Still time to register for River Quest
The final push is on for registrations for the 15th annual Yukon River Quest, which will be held June 26 to 30.
The final push is on for registrations for the 15th annual Yukon River Quest, which will be held June 26 to 30.
The last day to enter the race is May 15. To date, 70 teams from nine countries have signed up.
Yukon and Alaskan paddlers who sometimes wait till the last minute are encouraged to enter now to guarantee a spot.
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.
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 2013 YRQ Rules posted on the website.
The 715-kilometre (444-mile) wilderness adventure paddling race is held on the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson City.
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,鈥� 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.
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 2013 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 鈥� tandem canoe, tandem kayak, solos, and voyageur canoes 鈥� 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.
If you can't race, then think about volunteering for this fun and rewarding event. Click on the volunteer tab on the site to see what's available. The race is organized by the Yukon River Marathon Paddling Association.
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