AuSable River Canoe Marathon: Watch the finish line of the grueling 120-mile race
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - After 120 miles, the first paddlers on the AuSable River have crossed the finish line.
The AuSable River Canoe Marathon started with the thrilling sprint start in Grayling at 9 p.m. on Saturday. As most of Michigan was tucked into bed, 116 canoe teams were paddling all night long.
Just after 11 a.m., the winners dashed under the finish line.
Who won the AuSable River Canoe Marathon?
Travis Mecklenburg (Grayling) and Weston Willoughby (Traverse City) in canoe number 99 finished at 11:14 a.m., with a final time of 14 hours and 14 minutes, beating second place by almost 90 seconds.
Mecklenburg and Willoughby started the race in the second position, but held the lead through the entirety of the race – from Burton's Landing, through each portage, and into Oscoda, canoe #99 dominated the race.
The all-Michigan team has the honor of the fastest Michigan canoe of all time – and the second-fastest winning time in the 77-year history of the race, 20 seconds behind the record time of 13:54 set in 2021.
From here, the rest of the teams have until 4 p.m. to finish – to be recognized as an official finisher.
FOX 2 is partnering with the AuSable River Canoe Marathon to stream the finish line live on this page.
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.
Watch the exciting start in the player below:
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.
The backstory:
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.
"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.
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.