The 20th annual Yukon River Quest was scheduled to start June 27 at noon with the largest field registered in the race’s history.
A total of more than 200 paddlers on 103 teams are paddling 715 km from Whitehorse to Dawson City, with just two mandatory rest stops totalling 10 hours combined.
Fifteen countries — Australia, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Japan, Latvia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States — will be represented in the race.
Registration in this year’s race maxed out at 125 but 22 teams have since withdrawn from the race.
This year’s race purse is also a record, as $48,720 total will be up for grabs to participants.
Teams in the race are in seven different categories: solo canoe, solo kayak, tandem canoe, tandem kayak, four-person canoe, voyageur canoe and stand-up paddleboard.
After leaving from Rotary Peace Park in Whitehorse, paddlers travel down Lake Laberge to Carmacks for the first mandatory stop — seven hours at Coal Mine Campground on June 28.
Following the stop, the paddlers pass through the Five Finger Rapids and past Fort Selkirk to the second mandatory stop at the Coffee Creek camp for three hours.
From there, it’s another 170 km to Dawson City and the race finish.
Finishers are expected between the afternoon of June 29 and midnight on June 30.
The race officially wraps up with an awards banquet in Dawson City after the Canada Day parade on July 1.
Contact John Hopkins-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com
Team List
Four-person canoe
Team Whoa
Louisiana Lionheart
The More The Merrier
Solo canoe
Mr. Bill
Gulo Gulo
Amazon Poland
Love of Paddling
Go For Broke
Jeff Kay
For Rosie
River Misfit
Sika Adventure
Solo kayak
Lootas
Akita
Sheep Stations
Vacca
Currently a Solo Birch
Hai Voltage
Kingdom Adventures
AlaskaEileen
After The Gold Rush
Browning
East Coast Roller
Kuhl Kayak
One More Time
Kuhl Living
Flying Feather
PaddleJumper – Maya’s Grandpa
Jon Bowen
The Rubber Ducky
Smooth Granite
Stand-up paddleboard
Emily Matthews
Chris Lightbound
Starboard
Alex de Sain
Handi Vision Sport Evenement
Tandem canoe
Beards of Fire
Strokes of Genius
Huptown Girls
Even Flow
Death Before DNF
Vespa Owners Club UK
The Bickersons
Fourth Line Squad
Latvian Canoe Long Oars
Perfect Storm
Obi Wan Canoebi
Skoden
PembySoaringEagles
Team Alpha Super Awesome Cool Dynamite Wolf Squadron
Shaving Ten
Dozy Drifters
Mapping the Way
Team Moore and Moore
Ross Sisters
Dawson Before Freeze Up
Crosswinds
Texas 2 Man
New Old
Couple o’ Oars
Danelaw
Team Pudsey
Palmer’s Progress
Golden Lake Crew
Despicable Two
The Honeymooners
Team Rudy
A Dachshund’s Physique
The Bare Strokes
72Dolphins
Tandem kayak
Shockers Lane Cove
Hot Wheels and The Other Guy
Dusi Rats
Estonian Vikings
World of Kayaks Team Estonia HM
World of Kayaks Team Estonia MM
The Kiwis
Spirit of America
Barrett
Flamboatin
BendRacing/ YogaSlackers
World of Kayaks Team Estonia Andres-Leivo
The Russkies
Cousinade
The Saffers
Punch Rollers
Le WQT
Get Out and Swim
The Susans
Hedonistic Miasma
Voyageur canoe
Yukon Wide Adventures
Yukon Slayers
Team Ts’alvit
McLeod Clan
Dyea Devils Club
Horny Women of Yukon
Stix Together
Northwestel
Paddlers Abreast
CAP
Paddlesports Mongrels
The Future is Now, Let’s Build Together
Voyager VIII Mission