International competition benefits River Quest

The annual Yukon River Quest is becoming a United Nations in the world of competitive paddling.

France, Great Britain, Japan and Australia are some of the many countries that have made up the field over the years.

This year’s race is no different and, despite a struggling economy, the amount of international interest has remained strong.

Paddlers for the 11th annual event are coming from countries including Australia, Austria, Great Britain, Japan, Latvia, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Canada.

American paddlers are traveling from a number of different States, including Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Montana, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

Canadian paddlers are coming from Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon. The host territory has a total of 28 paddlers in the race.

“Every year more and more competition shows up and you are forced to step it up a little bit,” said Tim Hodgson, a multiple-year Yukon River Quest participant. “You have great world class paddlers coming to our river.”

Organizers of the River Quest feel the same way and have taken the proper steps to ensure the race keeps an international atmosphere.

“It brings the level up a little bit, that’s for sure,” said Jean-Francois Latour, president of the Yukon River Marathon Paddlers Association.

“It brings the interest up as well, so we’re not a local race any more and if you look at the entries we have a few Yukoners participating, but that’s definitely not the majority. When you look at the first couple of editions of that race it was mainly Yukon and a couple of guys from Alaska coming, so it’s taking an international flavor.”

Latour said one of the things that makes the race easier for international paddlers is a forum icon on the River Quest’s web site (http://www.yukonriverquest.com) Clicking on the link offers advice to newer paddlers in the race from veterans that have done it before.

The River Marathon Paddlers Association also puts traveling paddlers in touch with local businesses that can help them with things such as boat rentals, he said.

“It’s a big logistical thing for them to come up here,” he said. “It needs to be planned way ahead of time.”

Latour added the organization is also lucky to have Air North’s support, which he said offers a discount to River Quest paddlers.

“Air North is extremely accommodating for boats and things like that,” he said.

“They have never turned away anybody who wanted to bring a humongous kayak or a voyager canoe. We always here good reviews about Air North and their service.”

Another attraction might be the Yukon River itself, which Latour said has a big appeal for traveling paddlers because of the gold rush era.

“A lot of people come and they know about the Yukon River and the role it played in the Gold Rush, so they come with a little bit of that curiosity behind it,” he said. “For them to be on the same river that those gold seekers were on 100 years plus ago it’s kind of magical.”

A struggling economy in 2009 has not proven that big of an affect on the race either.

River Quest teams are competing for a record $36,000 in prize money throughout the different categories. All racers that complete the approximately 740-km course will also receive a much coveted finisher pin.

Seventy-nine teams are scheduled to start the race this year, which is down slightly from the 89 that began the race in 2008. A little more than 200 paddlers competed last year race throughout the voyager, tandem and solo categories.

Latour said more than 170 paddlers are entered in the race this year.

“It is down a little bit, but we are quite amazed to have that number,” he said.

“It’s still the second biggest field of the 11 year history of the race, so I think because of the economy and the uncertainty that affected it a little bit, but we consider it minimal though.”