Traverse City Record-Eagle

Crawford County

July 16, 2009

AuSable draws record field

90 teams already entered in race

BY MIKE DUNN

GRAYLING -- In spite of a down economy, the 2009 AuSable River Canoe Marathon has already drawn a record field of racers.

Ninety two-person teams have registered thus far for the 62nd annual race, which takes place July 25-26.

The 120-mile marathon, billed as "North America's longest, richest and toughest non-stop canoe race," follows the winding contours of the AuSable River from Grayling to Oscoda and offers more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.

A majority of the racers hail from the Grayling area and other nearby locations across northern Michigan but, as is true every year, some come from distant locations. So far, 14 states are represented and three provinces in Canada. One team that entered just this week is traveling from Belize.

Race spokesman Phil Weiler is not surprised by the strong turnout, in spite of the present economic conditions.

"We saw a couple of things last year that are continuing this year," he said. "The number of first-time paddlers is on the rise, for one thing. There's a real youth movement going on right now and we're seeing the torch passed from one generation of racers to the next. Last year, we had 12 first-time teams and so far this year we have eight and we expect a few more.

"The second thing is that we're getting a pretty good number of teams from out East. Most of the guys who come from the East tell us how much they enjoy and say they're coming back next year and, when they do, they bring a few others with them. Word is getting around. People love coming to northern Michigan to race their canoes in the summer. They get treated really well here and they love visiting the area."

Ray Wonders, 48, and son Ray Jr., 16, of Anchorage, Alaska, are making the farthest journey to take part in the 2009 race. Dick Kloss, 67, is coming from Wallaceberg, Ontario, to compete in his tenth marathon with partner Dick Frederick, 59, of Archer, Fla.

As of Thursday, neither of the 2008 champions, Andy Triebold, 33, of Spring Arbor, and Steve Lajoie, 33, of Mirabel, Quebec, was entered. Triebold was also the 2007 champion with Grayling's Matt Rimer.

The highest finisher from 2008 to be part of the field as of Thursday was Matt Streib, 45, of Bristol, Ind. Last year, Streib finished in second place with then-partner Steve Kolonich of Eaton Rapids. This year, Streib is partnered with veteran racer Steve Corlew, 28, of Brighton, and they are considered one of the pre-race favorites.

Fifth-place finisher Ray Trudgeon, 27, of East Lansing is also back in the field and joins with new partner Brad Bauer, 35, of Seattle, to form another one of the strong contenders for the 2009 title. Bauer came in seventh last year with then-partner Tony Short of Kawkawlin.

Another pre-race contender is the team of Matt Meersman, 30, of South Bend, Ind. and Sean Casey, 30, of Mount Pleasant. Meersman came in sixth overall last year with then-partner Josh Taylor of Grayling. Casey teamed with 83-year-old Al Widing Sr. of Mio a year ago and came in 26th.

The racers are competing this weekend in the annual Spike's Challenge Canoe Race in Grayling, a marathon warm-up event. Many also competed this past weekend in the annual Curley Memorial Race in Oscoda.

The water level in the river at the time of the race goes a long way toward determining times. The higher the water level, the better. Last year the water level was very good, the best since 1994, and this year could be a repeat of the same conditions. Weiler said it's still too early to tell, though.

"Right now the river looks good but this is only the first two weeks in July," he said. "It all depends on the rain. If we go two weeks without rain, the water level will go down and that will affect the time. In a canoe race, two inches of water can make a big difference.

"Last year we had really good water. It was the first time we had water like that since 1994 and the times reflected it. This year we're obviously hoping for the same but it's a wait-and-see kind of thing."

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