The Au Sable River Canoe Marathon (ARCM), presented by Consumers Energy, (also stylized as the AuSable River Canoe Marathon) is an annual canoe race in Michigan from Grayling to Oscoda. Nicknamed and known simply as "The Marathon," it first ran in 1947, and is perhaps the oldest marathon canoe race in the United States, and is the longest, non-stop, canoe-only race in North America. The race has been billed as "The World's Toughest Spectator Race" as many of the spectators follow the racers overnight down the full to the finish. Former Grayling resident Jim Harrison wrote an article in Sports Illustrated in 1973 in which he referred to the race as “a night of unmitigated punishment.”
Race format The original idea for the race was to attract tourists after Labor Day. From 1947 to 1960 the race was held in August/September with start times of midnight, early afternoon and 9-10pm. Prior to 1968, teams left at timed intervals. Major sponsor Grayling Chamber of Commerce withdrew their support in 1961 and the race began at the Camp 10 bridge in the morning and ended at Lake Huron. For most of the following seven years, all teams began on Saturday morning in Grayling, stopped for the night in Mio, with pro teams resuming the race Sunday morning from Mio to Oscoda. Amateur teams got a head start at Five Channels Dam. The LeMans start was instituted in 1968, now an iconic part of the race. The non-stop race returned for good in 1970, held on the July 4th weekend. The following year, the race was moved to the last weekend in July. The starting time was moved from 10pm to 9pm during the 1980s, as was the day, from Friday night to Saturday night. The format has remained constant since then.
Race details To determine the starting position of the racers for the night of the Canoe Marathon, there is a sprint held to determine which of the teams is fastest or slowest. The sprint trials are held at Penrod's Canoe Livery. The trials are held the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before the race on Saturday. Each team will head upstream one quarter mile towards the Old AuSable Fly Shop. Once there you must complete a counter clockwise turn around a buoy. Then you must head back downstream to the starting point and the next team does not start until the team finishing reaches a point close to the start buoy. On average this can take from 2 minutes and 15 seconds to 5 minutes. The overall finish times range from about 4 minutes and 30 seconds to 13 minutes. While they are on their way back to the starting buoy they must maintain the number of buoys on the left side of their canoe. Once all of the teams have finished the sprint trials they will be lined up in groups of five, from fastest to slowest, on the night of the Marathon, to make the LeMans-style foot race that starts the race.
The Marathon starts at 9:00 P.M. in Grayling in a LeMans-style start where the competitors carry their canoes in a footrace four-blocks through town to the Au Sable River entry point. Upon reaching the Au Sable River, they begin paddling non-stop throughout the night. In addition to paddling for 14–19 hours non-stop overnight, competitors must also make portages around six hydroelectric dams along the river race route.
To participate in the race the competitor must be at least the age of 15. In order to enter by July 1 there is a $220 fee. To enter by July 15, the fee is $320, and to enter by July 25 the fee is $420. However, the fees are all worth their prices because upon completing the race the canoers are awarded cash prizes. Even if a racer finishes in 40th place, they will receive more than their entry fee. Competitors that finish after 40th place will receive a finishers medal.
The race relies on the efforts made by many volunteers, and is organized and ran by an all-volunteer non-profit organization: AuSable River International Canoe Marathon, Inc.
Docuseries A three-part documentary entitled, Au Sable was released in 2024 on YouTube and aired on local public-access TV stations. It was subtitled, "The River. The Race. The Legends." Narrated by George Blaha, voice of the Detroit Pistons and Michigan State Spartans, it was created by Justin Garant and Darren Cleavenger-Grimsley, two employees of Consumers Energy, primary sponsor of the ARCM since 2012. The production team from Consumers Energy provided assistance, as did the volunteers from the AuSable River Canoe Marathon staff.
On June 15, 2024, the project won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Documentary from the Michigan chapter of the organization.
Festival Since 1971, Grayling has held their annual Au Sable River Festival beginning the weekend prior to the race.
AuSable River Festival Events Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday SundayAnnual Car and Truck show & parade C-2 challenge race, Grayling to McMaster's Bridge ARCM Kids Day Blind Canoe race-Oscoda Dash for Cash-Oscoda Cardboard Canoe Race-OscodaArts & Crafts show Finish celebration-Oscoda Pancake breakfast Greased Watermelon Race-OscodaVendor & Activity booths Sprints to determine starting position Food Trucks & Vendors C-1 challenge race, Grayling to Burton's Landing Hurry Up & Paddle H.U.P. C-1 Express race Grayling to Burton's LandingCraft brew avenue Blessing of the Paddlers concert Business relaysMainstage entertainment ARCM 120 challenge Lumberjack breakfast Steak-out dinner AuSable River Festival 5K/10K ARCM Special Olympics Challenge Corn Hole & Horseshoe tournaments ARCM Time Trials Miss AuSable River Festival pageant & parade
The Triple Crown of Canoe Racing The Au Sable River Canoe Marathon is one of the three marathon canoe races comprising the Triple Crown of Canoe Racing which recognizes the top performances by Marathon Canoe Racers who compete at all three of North America's most prestigious marathon canoe races: General Clinton Canoe Regatta, staged Memorial Day on New York's Susquehanna River - a one-day, non-stop non-stop race from Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, to Bainbridge, New York. Au Sable River Canoe Marathon, one of North America's toughest, richest canoe races, an overnight, non-stop race from Grayling to Oscoda on Northern Michigan's AuSable River during the last full weekend of July. La Classique International de Canots de La Maurice, staged Labor Day weekend on central Quebec's majestic Saint-Maurice River - a three-day, three-stage race from La Tuque to Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.
Prizes With 2024 prizes exceeding $55,000, ARCM is the richest canoe race in North America. The team that breaks the existing record of 13:54:09 will win a cash bonus of $1,300.
Cash Awards1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th $6,000 $4,000 $2,900 $2,300 $1,700 $1,500 $1,400 $1,300 $1,200 $1,100 $1,050 $1,000 $950 $900 $850 $800 $750 $700 $650 $600 21st22nd23rd24th25th26th27th28th29th30th31st32nd33rd34th35th36th37th38th39th40th $580 $560 $540 $520 $500 $480 $460 $440 $420 $400 $380 $360 $340 $320 $300 $290 $280 $270 $260 $250
Bonus Awards Name Composition1st2nd3rd Women's Two female paddlers $350 $200 $150 Mixed One male, one female paddler $350 $200 $150 Rookie First marathon, both paddlers $250 $150 $100 All-Michigan Michigan residents, both paddlers $250 $150 $100 Masters 40+ years old, both paddlers $250 $150 $100 Seniors 50+ years old, both paddlers $250 $150 $100 Veterans 60+ years old, both paddlers $250 $150 $100 Youth/Adult One teenager, one 35+ years old $250 $150 $100
Seniors and Veterans don't qualify for the Master's bonus, and Veterans don't qualify for the Senior's bonus The team with the fastest split time for each of the 14 checkpoints wins $50 The team with the fastest point-to-point time for each of the 14 checkpoints wins $50 $8,000 in finisher's prizes (not cash) will be awarded to race finishers
Winners (Since 1980) * = course record YearPaddlers Time 2025 Travis Mecklenburg, Grayling, Michigan / GWeston Willoughby, Traverse City, Michigan 14:17:07 2024 Mike Davis, Grayling, Michigan / Guillaume Blais, Quebec 14:35:26 2023 Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec / Wesley Dean, Traverse City, Michigan 14:23:06 2022 Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec / Guillaume Blais, Quebec 14:36:17 2021 Jorden Wakeley, Grayling, Michigan / Matt Meersman, South Bend, Indiana 13:54:09* 2020 Race Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic 2019 Andrew Triebold, Grayling, Michigan / Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec 14:15:34 2018 Andrew Triebold, Grayling, Michigan / Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec 14:17:36 2017 Christophe Proulx, Shawinigan, Quebec / Samuel Frigon, St-Étienne-des-Grès, Quebec 14:18:45 2016 Christophe Proulx, Shawinigan, Quebec / Ryan Halstead, Grayling, Michigan 14:29:26 2015 Andrew Triebold, Grayling, Michigan / Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec 14:31:56 2014 Andrew Triebold, Grayling, Michigan / Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec 14:36:18 2013 Andrew Triebold, Grayling, Michigan / Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec 14:20:24 2012 Andrew Triebold, Grayling, Michigan / Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec 14:42:43 2011 Andrew Triebold, Grayling, Michigan / Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec 14:41:00 2010 Andrew Triebold, Spring Arbor, Michigan / Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec 14:17:29 2009 Andrew Triebold, Spring Arbor, Michigan / Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec 14:17:42 2008 Andrew Triebold, Spring Arbor, Michigan / Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec 14:09:06 2007 Andrew Triebold, Spring Arbor, Michigan / Matt Rimer, Grayling, Michigan 14:48:55 2006 Jim Harwood, Grayling, Michigan / Allen Limberg, Wausau, Wisconsin 14:33:50 2005 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Jeff Kolka, Grayling, Michigan 14:56:11 2004 Andrew Triebold, Spring Arbor, Michigan / Steve Lajoie, Mirabel, Quebec 14:59:46 2003 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Jeff Kolka, Grayling, Michigan 14:55:03 2002 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Jeff Kolka, Grayling, Michigan 15:04:56 2001 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Jeff Kolka, Grayling, Michigan 15:06:48 2000 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Jeff Kolka, Grayling, Michigan 14:48:00 1999 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Jeff Kolka, Grayling, Michigan 14:08:18 1998 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Jeff Kolka, Grayling, Michigan 14:15:47 1997 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Jeff Kolka, Grayling, Michigan 14:19:36 1996 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Jeff Kolka, Grayling, Michigan 14:04:05 1995 Jim Harwood, Grayling, Michigan / Patrick Lynch, Shawinigan-Sud, Quebec 14:20:40 1994 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Solomon Carrière, Cumberland House, Saskatchewan 13:58:08 1993 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Solomon Carrière, Cumberland House, Saskatchewan 14:23:03 1992 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Brett Stockton, Grayling, Michigan 14:33:30 1991 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Brett Stockton, Grayling, Michigan 14:33:30 1990 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Brett Stockton, Grayling, Michigan 14:43:35 1989 Al Rudquist, Grand Rapids, Minnesota / Randy Drake, Virginia Beach, Virginia 14:38:18 1988 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Brett Stockton, Grayling, Michigan 14:20:00 1987 Serge Corbin, Shawinigan, Quebec / Brett Stockton, Grayling, Michigan 14:34:32 1986 Butch Stockton, Higgins Lake, Michigan / Brett Stockton, Grayling, Michigan 14:30:38 1985 Butch Stockton, Higgins Lake, Michigan / Brett Stockton, Grayling, Michigan 14:35:53 1984 Butch Stockton, Higgins Lake, Michigan / Solomon Carrière, Cumberland House, Saskatchewan 14:20:40 1983 Butch Stockton, Higgins Lake, Michigan / Brett Stockton, Grayling, Michigan 14:38:36 1982 Butch Stockton, Higgins Lake, Michigan / Brett Stockton, Grayling, Michigan 14:38:27 1981 John Baker, Grayling, Michigan / Ken Brown, St. Clair Shores, Michigan 14:29:01 1980 John Baker, Grayling, Michigan / Ron Williams, Smither, British Columbia 14:48:31
The race record for the current course is 13:54:09, set by Jorden Wakeley of Grayling, MI and Matt Meersman of South Bend, IN in 2021.