Created by Hall of Fame Historian, John B. Cook, the Iron Paddler Award is given to paddlers who have finished 10 or more AuSable River Canoe Marathons in the Professional Division. To put 10 finishes into perspective, it is 1,200 miles of intense hardcore paddling; it is a minimum of 500,000 relentless paddle strokes; it is a minimum of 140 hours of grueling canoe racing. As of 2019, 104 paddlers have received the Iron Paddler Award.

Iron Paddler Award Recipients

The Steel Paddler Award is given to paddlers who have finished 20 or more AuSable River Canoe Marathons in the Professional Division. The Steel Paddler Award recipients include:

  1. Al Widing, Sr.
  2. Rick Joy
  3. Serge Corbin
  4. Jeff Kolka
  5. Lynne Witte
  6. Tony Short
  7. Ken Kolonich
  8. Bill Torongo
  9. Michael Garon
  10. Jon Webb
  11. Dwight Walker
  12. Fred Mills
  13. Jeff DeFeo

The Titanium Paddler Award is given to paddlers who have finished 30 or more AuSable River Canoe Marathons in the Professional Division. The Titanium Paddler Award recipients include:

  1. Al Widing, Sr.
  2. Rick Joy
  3. Lynne Witte
  4. Bill Torongo

Estimated Winning Time