- Au Sable River Canoe Marathon
The AuSable River International Canoe Marathon is an annual convert|120|mi|km|lk=on|abbr=on|0
canoe race inMichigan from Grayling to Oscoda. It first ran in 1947 and is the longest, non-stop, canoe-only race in North America. The race has been 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. [ [http://www.ausablecanoemarathon.org/ Weyerhauser Au Sable River Canoe Marathon] ]The race is always held the last full weekend in July during the town's annual AuSable River Festival. The Marathon starts at 9pm in Grayling in a LeMans-style start where the competitors carry their canoes in a footrace four blocks through town to the AuSable River entry point. Upon reaching the AuSable River, they begin paddling non-stop throughout the night. In addition to paddling for 14-19 hours straight, competitors must also make portages over six dams along the river race route.
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.
Winners
(Since 1980)
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).
Notes
ee also
*
Au Sable River
*Grayling, Michigan
*Oscoda, Michigan External links
* [http://www.Ausablecanoemarathon.org/ Au Sable Canoe Marathon Official Site]
* [http://www.cityofgrayling.org/ City of Grayling]
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