This is a 120 mile night time, non-stop canoe race from Grayling to Lake Huron in Oscoda. The race begins at 9:00PM on Saturday with 92 canoes lining main street in downtown. The teams then RUN through the streets for 4 blocks to the river edge, carry their canoes and trying to keep their canoes from tipping over in the chaos as they ALL try to enter the water in the same place. They paddle through out the night until the conclusion on Sunday morning.
The AuSable marathon is rated as one of the toughest races in the US and internationally and it is a tremendous challenge. Many come from out of state and Canada. One main challenge this year is the low water level and warmer temperatures. But a huge concern is portaging 4 dams, in the dark! One being in Mio (about the half-way mark). The first canoes are expected around 2:00AM. Andy and I got up and drove down to the river, not expecting a thousand plus people (drunk) waiting for the arrival of the teams. If you squint, in the first picture you may be able to make out the canoe in the dark....the first place team (so far).
The start of the race was a little more "sedate" with the crowd cheering and encouraging the teams into the water. Again, well over a thousand people on the banks of the AuSable waiting. The teams are made up of male and female combinations. Actually, one spectator in the audience was the female winner on the 1959 race!! Girl power back then?!? She looked to be in her late 70's. But there were many spectators present that had been coming to this event for 50-60 years. Yes....our first time and I have been coming here since I was in diapers. One year I did see the start of the race, but only the running down to the river! Now, I got to see the actual jumping-in start.
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