Watching the entire AuSable Canoe Marathon takes 19 non-stop hours and covers 120 miles (one way).
The race starts at 9:00 p.m. in downtown Grayling on Saturday and ends Sunday afternoon, 120 miles away in Oscoda.
The Completely Equipped Spectator Will Have:
- A Marathon Program – racer and course information
- Pencil and eraser to record positions at timing marks during races
- A Michigan Road Map
- Walkman
- Lawn Chairs
- Binoculars
- Insect Repellent
- Soap, towel & toothbrush and personal toilette items
- Toilette Paper
- Washcloth (wet in baggy
- Camera & Film (84 exposures)
- Pillows
- Alarm Clock (don’t let the race pass you by while taking a cat nap)
- Rain Gear
- Shorts
- Hat
- Change of clothing, if needed for awards banquet in Oscoda
- Cooler with sandwiches, pop, energy bars etc.
- Thermos
- Money
- Flashlight for finding your way to river in middle of night
- Penlight for looking at program at riverside
- Sunglasses
- Portable Scanner (tuned to Grayling Repeater on 145.13 and Mio at 145.35 will provide constant updates of team times during race)
- The 50th Anniversary Book on the marathon
Spectators start to locate prime viewing spots on the banks of Ray’s Canoe Livery six hours before the start. Pre-race activities will at 6:30 p.m. that will include introduction of the paddlers, entertainment and the singing of national anthems. Spectators pre-position their vehicles to leave the start as soon as possible to leave the start for many of the viewing points along the river. My favorite is Alcona at 5:30 AM where several people will gather to see who leads in the morning light across Alcona Pond. In 1991 after eight hours of racing the crowd watched five canoes pull across the pond with less than five seconds between them.
As the 9:00 PM draws near, the excitement of the crowd builds anticipating the start. When the cannon booms, the spectators closest to start of the four block run will initiate a cheer that culminates with thousands applauding the fifty or more teams as they try to reach and enter the AuSable in the same place at the same time. The very best will not stop until they reach Lake Huron in Oscoda, 120 miles away.
The following represents the times that the leading teams will reach sites along the course of the race. Between these sites are many places that provide great places to observe and to meet fellow followers of the race. Places near Grayling like the location of the now removed Rayburn Lodge and Keystone offer excellent viewing of the early racing.
As the race travels its course, official timers report on the exact times that racers pass. When they do this they radio the information on each split time to the race office in Grayling. A hand-held scanner with the correct frequencies, will provide reports on who is moving up through the pack and who is falling back. The timers also report teams having problems and what teams are pulling out. Having a scanner can add enormously to knowing what is going on with the race. It can also be used to pick up the continuous weather updates from the National Weather Service. Several radio stations also carry updates on the race during the night.
After Mio Dam, the driving route will take you along the river on McKinley Road. This road until Comins Flats offers at least six vantage points that vary from the category of secret to very secret. The last few miles of the race from Cooke Dam to Oscoda offer the very best of observation points, because of the high banks.
- Burton’s Landing 9:40 PM
- Stephan Bridge 10:15 PM
- Wakely Bridge 10:45 PM
- McMaster’s Bridge 11:45 PM
- Parmalee Bridge 12:45 AM
- Camp 10 Bridge 1:55 AM
- Mio Dam 2:00 AM
- McKinley Bridge 4:00 AM
- 4001 Bridge 5:00 AM
- Alcona Dam 5:30 AM
- Loud Dam 7:20 AM
- Five Channels Dam 7:45 AM
- Cooke Dam 8:45 AM
- Foote Dam 10:00 AM
- Oscoda (finish) 11:00 AM
Needless to say, after you have successfully observed the AuSable Canoe Marathon you are qualified to observe the third race in the Triple Crown the La Classique de Canots de la Mauricie , staged Labor Day weekend on central Quebec's majestic St. Maurice River. This is a three-day, three-stage race in an area that is very reminiscent of Europe more than the U.S.. It is only a sixteen hour drive, you will meet many, many interesting people, most of which do not speak English. See you on the river.
We can be contacted at PO Box 911, Grayling, Michigan, USA or at the following:
Phone 989-348-2933, FAX 989-348-4425, E-Mail 100774.210@CompuServe.Com
Safe paddling.