It’s taken five years but we’ve finally managed to spread the Phatwater from coast to coast. On Oct. 13 we will have kayakers from California to New York — from Minnesota to Florida and, predictably, all points in between; the one exception being Death Valley, where our solicitations continue to be ignored.

This growth is due to several factors, not the least of which is the small part played by our emissary to the great frozen North, Adam Elliott. We sent Adam to the headwaters of the Mississippi River, at Lake Itasca, back in May, to beg, plead and surrender his blood to giant mosquitoes on behalf of the Phatwater. In so doing, he assures us no less than one participant from each Mississippi River border state has fallen under his influence.

In exchange, Adam will be allowed to add the title “Boatwright” to his resumé. You see, upon his return, Adam will be building a handmade kayak, which will be given away to one lucky paddler completing this year’s Phatwater. That’s the only qualifying stipulation: to win the boat, a beautiful hand made Osprey, 18-foot wooden kayak, provided by Pygmy Boats, of Port Townsend, Wash., all you have to do to qualify is enter and finish this year’s Phatwater Kayak Challenge. This is a chance at a $2,000 kayak for half a day’s work, so get your paddling muscles toned.

But wait, there’s more! As with the past two years, Mike Worley of Bowie Outfitters has again agreed to sponsor the construction of our Phatwater Bowie; handcrafted by Mississippi’s only ABS Master Smith, Terry Vandeventer. This year’s knife is enormous, and beautiful as well. It has a 12-inch blade made from a hand forged blank of 5160 steel, with Indian Sambar Stag handle and German silver fittings, and has an overall length of 17 and a quarter inches. This knife is being raffled at $10 per ticket, with a total of only 500 tickets being sold between now and October. Tickets will be on sale Friday, at Bowie Outfitters in Natchez, where the knife will be on display. The third annual Phatwater Bowie will be presented following the race, on the afternoon of Oct. 13.

You do have to be present to win the new record time for the Phatwater, however. This year we are offering a $1,000 cash prize to the first solo kayak, canoe or surf ski paddler who can break the 4-hour mark on the Phatwater. Currently the record for the Phatwater is four hours, 22 minutes and two seconds, set by Wim Nouwen of Memphis, Tenn., in 2004. Last year Wim took third, behind Shawn Wilbur and Joe Royer, yet Shawn’s winning time in last year’s Phatwater was 4:23:21, and to date, no one has seriously challenged the sub-four hour mark.

For this reason, and in an effort to court Olympic-level athletes from around the world, the Phatwater decided to offer the cash incentive. Should no one break the four-hour mark this year, the prize money, which is privately pledged, will roll over to the next year, and so on, until the four-hour mark is eclipsed. Following this, we will continue to offer $1,000 each year the existing record remains unbroken. In this way, it is conceivable that at some point $5,000 could be at stake.

What will this mean? It will place Natchez, in the lead in terms of marathon kayak racing “must dos,” adding Natchez to the ranks of such honored racing names as Capetown and Molokai on the world scene.

And, as with any serious athletic enterprise, this opens the door to possible Olympic event status, as marathon and ultra-marathon kayaking continues to grow. Natchez, and the Phatwater, could at some point become an Olympic event training venue; if not the site of an actual Olympic event.

But it’s not all about racing, not all about extreme kayak races or marathons. The paddle sports, whether with a canoe or a kayak, are growing nationwide. On any given week, kayaks and canoes strapped atop cars and SUVs can be seen crosshatching the avenues of Natchez and Vidalia. In our area alone we have incalculable miles of water — rivers, creeks, ponds and lakes — worthy of a sublime afternoon’s paddle. Paddling is accessible here, in the Miss-Lou, year around.

There must be something to the allure; this business of paddling a tiny craft across open water; for, in five years, we have managed to capture the attention of paddlers from the Pacific to the Keys. They will be here, in growing numbers, come October, to test their mettle in the sixth annual Phatwater Kayak Challenge. If any of you would like to give it a try, just give us a hoot.

For information on the Phatwater or to purchase Phatwater Bowie raffle tickets, call: 601-431-1731 or 601-807-1216. For more information see www.kayakmississippi.com.

Keith Benoist is the organizer of the annual Phatwater kayak race.