The Bay Area Dragons (BAD) presents the Bay Area Dragon Boat Corporate Novice Race Festivals during the Summer (June 7, 2025)and Fall (October 4, 2025), at the Leo J Ryan Park in Foster City, California.

New to dragon boat? This is your chance! This is a race for people with little or no experience with dragon boat. Get your friends and coworkers together to join a day of paddling, food, and music!

It is a tournament-type race with 2 qualifier races in the morning and the finals and speciality races after lunch. The course length is 300 meters at the Summer race and 200 meters at the Fall race. Each race is typically under 2 minutes. All equipment is provided and you get up to 2 free coached practices to get you ready for the race.

What is dragon boat racing?
A team race with long canoe-like boats with 20 paddlers + drummer & steersperson. Each heat is a sprint against multiple teams racing side by side and is typically completed in less than 2 minutes. It's fun with an adrenaline rush!

What is a novice team?
In the interest of preserving the novice spirit of the race, each team can only have 1 (ONE) experienced paddler on the team roster. Experienced is defined as having at least 1 year paddling experience in any type of water sports paddling. This definition applies to kayakers, SUPs, canoe, outrigger, and dragon boat paddlers. A team formed by former/previous/ex- outrigger paddlers is not considered novice and would not be suitable to register for this race.

The minimum age is 13. You need 18 to 20 people to form a team (not including the drummer and steers person).  Of the team members, there must a minimum of 18 people to race and a maximum of 10 males in a race. Drummers (upon request) and steers persons (Bay Area Dragons certified only) will be provided.

Can I try it out to see if this is for me?
Yes. Please email race@bayareadragons.org if you would like to try out dragon boating.

How can I form a team?
Gather a group of colleagues from your company or community organization. Ask your organization to fund as a team building event or collect from individuals. Or get a group of friends together for a fun activity. The race organizer, Bay Area Dragons, is a 501(c)(3) foundation and your entry fee is tax deductible (Tax ID 94-3308173).

Can I participate if I'm not part of a team?
We are not accepting individual registrations. Contact us if you would like to participate and we will make our best effort to pair you up with a team.

How does our team practice?
Practice sign-up and info will be sent out to registered/paid teams when it becomes available. You will be able to reserve 2 practice sessions during the weekends prior to the race at the practice site in Foster City, California. 

What happens on race day?
Race day starts at 8am and races run from 9am to approximately 4pm, with awards ceremony at approximately 4:30pm. At least half the participating teams will go home with bling! You will get a designated area to camp and it's suggested to bring your own canopy tents, chairs, snacks, and drinks. We plan to have food trucks during lunch and there is a Safeway and a few restaurants across the street.  All racing equipment is provided. Wear layered clothes and you will most likely get slightly wet (splashes) during the race. Detailed race day information will be provided prior to race day.

Can I use my company’s donation matching program to help pay for our team entry fee?
Yes, but your payment must be confirmed to receive a donation receipt. Please submit a single payment vs. individual payments from your teammates. A payment from your company is accepted. The team entry fee is considered tax-deductible. Please contact treasurer@bayareadragons.org for any questions.

What's the history of the race?
The race began as ‘Paddle For Life’, a charity race organized by the Bay Area Dragons (BAD), a local team based in Foster City.  Its goal was to introduce the sport of Dragon Boat to beginners and newcomers while giving back to local charities for cancer. Paddle for Life ran successfully for 10 years until 2010, when it was subsequently moved to other states.  

In 2014, BAD decided to revive the race in Foster City to build a novice circuit for the beginner and corporate teams of the local community.  The Bay Area Dragon Boat Novice Race is a fun opportunity to encourage team building, get active, and meet people in communities across the Bay Area!

Do you still have questions? Ask us!

REGISTRATION

Join the Most Exciting Corporate Novice Sprints Race in California! Registration closes ONCE THE RACE GRID IS FULL. You don't need to submit your team roster until the week of race day, so don't worry =)  Register now and save your spot!

Each company can only register 1 team first. If you have more than 1 team, please put this in your registration comment — waitlist to register a second team.

Fees

$1200 Early Bird: June 16 - July 15

$1400: July 16 - August 16 (or when the race grid is full)

What’s included?

• Up to 2 FREE practices (must be coached by Bay Area Dragons due to liability)

• Guaranteed at least 3 races

• Paddles and life jackets provided

• Steersperson provided (must be Bay Area Dragons certified) and drummers provided upon request

Entry fees are tax-deductible!

We strive to keep team registration fees as low as possible. All team registration fees are tax-deductible (Tax ID 94-3308173).

This is a fun, exciting novice race for wellness and charity! Perfect for a company team-building program, great for corporate PR, and a wonderful way to kick off your summer! Come race on our beautiful lagoon race course in Foster City!

Rules

• Each team consists of 20 mixed-gender paddlers (10 male, 10 female) with up to 4 backups. This is a novice race - each team member can only have less than 5 practices in the last 6 months. 

• In the interest of preserving the novice spirit of competition, each team can have an exception of 1 experienced paddler only (defined as having at least 1 year of paddling experience in any type of water sports paddling). This definition applies to kayakers, SUPs, canoes, outriggers, and dragon boat paddlers. A team formed by retired/former outrigger paddlers is not considered novice.

• You need 18 to 20 people to form a team (not including the drummer and steers person).  Of the team members, there must be a minimum of 16 people to race and a maximum of 10 males in a race.  Drummers (upon request) and steerspersons (Bay Area Dragons certified only) will be provided.

• The minimum age is 13. 

• Each team will get 2 free practices

All participants must sign the following practice waiver before stepping on the boat.

We are Bay Area Dragons. Feel free to contact us!

Race Organizer: race@bayareadragons.org

Payment: treasurer@bayareadragons.org