ONLY ON 8: Hear from the winners of the Great Alabama 650
It is day 7 of the country’s longest paddle race.
As Action 8 reported late Thursday, the two-person tandem team with Alabama ties made it to the finish line just before midnight.
Matt Taylor calls Brantley home, while Bobby Johnson is from Clearwater, Florida.
It took Johnson and Taylor 5 days, 9 hours and 3 minutes to complete the Great Alabama 650.
Johnson and Taylor are taking home the overall title and the two-person tandem team category.
The Alabama Scenic River Trail sat down with the winners after they crossed the finish line. Hear what they have to say in the recap above.
Just after 10 a.m. Friday, another two-person tandem team with Alabama ties finished second in the race.
It took Trey Reaves, of Florence, and John Wellens, of Chaplin, South Carolina, 5 days, 19 hours and 15 minutes to complete the 650-mile journey.
The other paddlers are making their way to the finish line.
Florida native Salli O’Donnell is currently leading in the female solo category. O’Donnell is currently 13 miles away from the finish line.
In the male solo category, Missouri native Jake VanLue has a slight lead over Arizona native Christopher Thomas.
The 650-mile paddle race started Saturday at Weiss Lake in Northeast Alabama.
Action 8 News partnered with the Alabama Scenic River Trail to bring you exclusive coverage of the annual event.
Spectators can follow virtually at AL650.com, where a live map will report up-to-the minute updates on the racer’s progress.
In addition, this year’s event features an app where you can follow along using your mobile device.
To download the app, search Endurance HQ in the Apple and Google Play stores. The username for the app is “alabama650@trailrunnerhq.com” and the password is “Alabama650!” The password is case-sensitive.
For more information, click here.
