Rock The River Fun Run Day 2—The Heart Of The Matter

The father of twins Pat and Matt Feldhaus, two of the three driving forces behind the Rock The River Fun Run in Cincinnati, Steve Feldhaus died from esophageal cancer in March. He was 71 years old. He fought the brutal disease for two years.

With graphics designed by Stephen Miles but applied by owner Ray Brashar, this 34-foot catamaran was among the prettiest entries in the Rock The River Fun Run fleet. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix

Offered condolences by a reporter Friday during lunch at Cabana On The River, Pat Feldhaus gently nodded in gratitude. “Thank you,” he said. “He was suffering. Now we have to make sure take care of our mom, Patricia.”

And yet when it comes to taking care of people through their event, the organizing trio continues to think beyond itself. That’s why they chose the Cecil Dye Foundation, a local organization that helps cancer patients and their families with daily living expense, as their benefitting charity.

An eclectic fleet was part of the charm.

Pat and Matt Feldhaus are gentle and gracious giants, as is their fellow organizer Mike Caligari. They spent most of last night’s post run party asking the 400-plus participants how they were doing and if they needed anything. Despite the sweaty biomass inside the Manhattan Marina facility—catered with a taco truck and supplied with excellent live music—they tried to shake each and every hand.

In one corner of the room, Ohio Outerlimits sportboat owner Chad Miller again schooled an out-of-state visitor on the nuances of local boat-to-boat communication.

Captured here with his energizer wife Ravin, Chad Miller explained the nuances of saluting other boats on the Ohio River to photographer Pete Boden. Crowd photos by Matt Trulio

“You just use one finger, the middle one,” he said, then laughed himself into a coughing fit.

Though the bar was busy, the early mood was mellow. The crowd was “on break,” so to speak, as it recharged on tacos from a long and sweaty day on the water before the party ramped up as expected.

The early scene from last night’s celebration.

Yesterday saw 120 boats—mechanical issues knocked out three entries before the 11 a.m. start—boil 50-plus miles of the Ohio River on the way to Liberty Marina, an impressive facility loaded with covered dockage. Food trucks served the crowd.

A post-lunch helicopter shoot with photographer Pete Boden and several late afternoon raft-ups on the river filled the time between dinner, card-play and a party that raged late into the night.

The Feldhaus brothers and their friend Mike Caligari (center) put their heats and souls into the Rock The River Fun Run.

Feldhaus and his partners know the Rock The River Fun Run won’t grow larger. The existing facilities that support the event are already maxed out. But they won’t stop improving the event. They already know, for example, that they need another food truck at the Liberty Marina lunch stop.

“I don’t know that we can get much bigger, but I do know we can continue making it better,” he said. “I know it was a little warm, but still we had a great day.

“Sometimes, the Ohio River gets a bad rep,” he added, then laughed. “But this year and last year, it’s been perfect.”

The Rock The River Fun Run fleet runs from mild to wild.

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Rock The River Fun Run A 100-Plus Boat Gem

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