After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, 42 teams from across the country participated in North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority’s 45th Mattawa River Canoe Race with the 1st place finishers completing the 64km race in just over six hours.
Peter Braul of Collingwood and Oliver McMillan of London captured the Fastest Overall Time trophy, finishing with a time of 6:13:02, ahead of second place finisher Sebastien Courville of Golden Lake with a time of 6:27:35.
“Water was low this year and paddlers couldn’t run some of the rapids they had in past years. Some took on more portages which slowed things down for them, but all paddlers finished the race,” said Paula Loranger, Race Coordinator.
Paddlers launched from Olmsted Beach, North Bay starting at 7:30 am Saturday and made their way from Trout Lake to Mattawa Island Conservation Area, paddling through seven townships and municipalities along the Mattawa River, recognized as a Canadian Heritage River.
“The race showcases the natural beauty of the North Bay-Mattawa watershed,” added NBMCA CAO Chitra Gowda.
An additional 9 teams took part in the 13 km family race including two adult teams who took part just for fun, launching from Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park.
Top three finishers in each race divisions are:
Pro C2 Men’s:
1st Place: Peter Braul of Collingwood and Oliver McMillan of London with a time of 6:13:02
2nd Place: Rob Gregoris of Sudbury and Shawn Bruins of Lively with a time of 6:39:47
3rd Place: Peter Scheuring of Conestogo and Cezary Szymczak of Waterloo Region with a time of 6:51:03
Pro C2 Mixed:
1st Place: Mike DeAbreu from Arnprior and Sophie Coupal from Cantley with a time of 6:29:15
2nd Place: Stan Anusiewicz from Brights Grove and Karen Simpson with a time of 6:57:52
3rd Place: Derek Butler and Kamryn Butler from Sudbury with a time of 8:39:47
USCA C1 Open:
1st Place: Sebastien Courville from Golden Lake with a time of 6:27:35
C2 Stock Mixed:
1st Place: Norm Drolet & Isabelle Drolet from Midhurst with a time of 9:32:25
C2 Stock Men’s:
1st Place: Scott Reynolds and Paul Terry from Stirling with a time of 6:55:12
2nd Place: Wilfred McIntyre and Tom Phillips from Ottawa with a time of 6:58:52
3rd Place: Ben Williams and William Armstrong from Parkhill with a time of 7:02:44
C1 Stock Open:
1st Place: Jamie-leigh Chapman from Haliburton with a time of 8:19:52
2nd Place: Leslie Davenport from Arnprior with a time of 8:56:29
RECREATIONAL MEN’S A:
1st Place: John Larmer from Sudbury and Jordan Hotta from Port Elgin with a time of 7:25:44
2nd Place: Peter deleeuw from Port Colborne and Rayn Rosnuk from Toronto with a time of 9:27:49
3rd Place: Lyndon Kirkley from Markham and Nathan Cohen from Toronto with a time of 9:32:02
RECREATIONAL MEN’S B:
1st Place: Chris Frappier from Astorville and Andy Kanmacher from North Bay with a time 8:06:10
2nd Place: Alex Hogben from Kipawa and Samuel Arseneault from Orleans with a time of 8:43:25
3rd Place: Simon Leslie from North Bay and Ryan Allain from HrnellHeights with a time of 9:23:20
RECREATIONAL MIXED A:
1st Place: Mark Swain and Carol Zimbalatti from Corbeil with a time of 7:39:13
2nd Place: Kurtis Romanchuk and Jade Scognamillo from North Bay with a time of 9:50:24
RECREATIONAL MIXED B:
1st Place: Buck Miller and Jenny Galt from Huntsville with a time of 7:58:30
RECREATIONAL WOMEN’S:
1st Place: Ellen Walker and Margaret Scott from Parry Sound with a time of 9:21:22
2nd Place: Colleen Whelan and Nathalie Piche from Toronto with a time of 10:01:16
3rd Place: Tracy Lamb from Chipman with a time of 11:02:07
OPEN KAYAK
1st Place: Shawn Urban from Sarnia with a time of 7:01:31
2nd Place: Brad Spooner from Kanata with a time of 7:47:53
3rd Place: Andrei Zoubakine from Richmond Hill with a time of 8:10:35
SUP
1st Place: Danielle Holdsworth from London with a time of 8:59:58
2nd Place: Megan Sheppard from South River with a time of 9:30:43
3rd Place: Lisa Beaudoin from St. Catherines with a time of 9:36:06
RECREATIONAL FAMILY A:
1st Place: Chris and Kees Degraauw from Pickering with a time of 1:28:22
2nd Place: Laura and Rachael from Burlington with a time of 2:28:03
3rd Place: Daniel and Sascha Mercer with a time of 2:30:35
RECREATIONAL FAMILY B:
1st Place: Rob Zimbalatti from Gatineau and Sarah Park from Corbeil with a time of 1:49:47
2nd Place: Jessica (Jay) Ryan from Sudbury and George Sanschagrinfrom Corbeil with a time of 2:02:25
3rd Place: Dustin, Raya and Savannah Demille from Harcourt with a time of 2:18:36
JUST FOR FUN
1st Place: Roburt Tranter from London with a time of 1:13:59
2nd Place: Tony Brull from North Bay and Jan MacLeod from Barry’s Bay with a time of 2:34:33
The full results will be posted on www.mattawarivercanoerace.ca.
