Chick Stapleton, owner of Island Spirit Kayak, placed third overall and was the first woman across the finish line at the 36th annual run of the Charles in the 19-mile single sea kayak division.

The competition is a mix of paddling and portages beginning in Dedham and running the length of the Charles River, through Needham, Waltham and Watertown to Boston.

Racers must portage around six dams, in which the paddlers must exit their boats, scramble up the muddy riverbed with boats on shoulders and run (or wheel) along the highway, through wooded trails and over bridges, to then re-enter and paddle again.