WEYERHAEUSER AU SABLE RIVER CANOE MARATHON
PHOTO FINISH THIRD YEAR IN A ROW
Oscoda MI-August 1,
2005, Eight Time Champions return to the top spot with their Ninth Weyerhaeuser
Au Sable River Canoe Marathon
Championship.
Serge Corbin of
Quebec and Jeff Kolka of Grayling Michigan edge out Matt Rimer of Horton, MI
and Andy Triebold of Spring Arbor, Michigan, with a time of 14:56:11
(Kolka/Corbin fourteen hours, fifty six minutes and eleven seconds) by one
second 14:56:12 (fourteen hours, fifty six minutes and twelve seconds) at the
finish line to win, their 9th (ninth) Weyerhaeuser Au Sable River
Canoe Marathon. The largest margin between the two teams was over one minute
early on in the race on the upper stretches of the Au Sable River. Kolka/Corbin
caught Triebold/Rimer before Wakeley Bridge
and the two teams were inseparable from that point forward. Throughout the night the teams exchanged lead
the lead and were not more than two seconds at any of the timing spots. Jim
Harwood of Grayling, MI and Allen Limberg of Wausau, Wisconsin finished third
with a time of 15:03:42 (fifteen hours, three minutes and forty two seconds)
also were in the lead pack at a number of timing points during this 120 mile
race across Michigan. Finishing Fourth was the team of Rick Joy
of Silverwood Michigan and Bill
Torongo of Roscommon Michigan
with a time of 15:17:59 (fifteen
hours, seventeen seconds and fifty nine seconds). Placing Fifth is Mo Harwood
of Grayling and Ted Kolka of Grayling with a time of 15:21:13 (fifteen hours, twenty one minutes and thirteen
seconds).
Finishing Sixth
was the Canadian team of Ian Cote and Guy Rousseau from Quebec
with a time of 15:27:01 (Fifteen
hours, twenty seven minutes and one second). The duo stayed in the top ten
throughout the night and into the day they made a move into the sixth position.
Rounding out the top ten were: Clark Kent of Lapper Michigan and Tim
Valko of Pinckney Michigan in seventh position with a time of 15:29:12 (fifteen
hours, twenty nine minutes and twelve seconds), Steve Watson of Onaway,
Michigan and John Sullivan of Grayling, Michigan in eighth position with a time
of 15:31:17 (fifteen hours, thirty one minutes and seventeen seconds), Nicholas
Bauer of Spokane Washington and Brad Bauer of Seattle Washington finished in
ninth position with a time of 15:36:50 (fifteen hours, thirty six minutes and
fifty seconds) and rounding out the top ten was Jason Hall of Crystal, Michigan
and Josh Taylor of Grayling, Michigan with a time of 15:42:21 (fifteen hours forty
two minutes and twenty one seconds).
The first mixed team to finish was Kate Ellis of Minneapolis
Minnesota and Todd Ellison of St. Paul
Minnesota with an overall time of 15:54:37 (fifteen hours, fifty four minutes
and thirty seven seconds) resulting in an 14th place finish.
Crowd favorite, 80 year old Al Widing Sr. of Mio Michigan and partner,
61 year old Bob Bradford of Lapper Michigan finished in 22nd position with a
time of 16:17:31 (sixteen hours, seventeen minutes, thirty one seconds) this was
Al Widing’s 36th Marathon and Bob Bradford’s 17th Marathon. Another team with
age on their side was Frank Smutek of Luzerne, Michigan
at 71 years old and Rejean Huard of Shawinigan,
Quebec at 63 years old finished in 46th
position with a time of 18:27:32
(eighteen hours, twenty seven minutes and thirty two seconds). Rejean Huard is
the executive director the La Classique, the third leg of Triple Crown of Canoe
Racing held over the Labor Day Weekend in Quebec.
The youngest
finisher of the 2005 Marathon was 15 year old Chris
Hewitt of Bay City, Michigan,
who teamed with his Father Chuck to finish the race with an overall time of 18:25:24 (eighteen hours, twenty five minutes
and twenty four seconds.
The Weyerhaeuser Au Sable River Canoe Marathon is the
World’s Longest, Toughest, and Richest Non-Stop Canoe Marathon in North
America and runs from Grayling, Michigan
to Oscoda, Michigan
along the scenic Au Sable River.
