A racer raised his paddle in victory after crossing the finish line of the Willard Hanmer races in 2024. The route for this year’s race has changed to stay on Lake Flower and into Oseetah Lake. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

SARANAC LAKE — The route for down-river races at the annual Willard Hanmer Guideboat and Canoe race Sunday has been changed due to low river levels.

The down-river course finish line and picnic are typically held at the Saranac Lake Fish and Game Club, but because the water is so low, the finish line and picnic have been shifted to the starting line at Riverfront Park next to the state boat launch.

“The river is just so low, it was ankle-deep in some places,” event co-organizer Rocky Nogales said Thursday.

He said it posed a safety issue for the racers and their historic boats.

The race route for the one-person guideboat, one and two canoe racing, one and two canoe pleasure, rub-a-dub pleasure, C-4 racing, one and two-person kayak and war canoe classes will not go down the Saranac River. Racers will instead paddle down Lake Flower, through the narrows into Oseetah Lake, around Newman’s Island — also known as Honeymoon Island — and back to the starting line.

This route has been extended half-a-mile to make up for losing the 0.2-mile carry.

The water entering and exiting Lake Flower through a series of dams wasn’t able to keep the river high enough.

When race organizers and village officials did a water release from the Lake Flower dam on Thursday morning to see if they could bring the water levels up, Nogales said the paddles they were using to check the water depth were being used to push themselves across sandbars.

The state sets parameters on how much water the village releases from its Lake Flower dam.

“They pushed it as far as they could but it still didn’t raise the level of the river enough,” Mayor Jimmy Williams said.

Enterprise Columnist Howard Riley said the river depth has been an issue for the Hanmer at least once before because of a drought. Riley, a former village mayor and manager, said the balance of the dams leading up to the start of the Saranac River is a “delicate” one.

As of Thursday evening, organizers said they had 85 pre-registered racers. Pre-registration has closed. Registration will be open from 8 to 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Food and vendors will start at 8 a.m., music will start at noon. There will also be activities for kids like a bounce house all day.

The Guideboat Show at the Hotel Saranac Oak Room is ongoing, now until July 7. Visitors can see historic boats and guideboat art.

The race originally began in 1963 in honor of Saranac Lake guideboat builder Willard Hanmer. It ran for 50 years before essentially being put on a hiatus for 10 years. This year, marks the fourth time the “Comeback Hanmer” has returned.