A total of 57 teams are set to paddle from Whitehorse to Dawson in the Yukon River Quest.
Officials with the paddling race noted in a June 5 statement that registration was complete with a total of 140 paddlers coming from 10 different countries for the “Race to the Midnight Sun” beginning July 4 in Whitehorse.
Along with Canadian paddlers from six provinces and territories, the race will see competitors from the United States, Australia, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
A total of 17 racers, 13 men and four women, will take on the race in the solo kayak category, with six teams in the tandem category. Of those, three are men’s teams, two are mixed teams and there is one women’s team.
Taking on the race by canoe are five men’s teams in the four-person category. There are 14 teams in the C2 category, including eight men’s and six mixed. There are two in the solo category — one men’s and one women’s.
Another five men are set to make their way from Whitehorse to Dawson on stand-up paddle boards.
Finally, eight teams are slated to compete in the voyageur class. This includes four mixed teams, a men’s team and three women’s teams. One of the women’s teams is doing the Half Quest race.
Among the Yukon teams in the voyageur class are the Cap Warriors and TS’ALVIT mixed teams as well as Stix Together and Paddler’s Abreast in the women’s category.
The Eagle mixed team and Team Whoa women’s team in the voyageur class also include members from Whitehorse along with other regions across the country.
In the C2 men’s category, Pangal Norte, Maximum Capacity and Watch Our Wake are from Whitehorse, while the C2 Northwestel team in the mixed category is also from Whitehorse.
Other teams that feature a mix of members from the Yukon and Outside include the two-person Wolves Don’t Live By The Rules, a men’s C2 team, and the Flow tandem kayak women’s team.
Kayakers Kimberly Dodds (Stroke of Serendipity) and Sandra Schuschkleb (Nauti & Nice) are the two Yukoners to be competing in a solo category.
A full list of teams is available at yukonriverquest.ca
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com