Spikes Challenge could feature another record field during milestone year for Marathon

Often, when competitor numbers are up for the AuSable River Canoe Marathon, they’re also up for the Spike’s Challenge C-2 race.

This year – as the AuSable Marathon celebrates a milestone with its 75th race – competitor numbers for the 120-mile non-stop race from Grayling to Oscoda are up by a significant margin; 108 teams were signed up for the Marathon as of Wednesday, July 12. With the current record being 95 teams, the AuSable River Canoe Marathon is very likely to establish a new participation record.

Will the 2023 Spike’s Challenge C-2 race also feature a record field?

“Probably,” said Cheryl Lucey, one of the Spike’s Challenge organizers. 

The 2023 Spike’s Challenge C-2 sprints for starting position and C-2 race will be held this weekend, July 22 and 23. The C-2 race course runs from Grayling to McMasters Bridge.

Lucey said the Spike’s Challenge C-2 race is an important warm-up opportunity for AuSable River Canoe Marathon teams because it gives paddlers a look at the beginning of the Marathon’s 120-mile course.

“It’s the first part of the Marathon. It’s a way to find out what the waves will be like during the start of the Marathon,” Lucey said. “Those waves are different than any other race.”

Spike’s Keg ‘O’ Nails, a local restaurant and tavern, started the Spike’s Challenge C-2 race in 1991 as a shorter daytime version of the AuSable River Canoe Marathon. The Marathon is a 120-mile non-stop race that starts on a Saturday night in Grayling and ends on a Sunday morning/afternoon in Oscoda; it takes 14 to 19 hours to complete the course. In general, Spike’s Challenge C-2 teams paddle from the starting line in Grayling to the finish line at McMasters Bridge in 2.5 to four hours.

Often, the Spike’s Challenge and the AuSable Marathon have a similar number of teams. 

Last year, 93 teams competed in the AuSable River Canoe Marathon, and 86 teams – a new record for the event – paddled in the Spike’s Challenge. The previous mark for most Spike’s Challenge teams was 84 (established in 2016).

In 2021, 83 teams started the Marathon and 76 duos competed in the Spike’s Challenge. (The Spike’s Challenge and AuSable River Canoe Marathon were cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.) In 2019, the Marathon had 90 teams and the Spike’s Challenge had 74. In 2018, 84 teams started the AuSable Marathon and 80 teams started the Spike’s race. In 2017, the Marathon had 84 duos and the Spike’s Challenge had 66. In 2016, both events had record fields; the Marathon had 95 teams and the Spike’s Challenge had 84.

For AuSable River Canoe Marathon paddlers, the length and pace of the event make the Spike’s Challenge a different kind of endurance test. A few paddlers say the Spike’s Challenge – even though it’s much shorter – is more difficult than the Marathon.

“For the paddlers it is a hard race,” event organizers said. “It is really a three to four-hour long sprint. The course offers many challenges from cuts, shallow suck water, to deep runs and lots of eddies to survive.”

Like the AuSable River Canoe Marathon, the Spike’s Challenge features a running start with paddling teams carrying their canoes to the water at the Old AuSable Fly Shop. Both races determine their starting positions for the run to the river with a time trials event, but the Spike’s sprints are held on a different part of the river and they offer their own set of challenges.

The Spike’s Challenge C-2 sprints for starting positions are held at the city park. During sprints, teams paddle a looped course, going upstream first, then downstream, paddling under a railroad bridge twice, and finishing near the city park’s pedestrian bridge. Finish times usually range from 4.5 minutes to seven minutes. 

This year’s Spike’s Challenge sprints for starting position are slated to start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 22.

It takes a few hours to complete all of the sprints. There are breaks between heats to allow upcoming teams a chance to practice on the course and warm up.

Times at the sprints for position event on Saturday usually provide a strong forecast of which teams will finish in the top spots during the C-2 race on Sunday. 

Last year, all of the top 11 teams during the Spike’s Challenge C-2 sprints for starting position event also finished in the top 11 during the C-2 race. During the 2021 Spike’s Challenge, the first 12 teams to finish also had top-12 sprint times. In 2019, 10 of the top 11 teams in the C-2 race also posted top 11 sprint times. In 2018, all of the top 12 teams at sprints also finished in the top 12 during the C-2 race. 

The 2023 Spike’s Challenge C-2 race will start at 9 a.m. on Sunday, July 23. Teams will line up with their canoes on Ingham Street and run to the water at the Old AuSable Fly Shop during the start of the C-2 race. Based on past results, most teams will reach the finish line at McMasters Bridge between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. 

Lucey said the work of volunteers makes the race possible.

“We have so many people that help,” Lucey said. “Thank God that we’ve got so much help.”

Spike’s Challenge weekend also features a C-1 (one-person canoe) race. The 2023 C-1 event, which runs from Grayling to Burton’s Landing, is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 22. It begins at Joe Wakeley’s house, which is located next to Borchers AuSable Canoeing.

Registration forms are available online for the Spike’s Challenge C-2 and C-1 races. Go to the AuSable River Canoe Marathon website at www.ausablecanoemarathon.org, use the “Paddlers” option near the top of the page to select “Associated Events,” scroll down to click the “Spike’s Challenge” link, and then scroll down to the blue “C-2 Entry Form” and “C-1 Entry Form” links.