On Sunday, April 27, over 1500 paddlers and thousands of spectators will gather for the 26th Run of the Charles Canoe and Kayak Race to watch exciting paddling races and to also support the Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA), the non-profit organization responsible for restoring the river and protecting its health, beauty and accessibility. The day’s events will range from expert to novice including a 24-Mile Relay Race for corporate teams, a 19-Mile, 9-Mile, and 6-Mile race for recreational paddlers aged 11 and over, and a $5,000 Professional Flatwater Canoe Marathon, featuring elite paddlers from across the United States and Canada.
 

Many of the region’s engineering, law, and consulting firms are represented every year in the corporate relay race, and this year, Marlborough-based environmental consulting and engineering firm, Capaccio Environmental Engineering, Inc. (CAPACCIO), decided to take on the challenge and form a corporate team. "This is a fun way for our company to cultivate our strong team spirit and to also help the environment by supporting the Charles River Watershed Association,” said Lisa Wilk, President of CAPACCIO. “One of our Environmental Scientists will also be competing in the Professional Race, so it will truly be an exciting day for us.”

Five employees from CAPACCIO, including Wilk, will participate in the corporate relay event, as well as elite paddler Travis Wheeler, who will compete with fiancé Terese Galvin for the $5,000 prize in the Professional Flatwater Canoe Marathon, the largest flatwater race in New England.

Wheeler was introduced to canoe racing by his father when he was 8 years old, and now has over twenty years experience, having competed multiple times in both the downriver and flatwater national championships. Galvin was a standout cross country runner at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School in Hudson, and has been racing with Wheeler since 2001. The pair train up to 15 hours per week or sometimes more, especially before a big race.

The corporate CAPACCIO team has gotten geared up for the big day with a lesson and practice session led by Wheeler at Hopkinton State Park, and with a series of meetings to work out all of the logistics associated with a 24-mile relay race that, at times, has individual team members carrying the boat on land. “This race can be very tricky, and many things need to be considered,” said Wheeler. “We need to be sure the team is prepared on the water or on land when passing the canoe to one another or carrying it from portage to portage during the relay.”

CAPACCIO is fully committed to supporting environmental causes. Among its many efforts include company participation in the 2007 Earth Day clean-up of the Charles River, instituting green practices at work, involvement in blood drives and providing scholarships to young engineers. CAPACCIO is also a founding member of the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (CWRP), an initiative aimed at preserving, restoring, enhancing and protecting aquatic habitats throughout the United States.

“As a firm, CAPACCIO’s mission is to “Help Industry and the Environment Prosper,” said Wilk, “and we have worked together with our industrial and institutional clients simultaneously to ensure both they and the environment thrive.”

The end of the race will prove to be fun for everyone as racers, co-workers and spectators are all invited to the Finish Line Festival at Herter Park, Brighton, featuring food booths, live music, awards, outdoor sports demonstrations and post-race picnics. Admission to the Finish Line Festival is free and will happen rain or shine.