The Tim Gavin Downriver Race is a yearly event held to have fun and raise money for WV river conservation. The race course traverses Class I, II, and III rapids. This is a fun race for all skill levels of boating. All money made from the event is used for putting on the Tim Gavin Race, rodeo and festival, and for donation to the following WV watershed groups: Friends of the Cheat, Friends of the Blackwater, and Friends of the Shenandoah River.

Have you rafted the Doah and think you're a pro? Prove your paddling skills by entering the 12th Annual Tim Gavin Race starts at 1:00pm on Saturday, June 19th! Register at the KOA between 9 and 11:30 am, shuttle leaves KOA @ 12:00pm. The cost is $25 for any single race, and $5 more for each additional race. Children 12 and under race for free! The price of any single race event gets you into the festival and a t-shirt. The logistics of all the races are still being worked out so it may be that one cannot enter all 3 competitions due to time and judging conflicts.

Who is Tim Gavin? Tim Gavin was a local kayaker, friend, beloved son, brother and father who died in a kayaking accident on the Upper Blackwater River in Davis, West Virginia, March 1998. We hold the Tim Gavin Down-river Race to honor the memory of him. He was an outdoor recreation enthusiast and supporter of preserving our local natural resources for future generations. Since whitewater was such a large part of his life, money generated from this event is used to fund local river conservation efforts.