Dave Stitt, left, paddles out of Brown’s Tract alongside his daughter Jaime during the 2009 90-Miler near the hamlet of Raquette Lake on Day 1. This year, the two will be racing together in a C-4 stock boat along with Dave’s son, Brian, and son-in-law and Jaime’s husband, Brett Sherwood. (Provided photo)

SARANAC LAKE — Dave Stitt’s introduction to marathon canoe racing was gritty and grueling.

Back in 1978, one of his friends asked him if he wanted to paddle the General Clinton Canoe Regatta. While the 90-Miler stretches its distance over three days, the General Clinton covers 70 miles — in one day. On top of that, Stitt and his friend weren’t exactly using the ultra-lightweight kevlar and carbon-fiber boats and paddles that define the sport today.

“Naturally, being in college, I said, ‘Yeah, yeah, let’s do it,’ and we jumped in an old aluminum canoe with our wooden paddles and away we went,” Stitt said. “Of course, we couldn’t lift our arms above our waists the next day.”

Despite the post-race agony, Stitt, who lives in Boonville, came to enjoy canoe racing and returned for a dozen General Clinton events over the years. In 2005, another friend, Tom Fiore, had asked him if he had any interest in the 90-Miler, given his experience with other canoe races. They soon reached a pact: Stitt would paddle the 90-Miler with Fiore if Fiore would paddle the General Clinton with Stitt. The duo completed both races that year.

Since then, Stitt hasn’t missed a 90 Miler — save for 2020 when the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic — making 2025 his 20th year participating in the race.

The Golden Canoe Club is comprised of seasoned veteran paddlers with at least 20 completed 90-Milers.

Before getting into racing, Stitt came from a paddling family. His father frequently organized canoe trips to Canada. It’s been passed down through the generations, with Stitt paddling many of his 90-Milers with his wife, sons, daughters and sons-in-law.

This year, he’ll be in a four-person canoe with his son Brian, daughter Jaime and her husband Brett.

Over the years, Stitt’s competed in one, two and four-person canoes. Each boat has its own dynamic to it.

“The camaraderie is really special,” he said. “That’s what makes the trip in a C-4. I think the C-1 is all about personal challenge … and then the C-2, a lot of the times I did that, it was with my wife. And that’s all about seeing if you could still be married after 90 miles — and we are.”

This year, his wife is pit crewing the boat, something that Stitt said was essential “Pit crews can make or break the whole thing,” he said. “I mean, we’ve had times where seats gave way in the middle of the race and we had to bungee them up, and there’s all sorts of different happenstance — and they’re there for you.”

Stitt said something that makes the 90-Miler unique amongst northeast races is the social aspect. Its extended duration over three days creates time to catch up with old friends.

“The 90-Miler gives you a little more time to be with people and talk to people and have fun,” he said. “I mean, it’s really an event.”

Stitt’s advice to those on the fence, thinking about the 90-Miler, is to give it a go. That way, if it’s not fun, they can cross it off the list early on, and if they happen to catch the bug, they’ll have as many years as possible to keep running it back.

“Don’t wait until you’re 52 to start doing your 20 canoe races,” he said. “I was kind of a late bloomer on the 90, so whenever I run into people, I’m like, ‘You’re going to love this, so start it as soon as you can.'”