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It may have been a small field in this year's Yukon 360 canoe and kayak race but there was no shortage of talent.

The annual race took place on the Nisutlin River, taking paddlers over 140-kilometres of open water.

In last year's event, the race was marked by horrendous weather as the paddlers traveled across the Stewart and Yukon Rivers in heavy rain. This year, the weather was nearly perfect.

Despite the improved conditions and shorter distance than in year's past, the race still tested the endurance and strength of the competitors as they raced over slow water.

Within the first 60-km of the race, the order was set.

The Old Dogs, a tandem canoe team of Bob Vincent and John Bugge, pulled to the front of the pack while solo canoeist Tim Hodgson rode in their wake.

Those two vessels would maintain their position, with the Old Dogs winning in the race in a time of 21 hours, eight minutes and 30 seconds.

Hodgson was less than an hour behind, arriving at the finish in 21:50:14.

Hippie Dippy, a tandem canoe team of Gillian Farnell and Jeremy Staveley was third in 22:39:00.

Rounding out the pack were the Hearts of Bristol, a tandem kayak team of Mark Turner and Mark Hamilton. They reached the finish in 23:16:00.

The Mako, a double canoe paddled by Dennis Fosseneuve was forced to withdraw after a navigation error lead him into Eagle Bay and John's Slough.

A rescue boat was able to track down Foesseneuve as he was equipped with a SPOT tracker.

Each of the teams that competed in this year's race carry an impressive paddling background.

The Old Dogs won the tandem canoe category in the Texas Water Safari earlier in the year. Billed as the world's toughest canoe race, the Texas Water Safari leads paddlers along the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. They race over 400-km through whitewater rapids and multiple portages while enduring the Texas heat. It was the 30th year Bugge had competed in the event.

Vincent was in the first two Yukon River Quests in 1999 and 2000, winning his class in each race.

Hodgson entered the race coming off a first place finish in the Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club's Chili and Beans Race. It was his second consecutive victory in the local race.

The Hearts of Bristol were paddling for a cause.

Turner and Hamilton, both cardiologists in Bristol, were raising money for SADS UK, a British heart disease charity.

The two paddlers have competed three times in the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon.

The 200-km race is known as one of the toughest in the UK.

Farnell and Staveley, while relatively new to paddling, have been a force on the local circuit all summer and the future looks bright for the pair. Stavely was also able to avenge a DNF in the Yukon River Quest earlier this summer by placing third overall.

After paddling over fairly fast water in the first 100-km of the race, the paddlers were tested in the final stretch.

The remaining 40-km widened, slowed and revealed a plethora of sandbars to navigate.

When Hodgson reached the finish, he was suffering from chaffing caused by his PFD while the Heats of Bristol were aching from racing in their loaded touring boat, a much heavier vessel than their usual racing kayaks.

The local canoe and kayak racing season will come to a close in late September with the Autumn Classic, an 11-km race up and down the M'Clintock River.

With files from Peter Coates.