170 boats compete in 61st annual Athol River Rat Race

Around 170 boats filled the Millers River for the 61^st annual Athol/Orange River Rat Race.

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, crowds gathered along the riverbank as boats began to arrive, with spectators lining the shore to watch the final stretch of the race.

The two leading boats crossed the finish within seconds of each other at 1:37 p.m. Weston Willoughby and Mike Davis, racing in boat Number 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 Number 39, finished second after winning last year’s race. Gelinas said he built the boat 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 Number 42, placed third.

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

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

Maple Dubois of Barre and Jack Morse of Southampton, racing in boat Number 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 race day weather.

Hannah Rubin, of Vermont, racing in boat Number 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 Number 23, won the youth and adult category in their first race together.

“We got bumped a little, but we had a great start,” Stevens said, adding that he 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 Number 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. There’s lots of friendly people, and it seems like everyone is encouraging each other, so that makes it a joy to come,” Vincent said.

Jim McIntosh of the Athol Lions Club said around 170 boats 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, likely due to improved weather conditions.

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