Do the math…they were paddling just slightly less than 10 mph for 14 straight hours. That’s a lot of strokes and a lot of yelling “Hut!” to switch sides.
Defending AuSable River Canoe Marathon champ Travis Mecklenberg, 23, from Grayling, MI, along with his partner Logan Myer from Texas, won this year’s 78th annual, 120-mile AuSable River Canoe Marathon, crossing the long-awaited finish line with a time of 14:20:27.
One of canoeing’s biggest badges of honor, the AuSable River Canoe Marathon is a grueling, non-stop 120-mile canoe race in northern Michigan, starting in Grayling and ending in Oscoda on Lake Huron. Two-person teams of elite paddlers from across the world battle portages, darkness, and fatigue as they navigate the scenic and challenging course, competing for their share of over $75,000 in cash and prizes. This year’s event was the whopping 78th running of a race that has come to define the canoe marathon racing world.
“It was a very successful event and super strong field,” says spokesman Steve Southard, pointing out 16 rookie teams and a field of 103 teams representing 17 states and Canada. “Not only was there a great battle for the overall class but the mixed class was especially competitive.” He added that all buy seven teams finished, and that it was a “great, comfortable evening for the overnight portion.”
The Women’s Division champions were Rebecca Davis of Homer, MI and Mandy Trudgeon of East Lansing, MI, who finished 22nd overall in 15:35:16. In the mixed category and finishing 11th overall in 15:12:37, were Rich Lauth of Grosse Ile, MI, and Mary Schlimmer-Willoughby of Traverse City, Michigan.
Serge Corbin and Salomon Carriere held the course record of 13:58:08 for 20 years before it was broken in 2021 by Michigan paddlers Jordan Wakeley and Matt Meersman in 13:54:09.
Race History
The idea for the original Marathon developed over a cup of coffee at Si ‘n Gerts Restaurant in Oscoda, in 1947. Howard Brubaker, then president of the Oscoda Chamber of Commerce, was brainstorming with Frank Davis of the Eastern Michigan Tourist Association at an all–night truck–stop restaurant, trying to come up with an idea for a tourist draw to the area after Labor Day. A canoe race was suggested, and the two men decided they would check with Grayling, Roscommon, and Mio along the AuSable River to see if it was feasible. Brubaker agreed to make the contacts, and found officials along the way more than interested.
All agreed that a trial run should be made, but they could not rustle up volunteers to make the trip. Brubaker teamed up with Percy Jocks, in a 17–foot Old Town canoe and launched the run personally. They wanted to see, first of all, if it could be done, how long it would take, and if the canoes could move at night. They launched from Grayling on a Monday morning, around 9 a.m., and did not arrive in Oscoda until Wednesday afternoon; the test run took them 31 hours of paddling. Brubaker said, “At Mio, I was ready to throw in the sponge.” He and Jocks ran into a heavy thunderstorm, and the pup tent they slept in one night collapsed on them. They were tipped over by a limb from a tree, and after the run was over, it took a full week to recuperate.
“It was very rugged,” he said, “but we knew it could be run.” After the trial run by Brubaker and Jocks, a meeting was held in Mio on April 22, 1947, by members of the EMTA, discussing the planning of the First Annual Michigan Canoe Championship. The first race was held September 6, 1947, and the race would eventually come to be known as the AuSable River Canoe Marathon. Brubaker became General Chairman for the first race and sponsored a team for the first ten years.
Mixed Division Champs, finishing 11th overall in 15:12:37, Canoe #89 – Rich Lauth of Grosse Ile, MI, and Mary Schlimmer-Willoughby of Traverse City, Michigan