AuSable River Canoe Marathon: Stream the grueling race from Grayling to Oscoda
Sprint start to the AuSable River Canoe Marathon
The 2025 AuSable River Canoe Marathon started in Grayling at 9 p.m. with a sprint start to the river, ahead of a grueling 120-mile marathon to Oscoda on the shores of Lake Huron.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - It's been 77 years since Allen Carr, Sr. and Delbert Case, both from Grayling, Michigan, crossed the finish line of the AuSable River Canoe Marathon. This Saturday, 116 teams will race 120 miles from Grayling to the Huron River in the annual race.
If you've never heard of the Consumers Energy AuSable River Canoe Marathon, this is your chance to watch something that is 100% pure Michigan.
And it all starts with a controlled, yet-chaotic, sprint through the city of Grayling.
Starting at 9 p.m. on Saturday, teams of two will sprint through the city, carrying their two-person canoes in a race to the AuSable River. But that's only where the marathon begins.
The AuSable River Canoe Marathon, in reality, starts on Wednesday, July 23, with two days of time trials. With the field set, they'll all line up for the race Saturday night before sprinting and then canoeing along the river.
Over the next 17 hours, the paddlers won't stop unless it's absolutely crucial. The grueling 120-mile race has no easy stretches and there are several dams the racers must navigate their way around before they ultimately reach the finish line at the mouth of the river at Lake Huron.
The race gets off to a thrilling start – but it all depends on how paddlers perform in the time trials the week before the race starts. Those times will determine where racers begin in the sprint through Grayling.
"Once it gets in your blood, it sticks with you," organizer Steve Southard said.
Don't be fooled, this is a professional event. Competitors fly in from Belize, Canada, and 21 states.
Winners get $6,000 by crossing the finish line first.
"These folks are not paddling for the money, they're paddling for the comraderie, the recognition, and for the accomplishment of finishing this race," Southard said.
How to watch the AuSable River Canoe Marathon
The AuSable River Canoe Marathon organization will stream many parts of the race on their YouTube channel.
FOX 2 is partnering with the organization to stream portions of the race on FOX LOCAL – including the iconic start at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Download the app now to watch for free – anywhere!
Stream it live in the player above.
The AuSable River Canoe Marathon Route
The racers dash through Grayling, canoe in hand, with thousands of spectators watching. Once they reach the shore of the river near Penrod's Canoe Rental, they drop their canoe in the water, jump in themselves, then situate themselves in their vessel.
This is no straight shot. A look at Google Maps gives you an idea that these paddlers are going to be using every single muscle as they push to the finish line.
Along the route, they'll pass through the Mio Dam Pond, Alcona Dam Pond, and the largest – the Cooke Dam Pond. In the stretches, they'll have to navigate around islands and tight turns. They'll also have several portages, where they'll have to get out of the boat and carry the canoe across land before getting back into the water.
The largest of these is the Loud Dam portage, which is about 800 feet.
The thrilling finish in the city of Oscoda wraps up at U.S. Highway 23 where a winner will be crowned.
According to the AuSable River Canoe Marathon – the mandatory end time for all racers will be around 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 27. All teams must finish by 4 p.m. to be recognized as an official finisher.
The first canoe is expected to cross the finish line much earlier – around 11:30 a.m.!
What's the history of the AuSable River Canoe Marathon?
The 2025 AuSable River Canoe Marathon is the 77th race of its kind. Since 1947, canoes have raced down the river every year – except for one.
It was all started in 1947 as a way to draw tourists into the AuSable river valley. Someone suggested a marathon canoe race from Grayling to Oscoda and some said it couldn't be done. On Saturday, Sept. 6, 1947, 46 teams entered the river.
They didn't sprint start though – that comes later in the story. They started in Grayling and paddled their way through for the next 24 hours. By the time the race was over, Carr and Case were the first of 15 teams to finish – at a little more than 21 hours. They each won $500 and proved the race was possible.
The 1950s saw several successful races before everything changed the following decade. Momentum began to falter in the 1960s as towns along the river argued about dates, starting times, and where to start the race.
In 1966, there were just 14 teams participating. The race was ultimately canceled in 1969 and its future was cloudy.
But a new decade brought a fresh idea: the Le Mans start, which would become a permanent fixture.
The marathon began to grow through the 1980s and 1990s – and was added into the Triple Crown of Canoe Racing. The General Clinton Canoe Regatta was first held in 1963 and is staged on Memorial Day weekend. While the Classique Internationale de Canots de la Mauricie (CICM) – also known as the International Canoe Classic – is held in Quebec each Labor Day weekend.
This is just a glimpse of the history of the race. In 2024, legendary Detroit Pistons announcer George Blaha narrated an award-winning documentary on the organization's YouTube page - where we've pulled the information for this story.
The Source: The AuSable River Canoe Marathon organization provided all of the details for the race.