The sixth annual Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club's Chili and Bean Downriver race was held Tuesday under sunny skies with calm winds, which made for ideal paddling conditions.

The 18.5 km course from Rotary Park to Takhini River bridge saw 27 participants enjoying a positively explosive paddling experience

"It went very well," said Pat McKenna, one of the race organizers. "It was a beautiful night to be on the river and I think people enjoyed the paddle. It was just a really fun event that you could see people were very enthusiastic about paddling."

The Chili and Beans Race was an all ages event, which featured both youth and veteran paddlers.

Cost to participate was $10 for members of the Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club, while non-members paid $15.

Participants entered in the race were eligible to win draw prizes, which were donated by local companies such as Alpine Bakery, Hougen's Sportslodge and Coast Mountain Sports.

Tim Hodgson and Dan Girard were the first participants to complete the race, coming in at 1:23:56 to win the men's two person canoe category.

Joe Bishop wasn't too far behind Hodgson and Girard's time and completed the race at 1:27:55 to claim top spot in the men's one person kayak group.

It was a close finish in the mixed two person canoe event, which was won by Susan Rubinoff and Stephen Mooney with a time of 1:30:18. Rubinoff and Mooney's time was just 13 seconds faster than second place finishers Liz Bosely and Peter Coates.

Yvonne Harris and Pat McKenna bested all competitors in the women's two person canoe category with their time of 1:39:00, while Margriet Assman and Valerie Theoret finished in first place in the women's two person kayak event with their time of 1:44:00.

The next marathon paddling race will be the Autumn Classic on the McClintock River, which will be held Sept. 13.