Canoe Marathon

Two guys named Andy Triebold and Steve Lajoie. They won in 2004, and Andy won with a different partner last year. They finished in 14 hours, 9 minutes, which is 11 minutes off the all-time record of 13:58 set in 1994.

The weather couldn't have been better, and a splendid time was had by all.

Oh, that's pretty good! Only 11 minutes off the record! When I woke up this morning, one of the first things I thought of was the race. While I was just snoozing all night........a whole slew of people were up all night paddling their hearts out.

About how many entrants are there each year?

Rob wrote:

Well, it's the last Saturday in July, which means it's time for my town's big event of the year - the AuSable River Canoe Marathon. It starts here in Grayling, in the heart of the state, and finishes 120 miles later in Oscoda, on the shores of Lake Huron. The paddlers begin at 9 PM and the winners usually cross the finish line around 11 AM on Sunday.

Here's a short clip about the 2005 race, which I think I also posted last year.

I was in a canoe race once.

I think the 5 hp trolling motor gave me an edge on the competition.

Careful, Larry... troll is also a noun.

Savannah wrote:

When I woke up this morning, one of the first things I thought of was the race. While I was just snoozing all night........a whole slew of people were up all night paddling their hearts out.

That's the first thing I thought of when I woke up, too. "These poor people are paddling their hearts out, and Savannah's probably sound asleep!"

Savannah wrote:

About how many entrants are there each year?

I think there were 70 canoes this year. That was the most ever.

Rob wrote:

Savannah wrote:

When I woke up this morning, one of the first things I thought of was the race. While I was just snoozing all night........a whole slew of people were up all night paddling their hearts out.

That's the first thing I thought of when I woke up, too. "These poor people are paddling their hearts out, and Savannah's probably sound asleep!"

Oh, so it's going to be one of those days.......You're full of fun already, arent'cha!

Rob wrote:

Careful, Larry... troll is also a noun.

:Hahaha:

WOW! Thanks for sharing that with us Rob! I always wondered what that was like----I can't believe that's how they actually start the race! Looks dangerous!!!! And good grief, I'd be worn out before I even hit the water! LOL! That's amazing. It was pretty neat to see that elderly man participating---he looked like he was in some great shape!

Tonight's the night for my town's big summer event - the AuSable Canoe Marathon. It's a nighttime race that starts on the AuSable River here in Grayling at 9 PM, and finishes up 120 miles later on the shores of Lake Huron the next morning. They expect 91 teams to compete. This is the night that Grayling's populations swells from less than 2000 to 20,000.

Here's a video of the 2008 race. It seems to be over at the one-minute mark, but picks back up again about 15 seconds later.

I remember that! Wow, that sure does look hardcore. Honestly, I would be freaked out on the river at night!! Why do they do this at night, do you know? Just to make it tougher?! Did you go down there this year Rob? Or are you staying in the safe haven of your home?

I guess that's it, Amy. And it definitely adds a certain mystique. In the first several years of the race, they started in the afternoon, then stopped along the route and camped for the night.

To show how equipment and training has improved over the years, the winners of the first race finished in about 23 hours. The current record is just under 14!

WOW!! That's quite the shaving off time! What is the reward for the winner? Is there a 1st, 2nd, 3rd place prize?

And I've probably watched too much TV, but I kind of wonder if there's any 'dirty play' involved? There'd be no way to actually 'moderate' that...hopefully everyone 'plays nice', but you have to wonder, since these people are so extreme.

That looks like quite an adventure! (One I wouldn't mind *watching*. )

Amy wrote:

WOW!! That's quite the shaving off time! What is the reward for the winner? Is there a 1st, 2nd, 3rd place prize?

There's a total purse of $50,000, and the winning team splits $5,000. I think the top 20 finishers share in the money. It's not a whole lot, really, when you consider the training they put in... and certainly not much when you consider the rewards in other sports. But I guess they do it for the love of the sport rather than the money.

Amy wrote:

And I've probably watched too much TV, but I kind of wonder if there's any 'dirty play' involved? There'd be no way to actually 'moderate' that...hopefully everyone 'plays nice', but you have to wonder, since these people are so extreme.

It's funny you mentioned that. I'd never heard of anything, but a couple days ago a friend told me he heard that last year's winning team used a paddle as a weapon to ward off a challenging boat during the night.

The race was won by Andy Triebold of Spring Arbor, Mich., and Steve LaJoie of Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, with a time of 14 hrs, 17 mins, about 19 minutes off the record time. This is their fourth straight win.

Rob wrote:

Amy wrote:

WOW!! That's quite the shaving off time! What is the reward for the winner? Is there a 1st, 2nd, 3rd place prize?

There's a total purse of $50,000, and the winning team splits $5,000. I think the top 20 finishers share in the money. It's not a whole lot, really, when you consider the training they put in... and certainly not much when you consider the rewards in other sports. But I guess they do it for the love of the sport rather than the money.

Amy wrote:

And I've probably watched too much TV, but I kind of wonder if there's any 'dirty play' involved? There'd be no way to actually 'moderate' that...hopefully everyone 'plays nice', but you have to wonder, since these people are so extreme.

It's funny you mentioned that. I'd never heard of anything, but a couple days ago a friend told me he heard that last year's winning team used a paddle as a weapon to ward off a challenging boat during the night.

Rob wrote:

The race was won by Andy Triebold of Spring Arbor, Mich., and Steve LaJoie of Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, with a time of 14 hrs, 17 mins, about 19 minutes off the record time. This is their fourth straight win.

No, that's really not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things! But yeah, they all must really love it to put in that kind of time and effort to train. So, this is the winning team that used the paddle as a weapon last year then? I noticed you said 'straight' win, so I'm assuming? Hmm...not sure how I feel about them winning, if that's indeed the case!

Amy wrote:

So, this is the winning team that used the paddle as a weapon last year then? I noticed you said 'straight' win, so I'm assuming?

Well, I really don't think it happened. These are pretty upstanding guys. I kind of think that the stories got invented just to spice things up. It's kind of boring to say "They paddled uneventfully through the dark all night."

Yeah....I tend to agree with you, Rob. Like I said, I've probably watched too much LH and Dr. Quinn---think horse races. (Ahem, Nellie, and "Hank" in DQ).

Well, it's here again. This is the night we have our annual canoe marathon on the AuSable River. The paddlers set out at 9 PM, paddle through the night, and arrive on the coast of Lake Huron sometime tomorrow morning, 120 miles later. The race has been held on the last Saturday in July every year since 1947. Here's an intro from a few years ago...

That's amazing.

Nope I ain't doing it.

alex wrote:

Nope I ain't doing it.

You'll do it and you'll like it!

All I can see is an Emotty banner.

Oh, it's just a cranky old man shaking his cane at you.

I've posted about the AuSable River Canoe Marathon in past years, and it's that time again.  It's our little town's moment in the sun.  Or rather, the moon, since the race starts at 9 PM and lasts until around noon the next day.  




Here's the Wikipedia description:

The Au Sable River International Canoe Marathon is an annual 120 mi (193 km) canoe race in Michigan from Grayling to Oscoda. It first ran in 1947, is perhaps the oldest marathon canoe race in the United States, and is the longest, non-stop, canoe-only race in North America. The race has been billed as "The World's Toughest Spectator Race" as many of the spectators follow the racers overnight down the full 120 miles (190 km) to the finish.

The race is always held the last full weekend in July during Grayling's annual Au Sable River Festival. To determine the order of the racers the night of the canoe marathon there is a sprint held to determine which of the teams is fastest or slowest. The trials are held the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before the race on Saturday.

The Marathon starts at 9 pm in Grayling in a LeMans-style start where the competitors carry their canoes in a footrace four blocks through town to the Au Sable River entry point. Upon reaching the Au Sable River, they begin paddling non-stop throughout the night. In addition to paddling for 14–19 hours non-stop overnight, competitors must also make portages over six dams along the river race route.

The race relies on the efforts made by many volunteers.

This is the start of last year's race...