AuSable River Canoe Marathon, live.

120 miles through the night on the AuSable

The AuSable River Canoe Marathon is a non-stop race for two-person canoes over 120 miles of the AuSable River in northern Michigan, from Grayling to Oscoda.

The race is held on the last full weekend of July, and in 2027 the start is on Saturday 24 July at 9:00 pm in Grayling. It begins with a LeMans-style running start, with teams running with their canoes to the water before paddling on into the dark. The idea for the race dates back to 1947, and 2026 saw the 78th running.

Every boat is a C-2, a canoe paddled by two people, and the teams keep going through the night and into Sunday. Along the way they carry their boats around six hydroelectric dams. The race ends in Oscoda, on the shores of Lake Huron, 14 to 19 hours after the start.

For people watching, the start in Grayling is a sight in itself, and the organiser lists good places to see the race along the river and at the dams through the night. The race is run by ARICM, Inc., and entries are handled on the organiser's registration page.

The marathon is also one of the three races of the canoe marathon Triple Crown, together with the General Clinton race and the Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie in Quebec. The organiser calls it the world's toughest spectator race, and publishes guidance both for spectators and for the feeder teams who support the paddlers.

On Livebib you can follow a paddler live if they choose to share their own position from the phone they carry on board, for example in a dry bag. That position comes from the paddler, not from the organiser's timing, and the official results are published by the organiser.