Fast times, sunny skies highlight 6th annual canoe race
With the best weather conditions during the six-year history of the Onaway Professional Canoe Race some familiar names crossed the finish line on Tower Pond.
Trimming nearly seven minutes off last year?s winning time of 1 hour 48 minutes, Andy Triebold of Concord and Matt Rimer of Grayling led the C-2 pro-class race on Mother?s Day — pretty much from start to finish.
The race started at the Tower Pond boat launch, with a sprint to the first buoy near the snowmobile/former railroad bridge. With all the racers bunched up at the first turn, it is one of the toughest of the race, but Triebold and Rimer got there first, and never trailed.
A few racers, who were forced closer to shore than they wanted, barked at each other as they tried to get out of the turn and continue to the next buoy near the M-68 bridge. THE WINNING time was 1:41:59. Brothers Rod and Ryan Halstead of Grayling were second in 1:46:16.
There were 31 teams, two of which were led by female members.
The C-1 race (one man canoe) was Saturday afternoon (5:30 start time) on Kleber Pond. Andy Triebold won in 45:45. Second was Bill Torongo from Roscommon in 46:04. The C-1 race had 25 entrants.
The race routinely has been conducted under dark gloomy skies. Not this year. ?It was the very first time we?ve had good weather,? said organizer Steve Watson, who came in 11th with teammate Ted Kolka. In years past, racers have had to endure strong winds, especially in the wide-open area on Kleber Pond. The winds were calm this year.
The race covers parts of Tower and Kleber ponds, as well as the upper Black River. The race also includes four portages, with the longest being 200 yards.
?The race is part of a season-long schedule that includes races all over the state,? said Watson. ?Paddlers came from as far away as central Indiana, most of whom come back to the Onaway race year after year.
?THE PADDLERS and the entire Michigan Canoe Racing Association relies on local communities like ours to provide a challenging race course and prize money to accomodate the race’s needs
This was the third leg of the Michigan Canoe Racing Association schedule. The most notable race on the schedule is the AuSable River Canoe marathon in late July.
This year the race operated in conjunction with a fundraiser for the class of 2008 at OHS.
A number of students were responsible for collecting sponsorships of with the class receiving a percentage of all entry fees. Then, under the direction of class advisor, Amber Watson, the students organized a banquet after the race.
The canoes weigh between 25-30 lbs, made from carbon-graphite, and cost over $3,500. Paddles weigh only seven ounces and cost more than $175.