Experience the AuSable River Canoe Tradition

Join the celebration of the Annual AuSable River Canoe Marathon, North America’s toughest, richest canoe race.  The AuSable River Canoe Marathon, a.k.a. “The Marathon,” is a thrilling LeMans-style running-start canoe race that starts at night in Grayling and ends 120 miles later near the shores of Lake Huron in Oscoda, Michigan. The AuSable is one of the most beautiful free-flowing rivers in the United States.

The race is a professional, ultra-competitive race that attracts the very best professional paddlers from North and Central America. The race is grueling and strenuous, so contestants must be in peak condition to finish the race in the allotted time. The race is considered the middle leg of the Triple Crown of Canoe Racing and is often referred to as “the world’s toughest spectator race.”

When the race starts, the spectators initiate a cheer that culminates with thousands applauding the 90 or more teams as they run the four blocks to the river, with canoes overhead, all trying to enter the AuSable at the same place at the same time. Spectators will follow the contestants the 120 miles to Oscoda viewing the race at various vantage points. The last few miles of the race from Cooke Dam to Oscoda offer the very best observation points because of the high banks.

Request an early breakfast at the Huron House Bed & Breakfast so that you can get a prime location to see the very best contestants reach Cooke Dam.