2026 Kenduskeag Race Results + Photos
Bangor Parks & Recreation released the final results for the 2026 Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race.
Download the race results here (PDF format).
NOTE: This is a revised final race results document with error corrections as of May 4th, 2026.
There's also this spreadsheet from PaddleStats, a database version of the 2026 Kenduskeag race results where you can sort the results by time, bib number and name. (Nice!)
Top 20 finishers and their times (PDF format)
And, just because they also released this, here's an alphabetical list of paddlers for 2026.
There were 881 registered paddlers in 461 watercraft, an impressive turnout to be sure! (See the Race Numbers page for historical participation numbers.)
Congratulations to everyone who took a chance, got out of the house, jumped into a boat and celebrated the arrival of spring in Maine.
This year's Legends of Paddling Award went to Bob Martin and a well-deserved award it is. I'll have more write-ups in the Legends of Paddling page in the near future.
2026 race photos:
Photographers are preparing to show their work from Six Mile Falls and other locations, and some are out. Check the Photos page which will be updated as more photo collections arrive.
Fellow photographers! If you took photos at the 2026 Kenduskeag and have an online collection/gallery you'd like to share, feel free to contact me with a link to your online galleries/collections.
Download the race results here (PDF format).
NOTE: This is a revised final race results document with error corrections as of May 4th, 2026.
There's also this spreadsheet from PaddleStats, a database version of the 2026 Kenduskeag race results where you can sort the results by time, bib number and name. (Nice!)
Top 20 finishers and their times (PDF format)
And, just because they also released this, here's an alphabetical list of paddlers for 2026.
There were 881 registered paddlers in 461 watercraft, an impressive turnout to be sure! (See the Race Numbers page for historical participation numbers.)
Congratulations to everyone who took a chance, got out of the house, jumped into a boat and celebrated the arrival of spring in Maine.
This year's Legends of Paddling Award went to Bob Martin and a well-deserved award it is. I'll have more write-ups in the Legends of Paddling page in the near future.
2026 race photos:
Photographers are preparing to show their work from Six Mile Falls and other locations, and some are out. Check the Photos page which will be updated as more photo collections arrive.
Fellow photographers! If you took photos at the 2026 Kenduskeag and have an online collection/gallery you'd like to share, feel free to contact me with a link to your online galleries/collections.
Edwin "Sonny" Colburn (1932-2026)
March 12, 2026
Writeup by Michael Alden
Special thanks to WABI-TV5, News Center Maine, Bangor Daily News and Debbie Gendreau
Writeup by Michael Alden
Special thanks to WABI-TV5, News Center Maine, Bangor Daily News and Debbie Gendreau
Photo courtesy of Karen Colburn
Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race co-founder and paddling legend Ed "Sonny" Colburn to be honored at the start and finish line of the 59th Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race.
We begin with this simple truth: without Lewellyn "Spook" Gilman and Edwin "Sonny" Colburn, the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race wouldn't exist.
The founding fathers of the race - both of whom are depicted on the iconic race decals - came up with the idea seemingly overnight in 1967 at a time when Bangor Parks and Recreation needed a new fundraising event. A bicycle race the city had previously sponsored "went zilch", according to Sonny Colburn, so the concept had to be reworked. The rest, as they say, is history.
Ed "Sonny" Colburn passed at age 93 on February 20, 2026. Sonny grew up in Bangor and has been described by many as a gregarious man with "a big personality" who loved his family and the outdoors. "He was a great guy. He would do anything for anyone," recalled his wife Faith. Colburn managed Bangor Furniture and pursued many outdoor interests in addition to his association with the Anah Shriners in Bangor.
Lew Gilman, who passed away at age 81 on August 18, 2011, led a remarkable life of innovation. Gifted with a natural grasp of mechanics, chemistry and plastics, Gilman designed and influenced several canoes for Old Town Canoe including the ubiquitous Discovery model and the popular Tripper model among others. In his obituary it was noted that Lew "revolutionized the canoe industry by revamping the thermoforming process for ABS plastic canoes."
Gilman and Colburn met while in high school and again later while both served in the Air National Guard, where they strengthened their friendship. A devoted family man who loved the outdoors and inventing things, Gilman's favorite saying was "the impossible just takes longer."
After the two met over beers at Miller's Restaurant to discuss the concept of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race, it was Lew Gilman who pushed and prodded Colburn into pursuing the idea with Bangor Parks and Recreation, then located just "three doors down" from Bangor Furniture.
When the inaugural race launched in 1967, Colburn was often too busy organizing the race to actually participate in it. But Colburn and Gilman did paddle the Kenduskeag together as a team a number of times, including the 25th Silver Anniversary Race held in 1991.
“It’s amazing what I’ve heard from people sending condolences and the stories that I’ve gotten from them that I never even knew. (I learned about) the extent to how it benefited them,” said Faith. "It was just the most important thing in the world to him, he and Lew starting that race. He ate, slept, and dreamt Kenduskeag Canoe Race."
Over half a century later, the dream of Lew Gilman and Sonny Colburn lives on.
The founding fathers of the race - both of whom are depicted on the iconic race decals - came up with the idea seemingly overnight in 1967 at a time when Bangor Parks and Recreation needed a new fundraising event. A bicycle race the city had previously sponsored "went zilch", according to Sonny Colburn, so the concept had to be reworked. The rest, as they say, is history.
Ed "Sonny" Colburn passed at age 93 on February 20, 2026. Sonny grew up in Bangor and has been described by many as a gregarious man with "a big personality" who loved his family and the outdoors. "He was a great guy. He would do anything for anyone," recalled his wife Faith. Colburn managed Bangor Furniture and pursued many outdoor interests in addition to his association with the Anah Shriners in Bangor.
Lew Gilman, who passed away at age 81 on August 18, 2011, led a remarkable life of innovation. Gifted with a natural grasp of mechanics, chemistry and plastics, Gilman designed and influenced several canoes for Old Town Canoe including the ubiquitous Discovery model and the popular Tripper model among others. In his obituary it was noted that Lew "revolutionized the canoe industry by revamping the thermoforming process for ABS plastic canoes."
Gilman and Colburn met while in high school and again later while both served in the Air National Guard, where they strengthened their friendship. A devoted family man who loved the outdoors and inventing things, Gilman's favorite saying was "the impossible just takes longer."
After the two met over beers at Miller's Restaurant to discuss the concept of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race, it was Lew Gilman who pushed and prodded Colburn into pursuing the idea with Bangor Parks and Recreation, then located just "three doors down" from Bangor Furniture.
When the inaugural race launched in 1967, Colburn was often too busy organizing the race to actually participate in it. But Colburn and Gilman did paddle the Kenduskeag together as a team a number of times, including the 25th Silver Anniversary Race held in 1991.
“It’s amazing what I’ve heard from people sending condolences and the stories that I’ve gotten from them that I never even knew. (I learned about) the extent to how it benefited them,” said Faith. "It was just the most important thing in the world to him, he and Lew starting that race. He ate, slept, and dreamt Kenduskeag Canoe Race."
Over half a century later, the dream of Lew Gilman and Sonny Colburn lives on.
“Lew and Sonny were definitely the icons of this race…(Sonny) came in here every year. He will always be remembered.”
- Debbie Gendreau, Assistant Director, Bangor Parks and Recreation
“We owe a lot to them, what they did to get this race started and to the longevity of the race. To have this still going for over 50 years is truly a testament to them and to what they did to develop this event. They are legends of canoeing in the area and in the state.”
- Tracy Willette, Director, Bangor Parks and Recreation
“I think the spectators are what makes the race so much fun. They make the race special.”
- Lew "Spook" Gilman
"I want everybody to have a good time and smile, even if they're going to get wet."
- Ed "Sonny" Colburn
Local news tributes from WABI-TV5 Bangor and News Center Maine:
Remembering Edwin "Sonny" Colburn (1932-2026)
News story from WABI-TV5 about the co-founder of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race with remembrances by his wife (Faith Colburn) and friends (JR Mabee and Debbie Gendreau)
Running time: 2:32 min
News story from WABI-TV5 about the co-founder of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race with remembrances by his wife (Faith Colburn) and friends (JR Mabee and Debbie Gendreau)
Running time: 2:32 min
Remembering Edwin "Sonny" Colburn (1932-2026)
News Center Maine tribute to the legendary co-founder of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race
Running time: 00:52 sec
News Center Maine tribute to the legendary co-founder of the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race
Running time: 00:52 sec