Thanks to the generous souls who made the Challenge possible!

Volunteer Liz Fisher (above center) recruited family members and friends, including Nyssa Gesch (above left) and Stephanie Theriault (right), to staff Islands of Peace and other Challenge stops.

Roughly 150 people donated their time and talents to make the Mississippi River Challenge possible. From taking registration, to staffing rest stops, to helping paddlers out of the water, volunteers helped with every step of the event and contributed great cheer all along the way. Many traveled an hour or more, often to not-easy-to-find riverfront locations, to keep hundreds of paddlers and pedalers refreshed and inspired.

We greatly appreciate each and every volunteer's contribution -- for the Challenge, and all the awareness it raises of the river, would not be possible without your help. Many paddlers recognize this and have written us to thank you for your support and encouragement.

Special thanks are especially due to those individuals who took it upon themselves to organize groups to staff a paddler or cyclist rest stop, including Mary Hilfiker, who organized most of the Harriet Island rest-stop crew (many of whom came from the Upper Landing condos just across the river!), and Liz Fisher.

Many groups also turned out 10 or more volunteers, including:

• Wells Fargo -- thanks to GreenTeam leader and longtime FMR and Gorge Stewards volunteer KT Simon-Dastych
• Single Volunteers Twin Cities -- with MRC volunteers led by Tammy Yates
• Onebrick -- a nonprofit specifically organized to support other nonprofit organizations' events, with MRC volunteers coordinated by Corey Bianco

Many smaller volunteer groups provided key support -- including Aveda, Paradise Lady Cruises (best known for the Minneapolis Queen at Boom Island), Mississippi Market, and the Breckenridge Chapter of the Izaak Walton League.

Special thanks are also due to those who kept paddlers and cyclists safe, including Rich Wahls, long-time leader of the safety captains, and the biking safety couple Sandee Blanchard and Dan Smith.

And, of course, the Challenge would not be the Challenge without the generous help of supervolunteer Pete Mairs.