New Speed Records Set At 2022 Yukon River Quest

Ten records were set at the 2022 Yukon River Quest, with an overall record that race director Mia Lee said will be a tough one to beat going forward. The race, which is the longest annual canoe and kayak race in the world, traces the historic, 715-kilometer gold rush route from Whitehorse to Dawson City in the Yukon. High water conditions contributed to 2022’s speedy descents.

Something Else Entirely, a four-man canoe team with paddlers from the Yukon and Ontario, crossed the finish line in Dawson City in 39:08:12. That bests the previous record of 39:32:43, set by Team Kisseynew in 2008.

Additional new records set in categories including the womens tandem canoe, mixed four-person canoe and stand-up paddleboard. Australian SUP racer Lincoln Dews smashed the previous SUP record by more than four hours. Dews, a three-time Australian SUP champion, landed in Dawson on Friday afternoon after paddling for 47 hours, 46 minutes and 32 seconds. The previous record, set by Bart de Zwart in 2017, was 52:16:06.

High, fast water played a part in quicker times this year, but it also made for challenging conditions. A number of boats tipped on Lake Laberge due to headwind. One in seven boats dumped in Five Finger Rapids, where seasoned racers said the waves were higher than ever. More wind and rainstorms on Thursday night and Friday afternoon soaked some teams and made for slow going for others, but overall sixty-two boats finished the 715-kilometre race from Whitehorse to Dawson. Race Marshall Stephen Mooney said the number of racers who dropped this year was comparable to previous years.

A full list of top finishers follows below:

Stand-up paddleboard

Men’s SUP

NEW RECORD

1 – Lincoln Dews (Lincoln Dews) 47:46:32

2 – Halfway to Cina (Davide Cina) 49:28:11

3 – Standing Room Only (Jason Bennett) 50:23:54

Womens SUP

1 – Type 2 Fun (LouAnne Harris) 62:36:12

2 – Shara Dubeau (Shara Dubeau) 65:34:50

Solo canoe

Men’s solo canoe

NEW RECORD

1 – Half a Perfect Storm (Gaetan Plourde) 47:59:34

2 – Doggy Paddle (Matthew Smith) 59:47:00

Solo kayak

Men’s solo kayak

1 – Wunnumut (Jeff Brainard) 44:10:35

2 – Golden Retriver (Wayne Anderson) 45:43:00

3 – Estonian Vikings (Mart Reimann) 48:46:32

Women’s solo kayak

1 – Victorious Secret (Mirjam Fleming) 53:43:02

2 – Rough Cut Diamond (Patricia Jones) 55:46:34

Tandem canoe

Men’s tandem canoe

1 – Soggy Bottom Boys 43:13:36

2 – Spirit of the Yukon 44:36:28

3 – Calgary Canoe Club 45:42:20

Women’s tandem canoe

NEW RECORD

1 – Love of Paddling 47:43:24

2 – The Girls Next Door 56:51:23

Mixed tandem canoe

1 – The Bickersons 46:18:53

2 – Mennonites Don’t Tip 50:49:31

3 – Fermentation Vessel 53:43:17

Tandem kayak

Men’s tandem kayak

NEW RECORD

1 – www.tyreorder.com Elite Team 40:05:43

2 – Yukon Wide Adventures 45:01:00

3 – World of Kayaks Team Estonia M&M 50:20:16

Women’s tandem kayak

NEW RECORD

1 – Huum Sauna 43:44:39

Mixed tandem kayak

1 – Schaay Ventures 47:39:15

2 – RBA 62:28:13

Four-person canoe

Men’s four-person canoe

NEW RECORD

1 – Something Else Entirely 39:08:12 (new overall race record)

2 – Team Quickblade 43:13:04

Women’s four-person canoe

NEW RECORD

1 – Every Child Matters 50:23:11

2 – Sea Wings 57:22:08

Mixed four-person canoe

NEW RECORD

1 – Delta Heat 43:17:01

2 – VIP Bucket List 46:25:05

Voyageur

Mens voyageur

1 – Pagunpogo 40:05:43

2 – Hatchet Lake 42:35:37

3 – Buckwheat’s Howlers 46:40:05

Mixed voyageur

1 – High Voltage 54:17:00

Half Quest

NEW RECORD

1 – Eddyline (mens tandem canoe) 24:38:54

2 – Paddlers Abreast (womens voyageur) 25:00:40

3 – Crisis and the Commando (mixed tandem kayak) 26:07:11