61st annual River Rat Race ends in narrow victory

Around 170 canoes filled the Millers River for the 61^st annual River Rat Race on Saturday afternoon, with the two leading teams arriving to the finish line just seconds apart.

The 5.2-mile race began at the Alan E. Rich Environmental Park in Athol and ended in Riverfront Park in Orange. At the finish line, spectators lined the shore to watch as the competing teams began to reach the final stretch of the race.

The two leading canoes crossed the finish line within moments of each other at 1:37 p.m. Weston Willoughby and Mike Davis, racing in boat No. 68, took first place. The pair, who traveled from Michigan to compete, regularly race in events across multiple regions.

“Most of the races are on the eastern side of the state and the Midwest, but we travel a lot for races,” Davis said.

While Davis has competed in the River Rat Race before, this marked Willoughby’s first time on the course.

“Lining up for the start was pretty cool,” Willoughby said. “We don’t have anything quite like that.”

Adam Gelinas, who grew up in Athol and now lives in Leominster, and Patrick Madden of New York, racing in boat No. 39, finished second after winning last year’s race. Gelinas said he built the canoe the pair raced in, and the two stayed close to the leaders throughout much of the course.

Madden said that in their previous wins, the race had played out differently.

“The first time we just kind of had a pack from start to finish,” he said. “The last two times we won, it was sprint finishes where we caught competitors from behind on the final straightaway. These guys caught us in the first half-mile.”

Gelinas said weather conditions made the race more challenging.

“The wind was really tough up here,” he said.

Al Shaver and Mike Vincent, racing in boat No. 42, placed third.

Several racers described a chaotic start, with canoes crowding together as they launched into the river.

“The start was definitely rough. We’re all piled together, people grabbing boats,” said Jackson Erali, who was competing in his third River Rat Race.

Maple Dubois of Barre and Jack Morse of Southampton, racing in boat No. 94, took first place in the mixed recreational division. Morse noted that Dubois’ family owns Stone Cow Brewery, a sponsor of this year’s race.

“I had a great time. We didn’t get hailed on this year,” Dubois said, referencing last year’s weather on race day.

Hannah Rubin, of Vermont, racing in boat No. 135 in her first River Rat Race, finished second in the mixed recreational division.

“It was chaotic,” Rubin said with a laugh, adding that she enjoyed the experience and would return to compete again.

Phil Stevens and Daisy Stevens, a grandfather and granddaughter from Barre racing in boat No. 23, won the youth and adult category in their first race together.

“We got bumped a little, but we had a great start,” the elder Stevens said, adding that he has competed in the River Rat Race for more than 20 years.

Phoebe Fisher of upstate New York and Fiona Vincent of Canada, racing in boat No. 154, took first place in the women’s recreational division. Fisher said it was her fourth time competing in the race, while it marked Vincent’s first.

“The race was spectacular. … I think it’s very well-run,” Vincent said. “There’s lots of friendly people, and it seems like everyone is encouraging each other, so that makes it a joy to come.”

Jim McIntosh of the Athol Lions Club said around 170 canoes took part in this year’s race, noting that participation was slightly lower than in previous years. He said the number of spectators appeared higher, though, likely due to improved weather conditions.

“Everybody’s been cooped up with the long winter,” McIntosh said, “and they were waiting to get out into the sunshine.”