When the Great Race began 30 years ago, it served as a means to motivate many people to take a more active approach and try their hand at new athletic activities than they might have in the past.

Frank Graham, of Auburn, said that he and his wife, Jan, have been longtime competitors in the race, who at one time or another have participated in everything the race has had to offer.

“We've been doing this pretty much since it began,” Graham said.

“We might have missed one or two races along the way, but we've pretty much been in it every year. We've done the running and the biking, usually my wife would bike and I would run. And then we got into canoeing.”

For the Grahams, the experience of canoeing in the Great Race proved to be one of those important milestone moments, which in many ways changed the couple's lives.

Since their first experience canoeing in the race, Graham said he and his wife have gone on to become avid canoe enthusiasts.

“I think we started canoeing in the race sometime around 1980 or so,” Graham said.

“Since then we've been in the New York State Canoe Racing Association. They have a regular schedule and you earn a series of points from each race you compete in and we've been a part of that for a long time, we even won in the mixed division in the mid-'80s.”

As their interest in canoeing deepened, it became their main draw from a competitive standpoint, to the Great Race.

“It is something we can do together,” Graham said. “That was a big part of the appeal, this was an event that we could do together, it started off as something that was mostly for fun and then as time went by we got to be pretty good at it and canoeing has become something that has really fit into our lifestyle.”

With nearly 30 years of experience, canoeing together, Frank said he and Jan have developed chemistry and an understanding that is hard to find under other circumstances.

“We spend a lot of time training,” Graham said. “We go out five or six times a week for four or five hours a day.”

All this hard work has paid off.

Graham said that he and his wife generally place very well in their age group and over the years have generally been in the top 20 in the long course and since the introduction of the short course, they have faired equally well there, earning a third place overall finish a couple of year ago.

“We've got a lot of awards and mementos,” Graham said. “And the Great Race T-shirts. It has always been a lot of fun.”

But this Sunday, Graham will not be paddling out with Jan.

Graham said that Jan recently cracked her ribs, which has left her unable to compete alongside her husband this year.

Graham said that initially he had no plans to compete this year without his wife.

“We've canoed together since 1980,” Graham said. “Without her this year I just thought that I wasn't going to go at all.”

But then a friend and former competitor, Jim Annan, and his wife, Kathy, stepped into the picture.

“They are friends,” Graham said.

“And we've competed against each other for years now. Jim needed someone to canoe with and they said they knew someone that would bike and someone that would run and all of a sudden we had a team together.”

While it isn't easy to make the change from all the years of canoeing with his wife, Graham said that he an Annan went out for a few hours of practice and after a few hours, gradually found their rhythm.

“It took us a little while,” Graham said. “We did some zig-zagging, but it has worked out really well.”

With a new teammate in place, Graham is looking forward to this year's race.

“It is always a good time,” Graham said. “You get to see so many people, people you probably only see once a year at the race. It is always a lot of fun and a great event.”

And while Jan won't be canoeing with him, Graham said that he couldn't have a better supporter in his corner.

“I know she'll be there on the shore,” Graham said.

“She'll be right there cheering us on. She is a great support and I know she'll be right there waiting for us.”