Au Sable River Canoe Marathon
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The Au Sable River Canoe Marathon is an annual 120 mi (193 km) canoe race in Michigan from Grayling to Oscoda. It first ran in 1947 and is the longest, non-stop, canoe-only race in North America.[citation needed] The race is also billed as the “The World’s Toughest Spectator Race” as many of the spectators follow the racers overnight down the full 120 miles to the finish.[1]
The race is always held the last full weekend in July during the town's annual Milltown Festival. The event starts at 9pm in Grayling with the competitors carrying their canoes in a footrace four blocks through town. Once they reach the Au Sable River, they start paddling throughout the night. In addition to paddling for 14-19 hours straight, competitors must also make a number of portages over dams on the river.
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[edit] Triple Crown
The AuSable River Canoe Marathon is one of the three marathons that make up the “Triple Crown of Canoe Racing” which recognizes the top performances by Marathon Canoe Racers who compete at the following three races that make up the Triple Crown:
- General Clinton Canoe Regatta, a one day non-stop 70-mile race on the Susquehanna River from Cooperstown to Bainbridge, New York. This race takes place on the Monday of Memorial Day Weekend General Clinton Canoe Regatta.
- AuSable River Canoe Marathon, a 120-mile non-stop race down the AuSable River from Grayling to Oscoda, Michigan. This race starts at 9 PM and goes through the night into the next day. This race is held the last full weekend in July.
- La Classique de Canots de La Maurice, this is a three-day, three-stage race starting in La Tuque, Quebec, over the Labor Day weekend.
[edit] Winners
(Since 1980)
| Year | Racers | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Andrew Triebold, Matt Rimer | 14:48:55 |
| 2006 | Jim Harwood, Grayling/Allen Limberg, Wausau, WI | 14:33:50 |
| 2005 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Jeff Kolka, Grayling | 14:56:11 |
| 2004 | Andrew Triebold, Spring Arbor, MI/Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec | 14:59:46 |
| 2003 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Jeff Kolka, Grayling | 14:55:03 |
| 2002 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Jeff Kolka, Grayling | 15:04:56 |
| 2001 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Jeff Kolka, Grayling | 15:06:48 |
| 2000 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Jeff Kolka, Grayling | 14:48:00 |
| 1999 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Jeff Kolka, Grayling | 14:08:18 |
| 1998 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Jeff Kolka, Grayling | 14:15:47 |
| 1997 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Jeff Kolka, Grayling | 14:19:36 |
| 1996 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Jeff Kolka, Grayling | 14:04:05 |
| 1995 | Jim Harwood, Grayling/Patrick Lynch, Shawinigan-Sud Quebec | 14:20:40 |
| 1994 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Solomon Carriere, Saskatchewan Canada | 13:58:08 |
| 1993 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Solomon Carriere, Saskatchewan Canada | 14:23:03 |
| 1992 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Brett Stockton, Grayling | 14:33:30 |
| 1991 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Brett Stockton, Grayling | 14:33:30 |
| 1990 | Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada/Brett Stockton, Grayling | 14:43:35 |
| 1989 | Al Rudquist, Grand Rapids MN/Randy Drake, Virginia Beach VA | 14:38:18 |
| 1988 | Brett Stockton, Grayling/Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada | 14:20:00 |
| 1987 | Brett Stockton, Grayling/Serge Corbin, Quebec Canada | 14:34:32 |
| 1986 | Butch Stockton, Higgins Lake/Brett Stockton, Grayling | 14:30:38 |
| 1985 | Butch Stockton, Higgins Lake/Brett Stockton, Grayling | 14:35:53 |
| 1984 | Butch Stockton, Higgins Lake/Solomon Carriere, Saskatchewan Canada | 14:20:40 |
| 1983 | Butch Stockton, Higgins Lake/Brett Stockton, Grayling | 14:38:36 |
| 1982 | Butch Stockton, Higgins Lake/Brett Stockton, Grayling | 14:38:27 |
| 1981 | John Baker, Grayling/Ken Brown, St. Clair Shores | 14:29:01 |
| 1980 | John Baker, Grayling/Ron Williams, Smither, B.C. Canada | 14:48:31 |
The race record for the current course is 13:58:08 set by Serge Corbin of Quebec and Solomon Carriere of Saskatchewan.
The record for most wins individually is 18 by Serge Corbin (1977 and 1979 w/ Claude Corbin; 1987-1988, 1990-1992 w/ Brett Stockton; 1994-1995 w/ Solomon Carriere; 1996-2003, 2005 w/ Jeff Kolka).
The record for most wins by a team is 9 by Serge Corbin and Jeff Kolka of Grayling (1996-2003 and 2005).
