AuSable River Canoe Marathon

A Birds-Eye View of the Thrilling Start of the 2024 Consumers Energy AuSable River Canoe Marathon

Check out this unedited birds-eye view of the thrilling LeMans-style running start of the Consumers Energy 76th AuSable River Canoe Marathon.

Thousands of fans lined the streets and riverbanks in Grayling, Michigan to catch a glimpse of the teams as they dashed by with their high-tech carbon-fiber racing canoes. Fans describe it as one of the most exciting race starts in all of sports.

The race started in Grayling at 9pm on Saturday night, July 27. The two-person teams paddle 50 to 90 paddle strokes per minute for 14 to 19 hours non-stop and 120 miles to the finish line in Oscoda, on Sunday. Over 50,000 fans view all or some part of the race; race-watch parties at homes along the famed AuSable River are a popular place to be during the last weekend of July every year.

Ninety-nine of the top marathon canoe racing teams from throughout the U.S., Canada, and Belize started the 2024 edition of the AuSable River Canoe Marathon (ARCM). It is one of the toughest, fastest-paced, most grueling, and most competitive marathon canoe races on Earth and it is the middle leg of the prestigious Triple Crown of Canoe Racing.

Check out dozens more AuSable Marathon videos - including the Emmy-award winning ARCM docuseries 'Au Sable', produced by the video team at Consumers Energy.

View them all on your big screen TV - by going to the ARCM YouTube Channel, here: