As the Poker Runs America season comes to a close we've put a new twist on that ending. Poker runners were asked to set their own speed records at the very first APRA World Championships.

Like everything else it takes a kick-start to get new things going, but poker runners were up to the motto, "run what you brung," and set the standards upon which poker run boats will be measured.

Bob Russell in his 42-foot Outerlimits set the record at 147. 61 mph, but the record-setting season isn't over yet. APRA has been asked to sanction another official event to set more world records. That event appears to be happening before the end of the year. Make sure to check out the Poker Runs America Web site for updates at www.pokerrunsamerica.com.

In only a few short weeks, it appears people are already lining up to beat the records set at Washington, North Carolina a few weeks ago. For Poker Runs America, it has been an incredibly hectic time with the world championships on the Pamlico River, then going back-to-back with our poker run in Sarasota, Florida. No sooner did we have things wrapped up in North Carolina, we were off to Florida for our season-ending poker run.

As we do each year, we kick off the season in Sarasota, and finish it there. From the Hyatt in downtown Sarasota, a poker run couldn't be easier to run. A simple walk down to our boats, turn the key and we're off to the ocean. But as we wind down the season in Sarasota, we can't wait for it to all begin again next April.

In the meantime, more events are scheduled to quench the thirst for performance boating.

In addition to another APRA-sanctioned Poker Runs America record-setting kilo run planned for this year, the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show is just around the corner. From 30-200-footers, the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show is going to give boaters a great venue to view the 2004 lineup.

There are also the APBA, SBI and UIM world championships slated for the next couple of months (check out Fast Facts for details).

The summer may be gone, but the stories surrounding our great pastime continue. In this issue, Poker Runs America's Eric Colby goes behind the scenes with world champion throttleman Lee Murray and our own Price Turner helps us get the leg-up on old man winter, but no poker run would be complete without the memories. And we invite you to take a look back at some of the top recent poker runs in Tennessee, Wisconsin, Michigan and of course, an in-depth look at the hottest twist in poker runs... the Poker Runs America Shootout/Kilo World Championships.

The sun may be lower on the horizon and the season finished, but make no mistake, with the Poker Runs America/APRA officially-sanctioned speed records, a new era in poker run boating is now here. ( Top )