It is a sure bet that fans of the 2016 AuSable River Canoe Marathon, presented by Consumers Energy, are going to be treated to some great racing action! The nine-time reigning Champs (2004 & 2008-2015) – Michigan’s Andy Triebold and Quebec’s Steve Lajoie - will not be defending their crown together as a team. With the reigning championship pair not teamed together this year, race observers anticipate a pitched battle for the win! Champ Andy Triebold is teamed with an AuSable Canoe Marathon rookie competitor – Jacob DuBois, of Houston, Texas. Though he has not competed in the Marathon, DuBois is known as a very fast paddler and it is anticipated that Triebold-DuBois, in the familiar canoe #01, will be among the teams vying for the victory. The other half of the reigning Championship team – Quebec’s Steve Lajoie – had not registered as of press time. The final cut-off for entry registration is noon on Monday, July 25. The 2015 Champs of the Triple Crown of Canoe Racing - Mathieu Pellerin & Guillaume Blais, both of Quebec – finished 2nd in their first AuSable Marathon in 2015 and will be making a strong bid for their first victory in 2016 in canoe #20. Michigan’s Ryan Halstead and Quebec’s Christophe Proulx have both finished 2nd at the AuSable Marathon, teamed with other paddlers. In canoe #02, they will be strong contenders to notch their first victory. Nick Walton, who also has a Marathon 2nd place finish to his credit, and fellow Michigander Tad Hill, with a Marathon-best 5th place finish, are anticipated to be in the lead-pack in canoe #13. Other teams that may challenge for the victory include brothers Michael and Ben
Racing Action Gets Underway Tuesday, 26 AuSable Canoe Marathon Week, kicks off in Oscoda at 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, July 26 with the Consumers Energy $5,000 Da$h for Ca$h. The Da$h for Ca$h is a 64-team bracket-style, single elimination, "drag-racing" event to be held at the Finish Line in Oscoda. Teams will be competing for a part of a $5,000 prize pool, and every team that competes will receive a cash prize. Sprints are scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. and will be held in approx. 2-3 minute intervals until a champion is crowned. Action continues Wednesday through Friday in Grayling at the Time Trial Sprints for starting position. Much like Indy or NASCAR qualifying, each team sprints a looped course, with their sprint time determining their starting position in the lineup for the Saturday night’s 9 p.m. thrilling LeMans-style run the river that starts the main event. New this year, the teams will sprint upstream from Penrod’s Canoe Livery and Resort (at the Maple Street Bridge) to turn a buoy in the river – between the Old AuSable Fly Shop and the State Police Crime Lab – then race downstream to the finish line at Penrod’s. The new buoy-turn location, adjacent to the Business Loop in the heart of Grayling, will provide a fabulous new viewing location for the fans; bleachers will be available at the buoy turn location. The Time Trials take place Wednesday, 3-6 p.m.; Thursday 3-8 p.m.; and Friday 2-4:30 p.m. On Thursday, the Crawford AuSable Soccer Associa-
Schlimmer, from New York in canoe #98, and, a WesternCanada pairing, Saskatchewan’s Mike Vincent and British Columbia’s Graham Smith, in canoe #91.
The Big Event Fans will start gathering on the riverbank where the teams enter the river well in advance of the start of the race; the best viewing spots always get taken early! A band appearing courtesy of the Marathon’s Official Flagship Radio Station – 98.5 UPS – is providing early Classic Hits entertainment Saturday afternoon for early-arriving race fans. The Official Pre-Race Program kicks off at 6 p.m., leading up to the Marathon’s unique and spine-tingling running-start at 9 p.m. as the teams run with their canoes several blocks through the streets of Grayling to begin their 120-mile non-stop overnight epic race to the Finish Line in Oscoda. Following the start of the race, thousands of fans will
tion will be on hand with a food concession at the buoy turn viewing location. Come out and enjoy the action!
A New Event Sunday Morning– Rabaska Canoe Racing Voyager canoes, known in Quebec as Rabaska, are very large “freighter canoes” generally about 25 feet long, originally utilized in the upper Great Lakes region by traders and settlers as early as the 1600’s. Beginning more than 30 years ago, Rabaska racing has become a fixture on the StMaurice River in Quebec, the setting for la Classique Internationale de canots de la Mauricie – The Classic – the ► See FANS THRILLED on page23
travel to public access points, bridges and dam portages to cheer on the teams as they battle through the night and into Sunday. The winning team is expected to reach the Oscoda Finish Line between 11-11:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Teams must finish the Marathon within 19 hours – by 4 p.m. – to be recognized as Official Finishers.
The thrilling start of the Marathon is one of the most exciting spectacles in sports. Brian Connon photo
Fans Will Be Thrilled at the 2016 AuSable Marathon
2016 Spectator Guide
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CANOE MARATHON
69th AuSable River