2000 AuSable River
Canoe Marathon
Press & Media Information

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GRAYLING, MICHIGAN

JULY 28, 2000       

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

KATE SOUTHARD or STEVE SOUTHARD

CELL PHONE W/ VOICEMAIL (517) 370-9843

- OR - (517) 350-3494

FAX (517)348-5966

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

FOLLOWING CONCLUSION OF SPRINTS FOR STARTING POSITION: DEFENDING CHAMPS

MUST OVERCOME TIME PENALTY THAT MOVES THEM FROM 1^ST TO 10^TH STARTING POSITION

FOR SATURDAY’S START OF $50,000 WEYERHAEUSER AuSABLE RIVER CANOE MARATHON

 

Saturday night at 9:00 P.M., signaled by a canon blast, North America’s toughest, richest non-stop canoe race will get underway as dozens of two-person teams make a thrilling LeMans-style running start with their canoes to the AuSable river in Grayling, Michigan.  On Thursday and Friday the record field of 68 two-person teams entered in the Marathon competed in the Sprints for Position.   

 

Much like Indy 500 qualifying, the two-person teams sprinted a short looped course to determine their starting row position for the 1/4 mile run with their canoes to the river for Saturday evening’s start of the 53^rd Weyerhaeuser AuSable River Canoe Marathon.  The team with the quickest sprint time is awarded the Pole Position in the line-up for Saturday’s running start. Just before 9:00 P.M. Saturday night, the 68 teams entered will line up 5 abreast in 14 rows that will stretch for nearly two city blocks.  At the sound of the starter’s gun they will race 3 to 4 blocks through the streets of Grayling urged on by up to 15,000 fans lining the river banks.

 

The four-time defending Marathon champs Jeff Kolka, 41, of Grayling, Michigan and Serge Corbin, 43, of St-Boniface de Shawinigan, Quebec, have been the heavy pre-race favorites in their pursuit of an unprecedented fifth consecutive AuSable win.  Heading toward the Marathon start, their task is getting tougher.  The pair had the fastest elapsed time among the 67 teams that sprinted completing the course in 5:42.38 [5 minutes, 42.38 seconds].   

 

However, Kolka & Corbin improperly completed the downstream buoy turn, halfway through the sprint, before heading back upstream to the finish line.  The bow of their canoe caught the buoy during the turn and was dragged along and under the front part of the canoe.  Members of the organizing committee reviewed video footage of the turn, interviewed the two competitors and deliberated before assessing a 30 second penalty which was added to Kolka & Corbin’s elapsed sprint time.  

 

The effect of the time penalty has been to move Kolka-Corbin from the pole position to 10^th position for Saturday’s start of the Marathon. Race officials emphasized that the 30 second penalty is precedent setting and will also be assessed in future situations where teams may unintentionally complete a buoy turn improperly during the sprints for position.  While understandably frustrated by the imposition of the penalty, Kolka & Corbin vowed to try to overcome the penalty to retain their AuSable Marathon title.

 

Holding the coveted ‘Pole Position’ for the start with an elapsed time of 5:57.54 were last year’s ninth place Marathon finishers  - Tim Triebold, 47, of Concord, Michigan, and Matt Rimer, 16, Horton, Michigan.  The second fastest sprint time was turned in by local favorite Bill Torongo, 38, of Roscommon, Michigan and his partner, Denis Berthiaume, of Provost, Quebec.  Third was a pair of promising young Grayling paddlers, Mo Harwood, 21 and Erich Podjaske, 18. 

 

Fourth in the sprints was a team with another Roscommon, Michigan-Quebec connection – John Sullivan, 30, of Roscommon and Louis Berthiaume, 41, of Berthiville, Quebec.  Louis & Denis Berthiaume are brothers.  Rounding out the top five sprint finishers and completing the front row for Saturday’s Marathon start were 1999 Marathon third place finishers Ted Kolka, 34, of Grayling, Michigan and Tim Valko, 31, Pinckney, Michigan.  Ted Kolka is defending champ Jeff Kolka’s brother.   

 

Weyerhaeuser AuSable River Canoe Marathon events continue with the Official contestant’s pre-race briefing and canoe measuring at Citizens Bank in Grayling at noon on Saturday, which is followed by Grayling’s impressive AuSable River Festival Parade at 3 p.m.  Racing action continues with the AuSable Challenge Events, staged in at Ray’s Canoe Livery on Saturday afternoon, which offer both novices and more serious competitors the opportunity to challenge the AuSable in shorter races.

 

At 6:00 P.M. Saturday the Marathon pre-race program gets underway.  The $50,000 Weyerhaeuser AuSable River Canoe Marathon starts with a spine-tingling LeMans-style run to the river at Ray's Canoeing & The Fly Factory at 9:00 P.M.  Ray’s Canoeing & The Fly Factory is located on the I-75 Business Loop at the AuSable River Bridge in uptown Grayling.  Fans begin to claim prime viewing locations Saturday morning for the pre-race program that begins at 6:00 P.M. and for the frenzied running start to the river at 9:00 P.M.  

 

Thousands of fans will view all or part of the race, driving to public access sites, bridges, dam portages and other viewing locations along the AuSable River race course to cheer on the teams through Saturday night and on to the finish line in Oscoda on Sunday, July 30, where the winning team will arrive at about 11:00 A.M.  The finish line is located at the Mill Street Bridge, just west of US-23 and north of the AuSable River Bridge in Oscoda, adjacent to the AuSable Inn & Finish Line Sports Bar.

 

Race officials have announced that the dam and spillway at Mio Dam will be closed to spectators this year, due to extensive construction that is currently in progress at the dam.  The area along the portage path at Consumers Energy dam in Mio is traditionally one of the most popular viewing locations during the Marathon when the teams pass through between 2 A.M. and 4 A.M. Sunday morning, following the 9:00 P.M. start in Grayling on Saturday night.  In Mio, spectators should utilize other viewing locations such as the DNR river access point at the AuSable River Bridge.

 

The Weyerhaeuser AuSable River Canoe Marathon is held in conjunction with Grayling's "AuSable River Festival", featuring a host of events throughout Marathon week.  The River Festival recognizes the unique importance of the AuSable River to these northern Michigan communities.   For more information about the Weyerhaeuser AuSable River Canoe Marathon and festivals, or for information about tourism and recreational opportunities in the AuSable River valley area, contact:

                Grayling Area Visitors Council    (517) 348-2921  (800) 937-8837      http://www.grayling-mi.com

                Oscoda-AuSable Chamber of Commerce   (517) 739-7322   (800) 235-4625       http://www.oscoda.com

Extensive information, photographs, course maps and frequently updated race results for the Weyerhaeuser AuSable River Canoe Marathon is\will also available on the world-wide web at:  http://www.ausablecanoemarathon.org

 

Sprint Place	Sprint Time*	Canoe #	Competitor	Age	City	State/Province
1	5:57.54	41	Matthew Rimer	16	Horton	Michigan
1	5:57.54	41	Tim Triebold	47	Concord	Michigan
2	5:58.31	14	Bill Torongo	38	Roscommon	Michigan
2	5:58.31	14	Denis Berthiaume	35	Pre'vost	Quebec
3	6:00.63	3	Erich Podjaske	18	Grayling	Michigan
3	6:00.63	3	Mo Harwood	21	Grayling	Michigan
4	6:03.97	86	John Sullivan	30	Roscommon	Michigan
4	6:03.97	86	Louis Berthiaume	41	Berthiville	Quebec
5	6:05.78	23	Ken Kolonich	54	Eaton Rapids	Michigan
6	6:05.78	23	Steve Kolonich	28	Lansing	Michigan
5	6:05.78	52	Tim Valko	31	Pinckney	Michigan
6	6:05.78	52	Ted Kolka	34	Grayling	Michigan
7	6:06.99	53	Kjell Peterson	25	Brooklyn Park	Minnesota
7	6:06.99	53	Todd Ellison	39	St. Paul	Minnesota
8	6:08.50	11	Rick Joy	41	Silverwood	Michigan
8	6:08.50	11	Dave Jensen	36	San Jose	California
9	6:11.70	4	Bruce Barton	43	Homer	Michigan
9	6:11.70	4	Solomon Carriere'	43	Cumberland House	Saskatchewan
10**	6:12.38	16	Jeff Kolka	41	Grayling	Michigan
10**	6:12.38	16	Serge Corbin	43	St. Boniface	Quebec
11	6:13.96	82	Clark Kent	40	Lapeer	Michigan
11	6:13.96	82	Mike Bradford	35	Lapeer	Michigan
12	6:14.29	66	Steve Watson	28	Onaway	Michigan
12	6:14.29	66	Al Shaver	33	Meridale	New York
13	6:14.91	31	Steve Lajoie	24	Vaudreuil-Sur-Le-Lac	Quebec
13	6:14.91	31	Richard LaJoie	53	Vaudreuil-Sur-Le-Lac	Quebec
14	6:16.27	39	Bill DuBois	42	Jackson	Michigan
14	6:16.27	39	Daniel Klinkhamer	49	Northville	Michigan
15	6:22.34	22	Kai Hansen