The intense annual Yukon River Quest
The 18th annual Yukon River Quest ended on July 3 after five days of intense paddling in the epic northern race from downtown Whitehorse to Dawson City on the Yukon River. The Yukon River Quest is the longest annual canoe and kayak race in the world, and contains only ten hours of mandatory rest for paddlers along the way.
The grueling paddling race had 94 registered teams competing in canoes, kayaks, voyageur canoes and for the first time in the race’s 18 year history, stand-up paddleboards.
In the men’s tandem canoe category, Jeff Brainard and Gaetan Plourde came first, Lee Hawkings and Ian Weir second, and Tim Turner and Pat Turned third. Brainard and Plourde paddled into Dawson City Friday July 1 at 8:14 p.m., more than two hours before the second place team. In the women’s tandem canoe Laurélie Harvey and Joanie Pelletier came first, Pauline Frost and Nichole McDonald second, and Rena Dehne and Steph Leson third. Harvey and Pelletier were able to take advantage of the midnight sun, arriving in Dawson City just before 1 a.m.
Geeb Smith and Derek Chart placed first in men’s tandem kayak, Robert and Druce Finlay came second, and Rob Smith and Richard Stagg came third.
RELATED: Canoeroots’ Kaydi Pyette’s account of the 2015 Yukon River Quest.
In the men’s solo kayak category Dave Hutchison placed first, Brad Pennington second and Thomas de Jager third. Team Boona’s Quest came first in the voyageur canoe category, Team Ts’alvit second and The Aurora Collective third. In the women’s Aliye Tuzlak came first and Rozanne Pilbeam second. In solo canoe Bryan Allemang came first, Bradley Magnuson second and William Siersdorfer third.
Stand-up paddleboarding makes Yukon River Quest debut
In the new SUP division, 11 racers were registered but just 9 finished. Bart de Zwart placed first, putting down his paddle at 4:41 a.m. The Hawaii resident previously completed the first ever SUP crossing of England’s North Sea.
Overall the fastest time in the 2016 Yukon River Quest was by Jeff Brainard and Gaetan Plourde. Brainard, 54, and Plourde, 42, are both from Ontario and have competed in the Yukon River Quest before.
View full results and race tracker here.
