麻豆社区

DAWSON CITY 鈥� The concept is simple 鈥� first boat to Dawson City wins.

But what happens between the banks of the Yukon River from Whitehorse onwards during the annual Yukon River Quest canoe and kayak race entails so much more.

Faro's Tim Lynch and his Nova Scotian teammate Dave Lewis were the big winners of the 15th annual paddling marathon.

At Sunday's post-race awards ceremony at Robert Service School, however, it was plain to see each racer to receive a finishing pin was a victor in his own right.

Lynch and Lewis, Team 19 "Round Side Down鈥�, were the first to reach Dawson City last Friday night, in a time of 45:02. That was more than five hours off the course record set in 2008.

The two took over the lead position before reaching Carmacks last Thursday morning, and never saw another boat on the river again.

The duo's win marked the first victory by a tandem canoe since 2004, and saw them pocket just less than $1,500 in prize money.

"This is a big achievement for us,鈥� said the 50-year-old Lewis, who works at a power utility in Liverpool, N.S. "This is the top achievement of our paddling career.鈥�

He and Lynch have been racing together since 1998, and said the bond of trust they share helped them achieve the win. They also raced last year, finishing fourth overall just behind women's voyageur team Skirting Disaster.

Lynch said paddling the river alone was the biggest challenge the two had to overcome.

"It's very frustrating when you make a mistake,鈥� the 40-year-old Mountie said. "You've got to control your mind.

"Luckily, Dave and I have raced together long enough that we've run the gamut of emotions, so we've messed it all up before.鈥�

Besides the mandatory layovers, the seasoned teammates only pulled off the water once 鈥� when lightning flared across the sky like it was the Sourdough Rendezvous finale.

Lynch said he spent most of those 18 minutes on shore staring at his watch, watching the minutes tick away.

"It's a unique experience,鈥� said Lynch of the river odyssey.

"It's not like anything you ever paddle. It's a race, but it's not. Making it to Dawson is success enough.鈥�

While seasoned paddlers Lynch and Lewis set the bar for top race times, Jason Doverspike of Swan River, Man. set the benchmark for adventure and courage.

The 24-year-old completed the race alongside 64-year-old American Terry Wescott after Wescott learned too late that his original teammate couldn't make the race.

Doverspike had been slated to serve as support crew for Flin Flon canoeists Steve and Karla Ramsay, but found himself being convinced to pair up with Wescott just two days before the race.

Doverspike had been in a canoe just five times before last week, and had never met Wescott before the June 26 pre-race meet-and-greet held at the MacBride Museum in Whitehorse.

Wescott suffered a shoulder injury late in the race, and Doverspike endured hallucinations of other canoes hot on their heels.

Despite all that, the duo managed to finish fourth out of all men's tandem canoes 鈥� and passed two teams on the home stretch.

"I knew it was going to be a challenge, but that was the hardest thing I have ever done,鈥� Doverspike told the Sunday. "Terry didn't think I would finish, but I gave it everything I had.鈥�

The road and mountain cyclist said the paddling bug has bitten him for good, and vowed to return to give the River Quest another shot sometime in the future.

"I mean, I never trained and I finished fourth,鈥� he said. "I absolutely want to make the podium next time.鈥�

In the end, 49 of the 62 teams to start found their way to Dawson City.

One scratched out after a hot paddle across a calm Lake Laberge, and 11 more called it a race in Carmacks. A 13th team pulled out at Minto Landing, past Five Finger Rapids.

For the first time in many years, no race records were broken.

"Why do we do this?鈥� race president Carl Rumscheidt wondered aloud in his closing remarks at the awards ceremony.

"In many ways, it's about ourselves 鈥� testing our bodies and seeing how far we can go.鈥�

But the River Quest isn't simply an individual test of endurance and mental fortitude, Rumsheidt continued.

It's also very much about the paddling community, the river, and the adventures that unravel along the way.