“Race to the Midnight Sun” is world’s longest annual canoe and kayak marathon
WHITEHORSE, YUKON – Registrations are now being accepted for the 16th annual Yukon River Quest which will be held June 25 to June 29, 2014.
The 715-kilometer (444-mile) wilderness adventure paddling race is held on the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson City in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Held during the last week of June, the YRQ is the world’s longest annual canoe and kayak race. It is known as the “Race to the Midnight Sun,” as paddlers race round-the-clock under a sky that never gets dark. There are just two mandatory rest stops of 10 hours over the course of the entire event.
The Yukon River Quest this week was named one of the ten toughest races in the world by renowned adventure racer and “Boundless” TV star Simon Donato in an article for huffingtonpost.com:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kensington-explorersinresidence/toughest-races_b_4123737.html
Carl Rumscheidt, race president, said it was gratifying to be listed among the toughest races in the world, along with winter’s Yukon Arctic Ultra race.
“It is a real tribute to all those dedicated paddlers who take on the physical and psychological challenge of the race,” Rumscheidt said. “I encourage paddlers everywhere to come to Yukon and share the experience.”
Registration for the 2014 Yukon River Quest opened on November 1. Online entry forms are available via a link on the race website www.yukonriverquest.com under the Register tab. Entry fees remain $850 (CAD) for tandem canoes and kayaks, $475 for solo canoes and kayaks, and $250 per person for voyageur canoe teams of six or more paddlers.
Deadline for entries is May 15, 2014, but teams are encouraged to register early due to the worldwide popularity of the event. There is a limit of 100 canoe and kayak teams, which includes a limit of 30 solo teams. These solo teams should register immediately to reserve a slot. Paddlers should have race or wilderness paddling experience, and all boats must meet the specifications defined in the 2014 YRQ Rules posted on the website.
Teams are required to have a SPOT device mounted on top of their boats and activated for tracking before their team is officially registered. Introduced last year, this requirement allowed teams to be able to be tracked during the race from links on the Yukon River Quest website.
The 2014 race purse will be $36,500 (CAD) if a full roster of 100 teams is registered by the May 15 deadline. Otherwise the purse is adjusted downward on a percentage basis.
There are overall cash prizes for each class – tandem canoe, tandem kayak, solos, and voyageur canoes – as well as prizes for the top three in each division. There also are $500 cash prizes for the top all-Yukon canoe and kayak teams, and the top First Nations team. Several special awards are also donated by Yukon sponsors. A complete prize breakdown can be found in the race rules on the website.
The Yukon River Quest remains a popular paddling event, drawing participants from all over the world. In 2013, 62 teams from nine countries started the race and 49 teams finished. A tandem canoe won for the first time since 2004. Round Side Down, paddled by Yukoner Tim Lynch and Dave Lewis of Nova Scotia took the overall title with a time of 45 hours, two minutes. Lake Laberge was unusually calm for the second straight year, but thunderstorms and plus 30C temperature slowed teams. No records were broken.
The course record still belongs to Canadian voyageur Team Kisseynew’s winning time of 39:32:43 in 2008.
Teams must finish the YRQ in 55 hours to receive prize money, but many do the race for the personal satisfaction of staking their claim to a coveted finisher pin in historic Dawson City. Aside from two mandatory layovers at Carmacks (7 hours) and Kirkman Creek (3 hours), teams paddle non-stop to reach the “City of Gold”. The race is supported by more than 200 volunteers.
The Yukon River Quest is the premier paddling event in Canada’s North and is widely recognized throughout the paddling world. It has also been featured on NBC-TV, the BBC and CBC, in numerous paddling and adventure magazines and websites around the world, and in the National Film Board of Canada’s critically acclaimed “River of Life” about Paddlers Abreast, a voyageur team of Yukon breast cancer survivors. Many other worthy causes have been represented as well, including Help for Heroes, a charity for those wounded in British conflicts that was supported by two Interserve teams in the 2012 and 2013 races.
For more information, view the pre-registration instructions, rules, and numerous paddler preparation links at www.yukonriverquest.com . For current news watch the site and the race’s Facebook page.
The race is organized by the Yukon River Marathon Paddling Association, based in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. Major logo-level sponsors in 2013 were the Whitehorse Star, Kanoe People, Air North, yukoninfo.com, Pepsi–Aquafina, Up North Adventures, Gold Trail Jewellers. City of Whitehorse, Superior Roofing & Renovation, Driving Force, and CKRW-The Rush. Many small businesses also support the race by sponsoring paddler bibs – see details about sponsorship packages on the website or contact the race office.
The YRMPA welcomes new members. The YRMPA Annual General Meeting will be held at Sport Yukon at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 9, 2014. If anyone is interested in joining or becoming a volunteer for the event, please contact the race organization at info@yukonriverquest.com or call 867-333-5628.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Carl Rumscheidt, president: yrqpresident2012@hotmail.ca or 867-667-5289 or 867-332-5500.
Jeff Brady, media relations: wjbradyak@me.com or 907-973-2354.