Updated July 28 at 4:10 p.m.
Andrew Triebold and Steve Lajoie win 72nd AuSable River Canoe Marathon
Nothing but the lights on the front of canoes show through the darkness as the racers make their way to Wakeley Bridge.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Nothing but the lights on the front of canoes show through the darkness as the racers make their way to Wakeley Bridge.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Nothing but the lights on the front of canoes show through the darkness as the racers make their way to Wakeley Bridge.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Zach Cheney of Grayling and Chris Ecker of Mio paddle past Wakeley Bridge.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Mike Hartman of Grayling and Flash Marsh of Mio paddle past Wakeley Bridge.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Chris Prater and Oliver McMillan get replenished by their feeding crew at the Wakeley Bridge.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Daniel Medina and Matt Gabriel, Jr. (91) battle for position with Mathieu Pellerin and Jimmy Pellerin (66) at Wakeley Bridge.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Logan Mynar and Kyle Mynar maneuver their canoe past Wakeley Bridge.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Canoes battle for position up front at the Wakeley Bridge crossing.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Canoes battle for position up front at the Wakeley Bridge crossing.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Andrew Triebold and Steve Lajoie lead the field at the Wakeley Bridge timing point.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
People pack the edge of the Wakeley Bridge as they wait for the first canoes to come through.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Zach Cheney of Grayling and Chris Ecker of Mio (95) take to the water at the start of the marathon.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Racers scramble to get their canoes in the water and get the race underway.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Guillaume Blais and Samuel Frigon lead the field to the river at the start of the marathon.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Racers scramble to get their canoes in the water and get the race underway.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Racers scramble to get their canoes in the water and get the race underway.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Guillaume Blais and Samuel Frigon lead the field to the river at the start of the marathon.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
People cheer as organizers film them for social media before the start of the race.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
The banks of the AuSable River in Grayling are packed before the start of the marathon.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
A member of the crowd dances along to the music.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
A girl dances along to the music as she waits for the race to start.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
One of the girls in the audience dances to “The Cupid Shuffle.”
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
People in the crowd cheer for a free T-shirt.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
One of the emcee’s points to a group in the crowd as he prepares to toss a T-shirt.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
A couple kayaks are paddled down the river as they are given away before the start.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Consumers Energy Vice President of Public Affairs Roger Curtis throws T-shirts to the crowd from the river before the start of the race.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Crawford County Sheriff Shawn Kraycs tells people to be safe as they follow the race throughout the night.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
People pack the banks of the AuSable River as they await the start of the race.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
People line the banks of the AuSable River in Grayling as the sun sets before the start of the marathon.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Tim Sheldon and Anthony Massicotte carry their canoe on the Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Michael Schlimmer and Patrick Madden run their canoe down the hill at the Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Daniel Medina and Matt Gabriel, Jr. run up the ramp at the Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Ryan Zaveral and Pierre-Olivier Quesnel run up the ramp at the Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Joseph Schlimmer and Philip Millspaugh begin their sprint across the Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Wesley Dean and Kyle Stonehouse carry their canoe on the Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Chris Issendorf and Pete Mead portage their canoe over the Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Several canoes make it to the Mio Dam together.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Spots of light from some of the canoes can be seen across Mio Pond as they approach the Mio Dam portage.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Andrew Triebold and Steve Lajoie are the first to arrive at the Mio Dam portage early Sunday morning.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Mike "Buzzy" Hartman of Grayling and Flash Marsh of Mio (43) climb back into their canoe.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Zach Cheney of Grayling and Chris Ecker of Mio run their canoe down the hill at the Mio Dam as they are pursued by Mike "Buzzy" Hartman of Grayling and Flash Marsh of Mio.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Zach Cheney of Grayling and Chris Ecker of Mio run their canoe down the hill at the Mio Dam as they are pursued by Mike "Buzzy" Hartman of Grayling and Flash Marsh of Mio.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Craig Stolen and Ryan Peterson put their canoe back in the water at Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Sean Casey and Bryan Bearss head down the steps and prepare to put their canoe back in the water at the Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Seth Miller and Stephen Miller run down the hill at Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Brandon Barnes and Jason Sharpe run down the hill at the Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
People pack the path at the base of the dam as a couple racers carry their canoe back to the river.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Charles Darchen and Jon Webb race down the Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Ray Trudgeon and Bill Torongo (14) lead Rod McLain and Andy Hall as they have a foot race on the Mio Dam.
Eric Young/Oscoda County Herald
Posted
OSCODA — Andrew Triebold and Steve Lajoie won the 72nd Annual AuSable River Canoe Marathon, crossing the finish line just five seconds before second place finishers Guillaume Blais and Samuel Frigon.
Triebold and Lajoie finished the marathon with a time of 14:15.34.
The marathon kicked off in Grayling Saturday, July 27. The race began as the sky began to darken, with rain falling just a few minutes after the start of the race. Paddlers will battle until Sunday when the race will finish in Oscoda.
Local competitor Flash Marsh of Mio along with Mike Hartman of Grayling finished the race in 42nd position with a time of 16:30:59.
Another local competitor, Chris Ecker of Mio, along with Zach Cheney of Grayling, finished in 45th place with a time of 16:39:34. The two teams battled throughout the night, even colliding during the Mio Dam portage as Marsh and Hartman passed Ecker and Cheney for position.
Josh Kellogg of Curran and Mike Kellogg of Montague placed 53rd in the event with a time of 16:52:38.
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