Two Marathon Canoe Teams Smash Collegiate Records in ADK Canoe Class "90-Miler"

Saranac Lake, NY ~ The Paul Smith's College Marathon Canoe team had a lot to celebrate last weekend at the canoe launch in downtown Saranac Lake.  When the water settled, three Bobcats canoes claimed first place in their respective divisions, and the C7 Voyager "War Canoe" and C4 Stock teams set new collegiate records in the Adirondack Canoe Classic, colloquially known as the "90-Miler."

In the C7 Voyager Class, it was Marathon Canoe Coach Matt Dougherty who kept pace and made the calls from the back.  When they crossed the line, the team, comprised of Timothy Ziegler, Olivia Caprio, Jessie Church, Griffin Smith, John Thompson, Jacob Alberga, and Coach Dougherty, crushed the former collegiate record for the C7 class by over an hour, blazing across the finish line with a time of 12:32:25.  The boat was the fastest in the division by an unheard of four hours, and came in as the fifth fastest boat overall.

Not to be outdone by their teammates, the C4 Stock team of Ezra Webster, Tenzin Mathes, Aidan Ripp, and Dolcie Tanguay set another college course record for the C4 Class, coming in with a time of 13:20:43 and winning the division in convincing fashion.  That boat also shaved over an hour off the previous C4 collegiate record and came in hours before any other boat in the division. 

Spencer Van Nest and Abigail Johnson wrapped up the first-place finishes for the Bobcats, coming in across the line with a time of 16:58:43 and winning the C2 Recreation Mixed Class by almost four hours.  The C2 Stock Men's team of Diego Schillaci and Brady Miller had a close second place finish with a solid effort and a fine performance in their division. 

Dougherty was blown away by how well his team did on the water over the weekend. "This weekend was beyond any expectations I had for the paddlers I put a bunch of lofty best times for each day on paper and the boats just blew them out of the water," said Dougherty.  "The athletes had such an incredible attitude and continually dug deep to find new levels, day after day.  These performances are utterly amazing and a testament to the hard work and determination each of them has put in."

But the athletes weren't the only ones who Dougherty wanted to shout out.  Behind the scenes, there are pit crews for all of the teams involved in this grueling, three-day race from Old Forge, NY to Saranac Lake, NY with numerous carries and pit stops throughout.   

"This race isn't possible without the help of some really important teammates," Dougherty added.  "The pit crew who take care of so many needs of the team like getting the team ready, refueling stops each day, helping prepare food setup at camp, and so much more is why this year's crew was stupendous.  They made it all such a breeze for the athletes."  

Full results can be found here: https://www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Adirondack-Canoe-Classic-2023-Day-Three-FINAL.pdf

Multiple boats battle through the course in a tight stretch of water.