Partnership with U.S. Anti-Doping Agency
To help ensure the health and well-being of our athletes—and to help protect the integrity of our event and the sport of marathon canoe racing—the AuSable River Canoe Marathon is pleased to announce a new partnership with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Beginning in 2026, this collaboration will introduce a pioneering Clean Sport Initiative for the AuSable River Canoe Marathon (ARCM) and the sport of marathon canoe racing.
USADA is the national anti-doping organization for Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American, and Parapan American sports in the United States. Widely regarded as the gold standard in the global anti-doping movement, USADA leads efforts to protect clean competition through athlete education, scientific research, testing, and results management.
As the administrators of our new anti-doping initiative, USADA will provide education, resources, testing, and results management for the 78th AuSable River Canoe Marathon.
AuSable River Canoe Marathon Clean Sport Initiative FAQ’s: LINK HERE
Testing
Administration of the Clean Sport program, including anti-doping testing, at the ARCM will be conducted by USADA in accordance with the Premier Sport Anti-Doping policy and will follow the ‘Professional Fighters League’ (PFL) Prohibited List.
A comprehensive resource providing an overview of the doping control process, athlete rights and responsibilities, and other crucial information for athletes and athlete support personnel policy can be found here: 2025-Premier-Sports-Anti-Doping-Policy.pdf.
Athletes are prohibited from using the substances and methods listed on the: ‘Professional Fighters League’ (PFL) Prohibited List, found here: 2023-PFL-Prohibited-List.pdf
Testing process and results administration by USADA will follow the Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement, found here: USADA_protocol.pdf
Check Your Medications. Use Global DRO to check whether any generic or name-brand medications you’re taking contain a prohibited substance.
Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs). If you are taking a medication for an illness or condition that contains a prohibited substance, you will need to see if you are eligible for a TUE, or medical exemption. All athletes will be treated as Recreational Athletes and can apply for a TUE retroactively. The only exception is athletes who qualify as an International-Level Athlete or National-Level Athlete under USADA’s TUE Policy. See USADA’s Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) page for more information.
Strict Liability Applies. Athletes are responsible for 1) knowing what substances are prohibited, and 2) any substance found in their body, regardless of how it got there.
Dietary and Nutritional Supplement Use
Dietary and nutritional supplements are not regulated and pose a considerable risk of positive drug test results due to contamination and inaccurate labelling. If you choose to use supplements despite the known risks, USADA recommends using only those certified by a third-party program that tests for substances prohibited in sport
See Supplement Connect, USADA’s dietary supplement safety education resource, for more information.
The TrueSport Supplement Guide details the benefits of a food-first nutrition strategy, providing food and supplement comparisons, as well as ways to help athletes realize and reduce the risks associated with dietary supplements. The link for the TrueSport Supplement Guide can be found here: https://www.usada.org/wp-content/uploads/supplement-guide.pdf
NSF’s Certified for Sport® helps athletes, dietitians, coaches, and consumers around the world make safer decisions when choosing sport supplements, functional foods, and personal care products: Certified for Sport®
In consultation with registered dietitians, USADA and its TrueSport program created an optimal dietary intake guide for those looking to reach their full potential through nutrition. Nutrition-Guide.pdf
Help keep your sport clean
Report Doping – Play Clean Tip Center | U.S. Anti-Doping Agency USADA
Clean Sport Initiative Underway
Triple Crown of Canoe Racing
Beginning in 2026, all race organizations that make up the Triple Crown of Canoe Racing have committed to reciprocally recognizing and enforcing across all three events any sanctions imposed by USADA:
- General Clinton Canoe Regatta
- AuSable River Canoe Marathon
- Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie
More Information
More information will be forthcoming on the ARCM website, and as part of the athlete race registration process.
We invite you to explore USADA’s athlete tools and clean sport resources featured on the USADA Education Resources Card (below), as well as resources at www.usada.org.