麻豆社区

Twenty-one paddlers made their way down the Yukon River last night for the ninth annual Chili and Beans Downriver Race hosted by the Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club.

Departing from Rotary Park, the 14 boats raced 18.5-kilometres before pulling out of the river at the Takhini River Bridge.

For the second year in a row, solo canoeist Tim Hodgson won the race in a time of one hour and 22 minutes.

It's the third time Hodgson has won the race in last four years.

Arriving just four minutes later was Peter Coates, the former Yukon River Quest president and a current member of the board of directors.

Coates, competing as a solo kayaker, completed the race in 1:26.

This year's race was extremely close, with only 32 minutes separating boats one through 12. Many of the vessels arrived at the finish line within a minute or two of each other.

Afterwards, the paddlers feasted on chili prepared by Pat McKenna and bread donated by the Alpine Bakery.

"Pat always put on a fantastic event,鈥� said Coates.

"It was a good showing for a local race and almost perfect weather despite the weatherman threatening us with inches and inches of rain.鈥�

Coates, who describes himself as more of a canoe person, was surprised to find himself at the top of the pack.

"I have a very fast kayak, an Australian boat, that was brought over for the River Quest a few years ago,鈥� he said.

"I thought paddling solo canoe would put me towards the back so I thought lets try it and much to my surprise I was near the top.鈥�

With storm clouds looming ominously overhead, the paddlers were able to avoid the downpour.

A light drizzle was just enough to prevent them from overheating, said Coates.

The times in this year's event were a bit faster than years past, which can be attributed to the high water levels.

Hodgson won the race last year in a time of 1:28 and 1:24 in 2009.

In 2008, he won while competing in the C2 category.

"He's a very hardcore paddler, that's for sure,鈥� said McKenna, who along with Mia Lee, was the Yukon's top team in the tandem canoe category of this year's River Quest.

"He's been paddling a long time.鈥�

The event, which began in 2002 as the Takhini Downriver Race changed to the current format so it could take shape as a more inclusive event.

"We wanted it to be less intimidating and bring out more of the recreational paddlers,鈥� said McKenna.

"We try to make it a social event as well.鈥�

To go alongside the hearty meal, the paddlers also received draw prizes donated by the local paddling community.

The next event on the calendar for the club is the Yukon 360 on Aug. 18.

The unsupported wilderness race heads down the Pelly River from Faro and into Pelly Crossing.

There is no road access to the river until paddlers reach Pelly Crossing, requiring teams to be self-sufficient for at least three days.

"We'll see what the river throws at us this time,鈥� said Coates, who is helping to organize the event.

"It's the third 360 race and the first one was marked by quite impressive high winds, the second one by absurdly high temperatures and last year by incredible quantities of rain, so we'll see what happens.鈥�

The club will put a wrap on their season in late September when they host the Autumn Classic, an 11-km race up and down the M'Clintock River.

Chili and Bean Downriver Race Results 2012

1. Tim Hodgson: 1:22 鈥� Men C1

2. Peter Coates: 1:26 鈥� Men K1

3. David Gonda, Mike Code: 1:29 鈥� Men C2

4. Jeff Cousins, Megan Seiling: 1:30 鈥� Mixed K2

5. Pat McKenna, Liz Bosely: 1:31 鈥� Women C2

6. Dave MacLellan: 1:32 鈥� Men K1

7. Barbara Adam: 1:34 鈥� Women K1

8. Trudy Dunn: 1:36 鈥� Women K1

9. Caleb Light, Jayden Soroka: 1:38 鈥� Mixed C2

10. Lene Neilsen: 1:40 鈥� Women K1

11. Naomi Gladish, Lia Johnson: 1:41 鈥� Women C2

12. Carol Gottlieb: 1:42 鈥� Women K1

13. Ken Todd, Glen Piuowar: 1:54 鈥� Men C2

14. Marjorie Crawford, Tony de le Mare: 2:06 鈥� Mixed C2