Ron Koenig, a member of our pit crew and brother of Mark Koenig, makes sure everything is ready for the first pit of the race at White Pines Campground.

The portage at Mio Dam was the first of the race and came at about six hours into the race for the team that we were following.  Hundreds of race fans turned out to watch the paddlers come through the dam between 2 and 3 in the morning.

Teams in the top twenty come through another popular pit zone at McKinley Bridge.  The first place boat came through this spot seven hours into the race.

Dave Timmerman and Mark Koenig make final preparations for the start of the 61st Annual AuSable RIver Canoe Marathon on the afternoon of July 26th.

Mark Koenig survey’s the start line of AuSable Marathon.  Koenig and Timmerman started the race in the 31st following the afternoon’s time trial.  The begining of the race saw all 76 teams run down the street to the river in a LeMans style start.

The first few miles of the race are very hectic as the boats remain clustered as they come down.  Above, boats pass Penrods Canoe Livery in the first 10 minutes of the race.

Pictures will follow as soon as I start to edit down my take. Stay tuned…