Returning and would-be first-time participants to the 12th annual Four Horsemen Poker Run in Oshkosh, Wis., will want to commit sooner than later this year. Since registration opened Monday, 18 high-performance powerboat owners have signed up—and space is more limited than usual.

A healthy contingent of Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats V-bottom owners have registered for the 2021 Four Horsemen event, which opened registration on Monday. Photo from the 2018 Four Horsemen Poker Run by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

The organizers of the Four Horsemen run, which attracted an event record-setting 86 boats to the waters of Lake Winnebago in 2019, are limiting registration to 50 boat this time around. With more than a third of those slots already filled, they’re urging participants to sign up early.

According to Gary Swanson, a member of the Four Horsemen Poker Run organizing committee along with Jason Lindemann, Jeff Eiden and other members of Sweetwater Performance and Marina/Dockside Tavern host-venue crew, they are limiting the fleet size this year based on available dock space and boat size at the event’s lunch spot.

“Our main lunch stop—Stockbridge Harbor and Grill—has limited space,” he said. “With over half a dozen 50-plus-foot Outerlimits already signed up, and a number of other larger boats that will, space fills up quickly. We wanted to ensure an enjoyable time for everyone involved.

“It’s going to fill fast at this rate,” he added. “There’s a lot of big hardware coming.”

Despite COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, the event attracted 51 boats and raised $10,000 for Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services, an Oshkosh-based nonprofit organization, in 2020.

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