Ryan Slebos, arrived at the landing at 8:37 a.m., which put them in second place in the men’s tandem division.

Bryan Hopkins, another local hopeful, was in fourth place in his division, men’s solo, as he pulled in at 10:40 a.m.