Good food and lots of fun had at Chilli and Beans race

For a second straight year Tim Hodgson's tandem canoe was the first boat to finish the annual Chilli and Beans Downriver Race.

For a second straight year Tim Hodgson’s tandem canoe was the first boat to finish the annual Chilli and Beans Downriver Race.

Unfortunately for Hodgson, however, he wasn’t in the boat in Monday’s canoe and kayak race.

The Yukon paddling veteran loaned his two-person canoe to the team of Kam Davies and Jason Doucet, who just beat him to the finish line by less than 30 seconds.

The two completed the 18.5-km course, starting at Rotary Park and ending at the Takhini Bridge, with a time of 1:24:15.

“I was hoping it was like a horse, I was going to whistle and turn it around,” Hodgson joked about his canoe.

“They (Davies and Doucet) are just good and paddle well together. I have done workouts with them, I have been paddling with them, so I knew they were fast. I was glad just to hang on.”

Hodgson, who raced in the solo category, wasn’t bothered about losing to his own boat.

“Sometimes it’s more fun to come second and be in a really good race than it is to win by open water,” he said. “It’s all about racing and competition, I can paddle by myself anytime.”

Monday’s battle between the two teams was neck-and-neck for the majority of the race. However, with about three-km to go, Davies and Doucet poured it on, moving ahead of Hodgson.

“I think they could hear me labouring and they picked it up,” he said.

The last time Davies and Doucet raced against Hodgson was the Icebreaker, held in March. That time around, Hodgson, along with partner Jane Vincent, finished in the top spot, while Davies and Doucet placed second.

“He (Hodgson) sort of mentioned it along the way that we are starting a rivalry,” Doucet said.

Despite the win, both Davies and Doucet don’t consider the series to be tied at 1-1.

“The only time it will count is when he’s back with Jane or if we race solo,” Doucet said.  “We will have to make it more even.”

“We were hoping to have some fun,” Davies said about this year’s Chilli and Beans race.

Complete results for Monday’s race:

1) Kam Davies and Jason Doucet - C-2 mixed (1:24:15)
2) Tim Hodgson C-1 men (1:24:43)
3) Cindy Fraser and Steve Mooney - C-2 mixed (1:29:31)
4) Liz Bosely and Pat McKenna - C-2 Women (1:33:09)
5) Dan Girouard - C-1 men (1:33:29)
6) Jim Boyde - C-1 men (1:36:48)
7) Matt Landry - K-1 men (1:39:14)
8) Peter Coates - C-1 men (1:40:23)
9) Rene Lapierre - K-1 men (1:43:01)
10) Sally Macdonald and Bob Zimmerman - C-2 mixed (1:46:31)
11) Molly Dischner and Jeff Brady - C-2 mixed (1:51:53)
12) Danielle Sheldon and Julie Dufresne - C-2 Women (2:22:16)