Meet the Blind Kayaker Tackling Missouri’s Toughest River Race — Again

For blind kayaker Isaac McBurney, the MR340 — the grueling 340-mile river race from Kansas City to St. Charles — is more than an endurance test. It’s a statement.

At 23, McBurney works at Alphapointe, a Kansas City nonprofit serving blind and visually impaired people. A former camper there, he now manages its adaptive products store and supports its youth programs.

In his spare time, he’s studying at the University of Missouri-Kansas City to become a teacher for the visually impaired.

His message, on and off the river, is simple: Limits are often an illusion.

Terrain caught up with McBurney ahead of his fourth consecutive MR340, taking place this year from July 28-31.

How did you get into paddling?
I didn’t know a whole lot about paddling before I started doing the MR340 in 2023. My boss and kayak partner, Jake McLaughlin, called me up one day and asked if I wanted to do this river race. I said yes without asking any questions, and the rest is history.

How do you prepare for the race?
That first year, I did zero training, which is not the most responsible thing to do. But we didn’t finish that year because they canceled the race [due to unsafe weather and river conditions]. The second year, we spent more time kayaking before the race.

Then this past year, we did even more kayaking beforehand, just to get us acclimated to the water and help us figure out what might hold us up.

What do you like about the MR340?
I like that it takes a lot of time, dedication, and endurance. I also love being out in nature, exploring the world around me.

I’m fortunate to be able to have this opportunity from Alphapointe and the community support to get out there and show what blind and visually impaired people really can do.

Are you trying to encourage other blind people to attempt things like this?
Yes, 100 percent. In my first year, I was the first blind person to do the race. The next year, there were three people in the race who were blind or visually impaired. That really showed me how much of an impact I was having on the community.

 

What’s been the best moment of your MR340 career?
Probably finishing the race in the second year. It made me feel good knowing I was able to kayak across the state of Missouri.

That’s not something a whole lot of people voluntarily try to do, especially in the 21st century, when we can just drive and it takes four hours instead of four days.

It’s also just really nice to spend days on the river, meet all the people, be in nature, and be disconnected from the world.

What are the biggest paddling challenges as a blind person?
My paddling partner, Jake, is one of the greatest people I know. As a blind person, having a really good kayak partner means so much. Jake helps me with the things that I struggle with, like navigation.

I can’t just look at a map and know where we need to go. So Jake manages that. He also brings positive morale. I know that Jake can help me with whatever’s going on.

What are your goals going forward?
Improving our time and making sure we’re achieving year-over-year gains. And just trying to get as many blind people on the river as we can.

For more information on the MR340, go here.

Author: Stephanie Zeilenga is a contributor to Terrain.

Top image: Isaac McBurney (left) with his paddling partner, Jake McLaughlin. (Courtesy of Alphapointe)