Au Sable (documentary)

The Au Sable River Canoe Marathon (ARCM), presented by Consumers Energy, (also stylized as the AuSable River Canoe Marathon) is an annual canoe race in Michigan from Grayling to Oscoda. Nicknamed and known simply as "The Marathon," it first ran in 1947, and 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 to the finish.
Former Grayling resident Jim Harrison wrote an article in Sports Illustrated in 1973 in which he referred to the race as “a night of unmitigated punishment.”

Race format

The original idea for the race was to attract tourists after Labor Day. From 1947 to 1960 the race was held in August/September with start times of midnight, early afternoon and 9-10pm. Prior to 1968, teams left at timed intervals. Major sponsor Grayling Chamber of Commerce withdrew their support in 1961 and the race began at the Camp 10 bridge in the morning and ended at Lake Huron.
For most of the following seven years, all teams began on Saturday morning in Grayling, stopped for the night in Mio, with pro teams resuming the race Sunday morning from Mio to Oscoda. Amateur teams got a head start at Five Channels Dam.
The LeMans start was instituted in 1968, now an iconic part of the race. The non-stop race returned for good in 1970, held on the July 4th weekend. The following year, the race was moved to the last weekend in July. The starting time was moved from 10pm to 9pm during the 1980s, as was the day, from Friday night to Saturday night. The format has remained constant since then.

Race details

To determine the starting position of the racers for the night of the Canoe Marathon, there is a sprint held to determine which of the teams is fastest or slowest. The sprint trials are held at Penrod's Canoe Livery. The trials are held the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before the race on Saturday. Each team will head upstream one quarter mile towards the Old AuSable Fly Shop. Once there you must complete a counter clockwise turn around a buoy. Then you must head back downstream to the starting point and the next team does not start until the team finishing reaches a point close to the start buoy. On average this can take from 2 minutes and 15 seconds to 5 minutes. The overall finish times range from about 4 minutes and 30 seconds to 13 minutes. While they are on their way back to the starting buoy they must maintain the number of buoys on the left side of their canoe. Once all of the teams have finished the sprint trials they will be lined up in groups of five, from fastest to slowest, on the night of the Marathon, to make the LeMans-style foot race that starts the race.

The Marathon starts at 9:00 P.M. 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 around six hydroelectric dams along the river race route.

To participate in the race the competitor must be at least the age of 15. In order to enter by July 1 there is a $220 fee. To enter by July 15, the fee is $320, and to enter by July 25 the fee is $420. However, the fees are all worth their prices because upon completing the race the canoers are awarded cash prizes. Even if a racer finishes in 40th place, they will receive more than their entry fee. Competitors that finish after 40th place will receive a finishers medal.

The race relies on the efforts made by many volunteers, and is organized and ran by an all-volunteer non-profit organization: AuSable River International Canoe Marathon, Inc.

Docuseries

A three-part documentary entitled, ''Au Sable'' was released in 2024 on YouTube and aired on local public-access TV stations. It was subtitled, "The River. The Race. The Legends." Narrated by George Blaha, voice of the Detroit Pistons and Michigan State Spartans, it was created by Justin Garant and Darren Cleavenger-Grimsley, two employees of Consumers Energy, primary sponsor of the ARCM since 2012. The production team from Consumers Energy provided assistance, as did the volunteers from the AuSable River Canoe Marathon staff.

On June 15, 2024 the project won an Emmy Award for ''Outstanding Sports Documentary'' from the Michigan chapter of the organization.

Festival

Since 1971, Grayling has held their annual ''Au Sable River Festival'' beginning the weekend prior to the race.

The Triple Crown of Canoe Racing

The Au Sable River Canoe Marathon is one of the three marathon canoe races comprising th
Triple Crown of Canoe Racing
which recognizes the top performances by Marathon Canoe Racers who compete at all three of North America's most prestigious marathon canoe races:

General Clinton Canoe Regatta
staged Memorial Day on New York's Susquehanna River - a one-day, non-stop non-stop race from Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, to Bainbridge, New York.

Au Sable River Canoe Marathon
one of North America's toughest, richest canoe races, an overnight, non-stop race from Grayling to Oscoda on Northern Michigan's AuSable River during the last full weekend of July.

La Classique International de Canots de La Maurice
staged Labor Day weekend on central Quebec's majestic Saint-Maurice River - a three-day, three-stage race from La Tuque to Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.

Prizes

With 2024 prizes exceeding $55,000, ARCM is the richest canoe race in North America. The team that breaks the existing record of 13:54:09 will win a cash bonus of $1,300.

* Seniors and Veterans don't qualify for the Master's bonus, and Veterans don't qualify for the Senior's bonus
* The team with the fastest split time for each of the 14 checkpoints wins $50
* The team with the fastest point-to-point time for each of the 14 checkpoints wins $50
* $8,000 in finisher's prizes (not cash) will be awarded to race finishers

Winners

(Since 1980) * = course record

The race record for the current course is 13:54:09, set by Jorden Wakeley of Grayling, MI and Matt Meersman of South Bend, IN in 2021.

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 10 by Andrew Triebold and Steve Lajoie (2004 and 2008–2015, 2018)

See also

* Au Sable River
*Grayling, Michigan
*Mio, Michigan
* Curtis Township, Michigan
* Au Sable, Michigan
*Oscoda, Michigan
* Alcona Dam
*Five Channels Dam
* Cooke Dam
* Foote Dam

References

External links

*
2024 ARCM Spectator GuideAuSable River Festival
*
AuSable River Canoe Marathon Facebook PageOscoda TownshipCity of GraylingTriple Crown of Canoe RacingTriple Crown of Canoe Racing YouTube Channel

{{Canoeing and kayaking

Recurring sporting events established in 1947
Canoeing and kayaking competitions in the United States
Sports in Michigan
Articles containing video clips
1947 establishments in Michigan
Crawford County, Michigan