HOULTON, Maine — The first paddlers in the Meduxnekeag Canoe Race rounded the final river bend at 11:24 a.m. before the finish Saturday.
Seasoned racers J.D. Burke and Brady Burke, in their 1985 Wenonah Kevlar canoe, were the first paddlers to cross the finish line in the eight-mile staggered start in the Down River Series race, placing first in their class with a time of 1:25:12.
Two kayakers, Fred Ludwig and Ray Wirth, placed first and second overall with the fastest times — Ludwig with 1:20:41 and Wirth with 1:21:31.
This was not the first Meduxnekeag experience for the Burke racing duo, although it had been several years since they last paddled in the Houlton race.
J.D. Burke said that they were trying out their new fast and tippy canoe, which flipped them out into the river close to the start.
This year, the No. 8 race in the Maine Canoe and Kayak Racing Organization Down River Point Series drew several Maine legends like Terry Wescott, Bob Martin and Clint Cushman, most of whom have been paddling for more than half a century,
In 2016, paddling icon Wescott, 76, won the grueling Yukon 1,000 river race from Canada to Alaska with Brad Crog.
“We were the first and the oldest to ever do the race and win,” Wescott said Saturday, referring to the Alaska race.
Martin, who is 74, joined Wescott, Laurie Sproul and Mike Sproul for a first place finish in their four-person canoe with a 1:29 time in the Meduxnekeag.
Cushman, who is now in his 80s, has been running the Meduxnekeag race for more than 40 years and along with paddling partner Peter Blood, finished first on Saturday with 1:37:30 in the Senior 77+ category.
In 1996, the men won first place in the Down River Point Series.
The three legendary paddlers said the eight-mile race from New Limerick to Houlton was a good one this year. But they were all held back initially with a log that had fallen across the river, blocking direct passage.
Martin said they rammed their canoe onto the log and then pushed it over. Cushman and Blood portaged through the woods, Cushman said.
The Houlton race generally draws about 80 to 100 paddlers, there were 71 this year, according to Jane Torres, organizer.
The whitewater racing season began in late March with the St. George River Race. The Meduxnekeag contest is one of the last races in the 2025 series.
Several of Saturday’s paddlers, including Wescott and Martin, were heading off to a week-long canoe trip and ending at the Sebec River class II white water race in Milo next week. On May 18, many are making the trek north to the 15-mile, first annual Tylor Kelly’s Allagash Dash, Down River No. 11.
Unlike the Meduxnekeag River Race, the Allagash Dash will have a mass start with six or eight classes of canoes and kayaks starting at the same time, co-organizer Jake Feener said.
At the finish of Saturday’s race, there were grilled burgers and huge homemade chocolate chip cookies for the racers. Race results are posted on the MACKRO webpage.
It was a great day for the race, Houlton Town Manager Cameron Clark said.
