The base that is Marsh Mash returns to the Bradford Canal

The oars were out in full force on the Holland Marsh canal on Saturday.

The Marsh Mash, the canoe and kayak competition held every spring, returned to Bradford on May 11. Ontario’s fifth oldest marathon canoe race attracts canoeists, kayakers, stand up paddleboarders and paddlers.

More than 100 vessels participated in this year’s handover, with racers coming from as far away as Sherbrooke, Que. and Sarnia.

The canal surrounding Holland Marsh is considered one of the best canoe racing venues in the province, with the course offering “large stretches of open water. There are no rocks, no rapids, no portages – there may be a few weeds,” the City of Bradford says on its website.

Janice Matichuck and Peter Puddicombe organized and ran the first Marsh Mash in July 1979. While training for the race and preparing the route, they discovered the weeds were so thick that they were required to ‘mash’ their way – and a name he was born.

The event, which has changed significantly in the years since, is now one of several sanctioned by the Ontario Marathon Canoe Kayak Racing Association.

For more details on its history, visit townofbwg.com.