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Family participation and a record turn-out highlighted this year鈥檚 Chili and Bean Race.

Twenty five teams started at Rotary Peace Park, paddling the 18.5 kilometres to the Takhini River Bridge where chili, beans, refreshments and a bakery of baked goods awaited them.

The race began in 2000, but was known then as the Takhini Downriver Race. Since 2003, it has been know as the Chili and Bean Race.

Organizer Pat McKenna, said she added the 鈥楤ean鈥� when more racers started participating than she could feed with chili, so she also started making baked beans.

McKenna says there鈥檚 not a lot of fun races for paddlers.

鈥淚t鈥檚 another way to try and encourage people to do marathon paddling,鈥� she says.

Marathon paddling, as opposed to whitewater or flatwater, uses a different stroke and lightweight paddles and boats.

The 815-kilometre Yukon鈥圧iver Quest is also a marathon paddling test. Some crews that participated in that event at the beginning of July also came out for the Chili and Bean Race.

The first teams across the line this year were tandem canoes, with the pair of Jake Paleczny and Rob Spinks (1:19:00) taking the win. Bill Parry and Fearghus Vincent were second (1:19:25), while Julianne Girard and Dan Girard (1:23:27) were third.

In the solo boats, Peter Coates was first (fourth overall) in 1:24:04. Cole Wilkie-Hobus in the only kayak was ninth overall, but second in the solo boats (1:28:25) and Alison Schreiber in a solo canoe was third in the solo boats and 14th overall (1:33:57).

Three voyageurs also participated, including Paddler鈥檚 Abreast, the de Jaeger Family and paddlers from the Stix Together crew.