TRAVERSE CITY -- Day one of this year's Outback Steakhouse Canoe Race went pretty much as expected with two of North America's top canoe racers, Andy Triebold of Spring Arbor and Connie Cannon of East Lansing, taking top honors in Saturday's five-lap race.
Both, considered among the top canoe racers in the world, won the five-lap sprint on the Boardman River -- in 39.16 minutes for Triebold and 42.33 minutes for Cannon, who was the only female competing for the $500 purse.
Triebold had a much closer race with Bill Torongo of Roscommon, Russ Rocker of Flint, Matt Rimer of Grayling and Tim Triebold of Spring Arbor, all finishing in under 40 minutes. All five crossed the finish line within a minute.
Triebold is also a cross-country ski racer who has won the White Pine Stampede in past years.
The course was just downstream from Hull Park and utilized the sheltered portion of the river from the railroad trestle down to Union Street Dam. In years past the Michigan Canoe Racing Association (MCRA) sanctioned event had taken place in Boardman Lake, but the wind often proved to be a problem.
"This sheltered portion of the river makes a perfect spot for the race and allows spectators to observe the race from along the boardwalk and both the Eighth Street and Cass Street bridges," event coordinator Karl Pearson said.
"It was a perfect day for the event, and we had a good turnout."
Prior to the 3 p.m. race the racing fraternity had held a family-friendly Paddle Day on the same portion of the Boardman River. The event featured a buoyed obstacle course.
"The course simulated, in a safe environment, the hazards paddlers might encounter in a river or crowded lake," he explained. "It requires paddlers to maneuver their boats in all possible directions and gives them a chance to improve their skills."
About 35 paddlers successfully completed the course, Pearson said.
This morning the second leg of the professionally sanctioned race takes place with a tandem event.
Teams will take a lap on Brown Bridge Pond starting at 9:30 a.m., then proceed down the Boardman River with four portages -- Brown Bridge Dam, Keystone Rapids, Boardman Dam and Sabin Dam -- and finish at Hull Park. The estimated paddling time is about two-and-a-half-hours.
"This race, with all the portages, is considered a good warm-up for the AuSable Canoe Marathon, which comes up later in the month," Pearson said. "You will see many of these same teams competing in that event as well."
Once they approach Hull Park after successfully completing the river portion, the tandem canoes will go under the railroad trestle and follow the same course as Saturday's sprint race and return to Hull Park for the finish.
There's a purse of $1,500, which will be split among the winning teams. Last year's event drew nearly 40 teams.
The Michigan Canoe Racing Association is the largest in the nation with over 250 active, racing members.
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