The contestants started in Streetsville and over four miles later, ended in Erindale Park. The trial was set on a relatively easy stretch of whitewater consisting of minor rapids and few rocks. The paddlers were split into eight class groups, varying on age and experience. The best time of the groups was made by Whitewater Canada's High Performance Director, Sven Pinkert with a time of 20:11.13.
The weather was sunny and a touch of cool breeze filled the air. The starting line was the remains of a small dam, which used to be McCarthy's Mill. In its heyday it was the largest water-powered mill in Ontario.
A long history of paddling in North America, the annual Credit River race was started over a cup of coffee.
Gut, 74, and five of his companions decided to form the Ontario Voyageurs Kayak Club in 1957. Most of them were engineers who were bored of spending their spring and summer weekends paddling down scenic waters, they came up with the idea to race down the Credit River.
"Some members dropped off really quickly," said Gut. "At first they think it's great, but it's a rough sport. There was only a few people who really stuck to it."
Even though he hasn't raced in many years, Gut couldn't miss out on this milestone event. So he competed in a tandem canoe, just like he did in 1959. He and his fellow club member, Maureen Bretz, finished the course in 33:17.70.
"It's a fabulous sport. It's the only sport I'll ever do, but I'm not racing anymore," he said. "I had a stroke some time ago and it really hinders my ability to do things now. I have a tough time coordinating (paddle) strokes. When I paddle my right arm doesn't work. It makes it very tough."
When downriver racing is out of season, Rolf and his wife Emma stay fit by hiking in the fall and skiing in the winter.
Emma, brought out a photo album chronicling her husband's water sport history, including photographs from the very first Credit River race. In those early photos, no one wore life jackets, helmets or even rain coats.
"Oh, Jesus, that was really something," recalls Gut. "They enforced the helmets about three years after the first Credit race."
There was no injuries or capsized boats to report, but the racing officers did have 12 rescue team members on hand in case of such an emergency.
Barry Brigley, a racer since 1960, described the reason behind accidents in the sport.
"It was a long time for the sport before there were accidents. Most of that started after the equipment change," he described. "We went from fibreglass kayaks to molded plastic, which is much more durable and gradually people would do more and more challenging extremes."
For Southern Ontario, the sport may be out of fashion. Some describe the Credit River races having over 200 boats participate in the 1970s. The very first race saw a crowd of over 2,000 spectators, and the race in 1961 had approximately 3,000 people lining the banks of the Credit River. Today, only a mere handful of families stopped during their stroll through the park to witness the water warriors in action.
Many of the sport's participants are shooting the rapids in a canoe or kayak, because they are drawn to the therapeutic adrenaline rush of man against water.
"I used to find it was a total escape. When you're out there on the river it's just you and the river," said Brigley. "I wanted an escape on the weekends from work. This was very effective."
