By early Saturday afternoon, seven teams had finished the first training race for the Yukon River Quest.

Starting at Marsh Lake, racers paddled 30-kilometres downstream to the Schwatka Lake boat launch for the Icebreaker Race.

First to finish was the C-2 team of Ian Weir and Lee Hawkings in 2:20:00.

Last to the line was the father-son C-2 team of Jeff and Danny Brady in 3:08:42.

“We were trying for three hours, so we got pretty close to that, said Jeff Brady. “I knew we wouldn’t win. Last at seventh place isn’t so bad either.”

While Jeff has competed in the River Quest before, it will be his son’s first time.

“He’s a rookie,” said Jeff. “He’s been a volunteer for 10 years, now he’s ready to race.”

Danny’s sister has done the race a few times as well.

The Bradys live in Skagway and Jeff said that training opportunities in the boat are a little harder to come by.

“We don’t have a river to train on. We’re kind of at the mercy of the ocean,” he said.

They’re able to do loops on the Taiya River, although it’s not quite as long as they’d like and every Sunday they go out on Nahku Bay with the Skagway voyageur team that will also compete in the River Quest.

The Icebreaker was their first race in their canoe this season. The robin’s egg blue Clipper was in the shop all winter to get a crack repaired on the keel. They had a mishap with a rock during a camping trip last summer.

Now, the boat looks like new, although it’s a couple pounds heavier thanks to the reinforcing of the repair job.

With their boat back in hand, the duo will head out for some more training and will load up the boat with the gear they’ll use during the River Quest.

“We’ll do an overnight so he (Danny) gets used to the change in temperature,” said Jeff as he refuelled at the Schwatka Boat Launch after the Icebreaker. “Learn how to pee in the boat, which he hasn’t done yet.”

Danny issues a quick protest. He has performed the feat, on a trip down the Pelly River.

“I guess he’s a pro,” said Jeff.

Danny, who’s grown up around the River Quest, will be one of the youngest to travel down the Yukon River.

“It’s about time that I’m getting to do it,” said the 15-year-old. “I was thinking today, in running it’s a matter of minutes and seconds and here it’s a matter of hours. It’s kind of a change of pace.”

If the Bradys finish the River Quest at a reasonable hour, they’ll be happy.

“Finishing is the main thing,” said Jeff. “There’s a lot better men’s teams coming that’ll blow teams like us out of the water.”

The Icebreaker is just the first test for a lot of teams this year.

“The race is a long-standing tradition and is used by a number of local teams in the lead-up to the Yukon River Quest,” said Icebreaker organizer Peter Coates. “Even the time recorded for last place was quite fast compared to times we have seen in previous years.”

With the exception of a few paddlers in the voyageurs, who were helping to fill up spots and a C-1, all the Icebreaker racers plan to be on the start line for the River Quest.

The River Quest starts at noon at Rotary Peace Park on June 29.