OSCODA- 120 miles and more than 50,000 paddle strokes done in almost complete darkness. No doubt the middle stop of Canoeing’s triple Crown is a test only the top paddlers in the world can complete, and spectators flocked to the start of the race to appreciate those willing to brave the AuSable River.
The race began in Grayling, Michigan, where paddlers would have to race on foot for four blocks to get their canoes into the water. Their starting position is determined by time trials the previous days.
A new time trials course record was set this year, however the first canoe to hit the water was number 99, occupied by Travis Mecklenburg and Weston Willoughby.
Once they gained their initial edge they never looked back, 14 hours, seventeen minutes and seven second spent in the lead and the first team to cross the finish line in Oscoda.
“Yeah, we just couldn’t let the foot off the gas at all, like completely off the gas, we just had a small lead the whole night and never got too comfortable. It was definitely a lot of pressure throughout the whole night but I’m glad it worked out this way” (Mecklenburg).
“It was a lot of pressure, but we just kind of ran our own race and never went too hard and never had to dig out of a hole” (Willoughby).
It’s a sweet first-time win for the two Northern Michigan natives; Mecklenburg is from Grayling while Willoughby is from Traverse City.
“We worked so hard. I’ve been doing this for 12 years trying to get to number one. It’s a lot of work paid off, really” (Willoughby).
It was so much fun, just such a great event, just so much fun all night long" (Mecklenburg).
The two teamed up in December and spoke about what made them such a great tandem.
“Weston’s a great mentor, been doing it for so many years and knows so much” (Mecklenburg).
“There’s so much I think we’re both not afraid to put the work in. And, even if we’re feeling a little bad or a little behind, we’ve been behind in a lot of races, and it’s just we’re just able to tough it out and dig out of the hole. Luckily, we didn’t have a hole to dig out of today, so that really helps” (Willoughby).
While they may end up competing against one another next year, one thing is certain, they’ll be back to test themselves on the AuSable again.
“Like the start is just, I don’t know, it’s just eerie. But clearing the road, there’s nothing like it” (Mecklenburg).
“I think you get sucked in and you can’t leave” (Willoughby).
You can see the full race results here.