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Deceased paddler will do another 90-Miler

SARANAC LAKE – Norm Goldstein will cross the Adirondack Canoe Classic finish line one last time.

The Syracuse resident was an enthusiastic participant in the 90-mile paddle for the last 29 years. He died June 13. He was 79 years old.

“We’re bringing his ashes across the finish line with us,” his stepdaughter-in-law Amy Beckwith said. “He’s going to come across for his 30th time.”

The Adirondack Canoe Classic, also called the 90-Miler, has taken place every fall since 1983. The lengthy route began this morning in Old Forge and ends Sunday at the Lake Flower boat launch in Saranac Lake. More than 250 boats are signed up this year. The event is organized by Brian and Grace McDonnell of Paul Smiths.

This is Beckwith’s fourth year participating in the race. She fondly remembers the first time she watched Goldstein start the race, in 1998.

“I just remember it was morning, and the mist was rising off of the lake,” she recalled. “They shot off the gun, and the wave left. And they always form a ‘V’ shape as they go off into the distance, and I immediately thought, ‘I have to do that.'”

Beckwith shared a boat with Goldstein the following two years. She returned last year to race with her son Forrest.

Forrest is paddling with his mother again this year, but this time they’re in a non-competitive class. It’ll be easy enough to spot them – they’ll be wearing brightly colored pink and green leggings, in memory of Goldstein.

That mentality is something Beckwith remembers most. She said Goldstein would call out to others in the race, often joking with them across the open water.

Despite his light-hearted approach, Goldstein took the race seriously and often finished first in his class. The last couple of years were perhaps his most difficult.

“The last two times he did it he was on chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer,” Beckwith said. “He was such an amazing person.”

Super-veteran, or is he?

Ken Gerg is an avid paddler who ends each racing season with the Adirondack Canoe Classic, as he has since 1987.

That year it rained all three days. It was so miserable he couldn’t convince anyone to return with him the following year. In 1989, Gerg decided if he wanted to do the race, he might as well do it alone, so that’s what he did.

“After that I started talking to people, saying, ‘You’ve got to do this thing. It’s really fun,'” he said. “I only missed two years past then. Other than that, I’ve done it every year, and I hope to do it a few more times before I go to the happy hunting ground.”

Gerg isn’t deterred by much. One year, a big storm ripped through the area, creating enormous waves on Long Lake that sent paddlers into the water. Gerg and his partner were in a pro boat, which is not ideal for dealing with such an onslaught.

“There were anywhere from 30 to 50 boats upside down in that lake at any given time,” Gerg said. “For some unknown reason, we made it across that lake in one of the tipsiest boats you can get. We were one of two pro boats that year, and the other guys swam three times. I consider that one of my more illustrious achievements.”

Gerg has gone through several 90-Miler paddling partners and still keeps coming back for more. When he’s not in the Adirondacks, the Emporium, Pennsylvania, resident might be found paddling in races in North Carolina, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin or Illinois. He says he’s probably paddled about 20,000 miles in his 79 years.

Along the way, he’s used a variety of boats and seen a lot of wildlife.

“You see so much beautiful country,” Gerg said. “You see alligators down there; you see eagles up here. You see otters, mink, beaver, moose, deer and bear. It’s kind of nifty.”

This year Gerg and his paddling partner of five years, Laverne Young of Niceville, Florida, who is also 79, were the only entrants in the 90-Miler’s “super vets” category, which is reserved for those 75 years and older. That didn’t sit well with either of them, so they asked to be put in the “vets” category, which has two other entries.

The reason is simple: The men might be old, but they’re not looking for a leisurely paddle.

“We’re not going to paddle 90 miles for nothing,” Gerg said. “I really enjoy the thing. It’s the last great hoorah of the summer paddling season.”

This year might be a little more challenging because Gerg recently completed physical therapy for a torn tendon in his knee. The Raquette Falls carry, which includes an up-and-down pitch, is the stretch he is dreading the most, especially considering his doctor specifically told him to take it easy on long downhills lest he risk reinjury.

“We’re going to be a little slower on the portages than we normally are, which is going to hurt us a little bit, but if we do well on the water, we’ll probably come out OK,” Gerg said. “It’s not the distance of that Raquette Falls portage that’s bad; it’s the rockiness and the slipperiness of the rocks. Then you’re going up a steep hill, and everybody is antsy and wanting to pass everyone else. It can get pretty testy there.”

Even with the added difficulty, Gerg said there is no worst-case scenario when it comes to doing the 90-Miler.

“I remember one year, a guy I knew named Andy got out of the race, laid down by the canoe and died right there,” Gerg said. “I thought to myself, ‘You know, when it comes to my time to go, that’s the way I want to go.’ I want to do the race, get out of the canoe, lay down and say, ‘So long – it was a good run.'”

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