It was a day of challenges and triumphs. A record number of paddlers from five provinces, endured extreme heat as they battled their way across rapids and portages along the Mattawa River Saturday.
The route took the competitors, half of them new to the race, from the shores of Trout Lake in North Bay to the Mattawa Island Conservation Area.
The day saw a new course record set in the Stock Men's C2 division, shattering the old record by roughly 20 minutes.
Once the last paddlers crossed the finish line, after nearly 14 hours on the water, the 41st Annual Mattawa River Canoe Race, hosted by the North Bay Mattawa Conservation Authority, was officially in the books.
Mark Clout and Dean Brown completed the race with the fastest over all time, paddling their way to victory in the Marathon Men's C2 division with a time of 6:03:05.
Clout brought 27 years experience with him, having won the race numerous times over the years, setting records in two divisions His partner, Dean Brown, entered the race with a personal record of two wins and a second place finish in his three years competing in the event.
Once again the course proved challenging. Their canoe took a bit of a beating but fortunately, it is none the worse for wear. Clout said the pair stuck to their game plan and had the best race they could possibly have had for the day. He believes this year is the most competitive he's experienced with more teams, and all of them forces to be reckoned with.
"Right now I feel excellent. During the race it was tough though, I was cramping up. It was very competitive. We finally made our break at Talon Lake but as we were going through the rapids, another team caught us. They were right behind, and then something happened in there, and we just put the pressure on and kept going. We never saw them after that, so we were pretty happy. It was pretty tense in there," recalls Clout.
In their first attempt, brothers Pat and Tim Turner set a new course record with a time of 6:17:03 in the Stock Men's C2.
Pat won an Olympic gold medal, rowing in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, as a member of the Canadian men's eights team.
The pair has teamed up to compete in marathon canoeing in the past, but it hasn't been easy. Pat lives in Prince George, British Columbia, while Tim resides in West Africa. Tim trains all year round on the lagoon in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. The only time they get together to paddle is at the family cottage in Algonquin Park.
"We had really no expectations other than to just go hard, and enjoy the scenery because we knew it was beautiful. We paddled part of it on Wednesday in the rain. We got the full beauty of it today, the canyons and the topography, all of it is absolutely gorgeous," said Pat. "It was challenging today. I think the combination of the heat, and the canoes that were breathing down our neck was a huge incentive."
What makes their victory all the more impressive is that earlier this month, Tim was diagnosed with Dengue fever. It is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, found in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. In extreme cases, it can potentially be life-threatening.
"It's like malaria in many ways but worse. I was very lucky I had a light version of it. It's like the worst flu you could ever imagine. I was out of commission for a week," said Tim. "I feel weak today, but paddling was better than I thought. I gassed out a couple times and Pat had to haul me down the course. He sits in the front and can't see me in the back when I take breaks. He said sometimes the canoe felt a little heavy today," laughs Tim.
The lone stand-up paddle boarder, Courtney Sinclair of Quebec, completed the race in a little over 11 hours.
Sinclair found herself ahead of pace up until the first check point. She found it challenging trying to manage the board through low water in some areas, being careful not to hit the fin on rocks.
"I was about an hour ahead of what I thought, which was great especially because I thought I could use up that time during the next half. The portages were quite difficult, you really need to watch your footing," said Sinclair. "In terms of the temperature and the elements, the sun was a huge factor. Everyone here is very burnt. I got pretty dehydrated so it was hard to keep my energy up. My hands and my feet were cramping, so it was tough."
Mark Williamson and his partner Steve Thompson, both from Peterborough, finished second in Recreational Men's B. They discovered they can't always rely on their GPS to point the way.
"For some reason, it was reading a bit inaccurately. It was telling us we had an extra kilometre and a half to go when we were almost done, which actually ended up being good news for us," laughs Williamson. "The event itself was great. I thought the preparation was good, the information we were given was really accurate and we were prepared as well as we could be. It was a well-run event."
The competition included a 13 km race for family and youth, which left from the Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park.
Nineteen-year-old Danny Herr and his 13-year-old brother Cameron were first to cross the line in the junior racing division with a time of 1:37:22.
"I feel good. I haven't paddled in two years, so it's nice to be back. There was no wind, just smooth sailing," said Danny.
Younger brother Cameron was happy with their finish. "I'm pretty tired but I liked being on the water, it was fun."
Twelve-year-old Ty Archer of Plattsville, Ontario, was recognized with a plaque for being the youngest 64km competitor. Archer and his dad finished 9th in the Stock Men's category.
"I anticipated it would be hard. My mom and dad helped me get ready for it because my mom canoes already. My dad and I practiced paddling," said Archer. "Right now my shoulder blades hurt, I'm really stiff, I'm tired but excited."
Archer expects to be back next year.
"I learned that I could paddle for 64 km. I thought I couldn't do it, but I did. I learned that I'm stronger than I think."
Paddlers who managed to get out on the course over the last few weeks noticed a slight drop in water levels.
"The water levels are still higher than they normally are, that's why we call it moderate but they did go down in the last two weeks as summer settled in and the water moved through the system," explained Brian Tayler, Conservation Authority Chief Administrative Officer. "Most of the competitive paddlers, they only got out of the canoes at the mandatory portages. The other ones, they ran them all. When the water is a bit low or unpredictable when they run them, they bang up their canoes a little bit but they don't mind that, that's part of being competitive."
Sixty-three teams trekked they way through the 64 km route, another seven teams competed in the 13 km race, setting a new race record for boats registered.
Most say they plan to return to take another crack at the course record of 5:27:53 set back in 1995, by Peter Harbocian and Rene Boogemans.
