The Upper Yough Race

Now going for well over 30 years, the Upper Yough Race is a community institution. It’s the lone long release guaranteed each season, so that the dozens of racers can have the river to themselves while speeding their way through the rapids.

But when it started in 1981, it was just a dozen boaters, trying to stave off the usual summer boredom and looking for a way to challenge themselves. And from that very first race, the challenge became, how in the hell do you go faster than Roger Zbel?