All Paddlers Cross the Finish Line at Mattawa River Canoe Race

(North Bay, ON, July 23, 2022) After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, 42 teams from across the country participated in North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority’s 45^th Mattawa River Canoe Race with the 1^st 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:

1^st Place:  Peter Braul of Collingwood and Oliver McMillan of London with a time of 6:13:02

2^nd Place: Rob Gregoris of Sudbury and Shawn Bruins of Lively with a time of 6:39:47

3^rd Place:  Peter Scheuring of Conestogo and Cezary Szymczak of Waterloo Region with a time of 6:51:03

Pro C2 Mixed:

1^st Place:  Mike DeAbreu from Arnprior and Sophie Coupal from Cantley with a time of 6:29:15

2^nd Place:  Stan Anusiewicz from Brights Grove and Karen Simpson with a time of 6:57:52

3^rd Place:  Derek Butler and Kamryn Butler from Sudbury with a time of 8:39:47

USCA C1 Open:

1^st Place:  Sebastien Courville from Golden Lake with a time of 6:27:35

 C2 Stock Mixed:

1^st Place:  Norm Drolet & Isabelle Drolet from Midhurst with a time of 9:32:25

C2 Stock Men’s:

1^st Place:  Scott Reynolds and Paul Terry from Stirling with a time of 6:55:12

2^nd Place:  Wilfred McIntyre and Tom Phillips from Ottawa with a time of 6:58:52

3^rd Place:  Ben Williams and William Armstrong from Parkhill with a time of 7:02:44

C1 Stock Open:

1^st Place:  Jamie-leigh Chapman from Haliburton with a time of 8:19:52

2^nd Place:  Leslie Davenport from Arnprior with a time of 8:56:29

 RECREATIONAL MEN’S A: 

1^st Place:  John Larmer from Sudbury and Jordan Hotta from Port Elgin with a time of 7:25:44

2^nd Place: Peter deleeuw from Port Colborne and Rayn Rosnuk from Toronto with a time of 9:27:49

3^rd Place: Lyndon Kirkley from Markham and Nathan Cohen from Toronto with a time of 9:32:02

RECREATIONAL MEN’S B:  

1^st Place: Chris Frappier from Astorville and Andy Kanmacher from North Bay with a time 8:06:10

2^nd Place: Alex Hogben from Kipawa and Samuel Arseneault from Orleans with a time of 8:43:25

3^rd Place: Simon Leslie from North Bay and Ryan Allain from Hrnell Heights with a time of 9:23:20

RECREATIONAL MIXED A:  

1^st Place:  Mark Swain and Carol Zimbalatti from Corbeil with a time of 7:39:13

2^nd Place: Kurtis Romanchuk and Jade Scognamillo from North Bay with a time of 9:50:24                                          

RECREATIONAL MIXED B:

1^st Place: Buck Miller and Jenny Galt from Huntsville with a time of 7:58:30

RECREATIONAL WOMEN’S:  

1^st Place:  Ellen Walker and Margaret Scott from Parry Sound with a time of 9:21:22

2^nd Place: Colleen Whelan and Nathalie Piche from Toronto with a time of 10:01:16

3^rd Place: Tracy Lamb from Chipman with a time of 11:02:07

OPEN KAYAK

1^st Place:  Shawn Urban from Sarnia with a time of 7:01:31

2^nd Place: Brad Spooner from Kanata with a time of 7:47:53

3^rd Place: Andrei Zoubakine from Richmond Hill with a time of 8:10:35

SUP

1^st Place:  Danielle Holdsworth from London with a time of 8:59:58

2^nd Place: Megan Sheppard from South River with a time of 9:30:43

3^rd Place: Lisa Beaudoin from St. Catherines with a time of 9:36:06

RECREATIONAL FAMILY A:  

1^st Place: Chris and Kees Degraauw from Pickering with a time of 1:28:22

2^nd Place:  Laura and Rachael from Burlington with a time of 2:28:03

3^rd Place:  Daniel and Sascha Mercer with a time of 2:30:35

RECREATIONAL FAMILY B:  

1^st Place: Rob Zimbalatti from Gatineau and Sarah Park from Corbeil with a time of 1:49:47

2^nd Place:  Jessica (Jay) Ryan from Sudbury and George Sanschagrin from Corbeil with a time of 2:02:25

3^rd Place: Dustin, Raya and Savannah Demille from Harcourt with a time of 2:18:36

JUST FOR FUN

1^st Place:  Roburt Tranter from London with a time of 1:13:59

2^nd 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.

Sponsors of the Mattawa River Canoe Race include BDO North Bay, Coles Signs & Graphics, Redpath, Slingchoker, Geisler Boats, Clermont Duval Art Gallery, Town of Mattawa, City of North Bay, North Bay Nugget and Rogers Radio.

The North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority (NBMCA) was founded in 1972 by the Province of Ontario and the NBMCA’s 10 member municipalities. A non-profit organization, the NBMCA works closely with the public to balance human needs with the environmental needs of the region’s watershed. The NBMCA is one of 36 Conservation Authorities who are members of Conservation Ontario.

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