After a virtual year in 2020 due to COVID-19, the Klondike Road Relay returned to the South Klondike and Alaska Highways on Sept. 11. Kinda.
The “Kinda” Klondike Road Relay could not start in its usual location in Skagway. Instead, teams began at the B.C./Yukon border — leg six of the classic race.
The youth and walking teams began in the normal location, at leg seven, which begins in Carcross. The finish line of the race was at Rotary Peace Park.
Teams had to navigate every bit of weather, outside of snow, on Saturday. There was rain in some spots, including the finish, while it was sunny in other locations.
Support vehicles lined the side of the highways, honking and encouraging the runner doing the particular leg. Although there were fewer teams and a shorter race, the feel and excitement of the Klondike Road Relay was still there.
At the finish line, the music was pumping but there wasn’t the usual party atmosphere that accompanies the Road Relay — that was until the teams started to slowly trickle in.
The first team to arrive was the youth team Blue Past You. The eight-person mixed youth team set an unofficial youth record, finishing the run in five hours, 12 minutes and eight seconds.
Cole Germain ran the final leg into Rotary to secure the victory for the squad. Germain anchored the team to the win but said it was an everyone-on-board effort.
“It was so much fun,” said Germain. “We were all as a group all day so it was fun seeing the progression and the way the teams interacted with each other. It was good. We put it all together.”
Germain said the entire route the team had two cars in support so everyone could cheer on the person running.
Blue Past You finished 20 minutes ahead of the Excelerators. Germain said he finally passed the Excelerators runner after the team kept gaining ground.
“We started like 15 minutes behind those guys,” said Germain. “We were slowly catching them over the course of the day and I finally passed them.”
The third-place youth team was the Green Hornets in 6:01:59.
Other results:
Note: ‘5 Person Mixed - Male’ and ‘5 Person Mixed - Female’ means that the team had one member of the opposite gender.
The fastest overall team through legs six-10 was Endurance North in the mixed-male category. Their time was seven hours, two minutes and 59 seconds.
The next quickest time was set by the Old Guys in the Men’s category. Their final time was 7:32:04.
Third overall was the Women’s team TBD with a quick pace of 7:43:42.
Endurance North and The Old Guys were the only teams in their category. TBD won the women’s division.
Six AM Sistas grabbed the second-place spot in 8:03:02 and Booby Dew in 8:44:14.
The 5 Person Mixed - Female division was taken by Takhini Houdini drinking a martini in a bikini in 8:17:09. Earning second was Don’t Stope Running with a time of 8:38:53 and third went to Let them eat cake.
Velvet Thunder, dressed in velvet jumpsuits and donning sideburns took the Mixed category in 7:45:11. The Left Overs grabbed the second podium position and Jock & Jills placed third.
The 4 Person Walkers class was won by Chocolate Claim Walkers in 8:24:51. Cirque du Sore Legs, the only other team in the division finished in 10:55:33.
The 8 Person Walkers was taken by Just Like that who finished only 20 seconds ahead of Slower Pokers.
Over 68 teams raced in the “Kinda” Klondike Road Relay.
Contact John Tonin at john.tonin@yukon-news.com