YUKON RIVER MARATHON PADDLERS ASSOCIATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fifth annual Yukon River Quest entry deadline May 31

WHITEHORSE, YUKON – The longest canoe and kayak race in the world, the Yukon River Quest, is seeking entries for its fifth annual running in late June. The 460-mile (740 kilometers) paddling marathon is held on the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson City in Canada's Yukon Territory. The race begins with a Le Mans style start in downtown Whitehorse just after noon on Wednesday, June 25. Teams must reach the Carmacks checkpoint 200 miles (315 km.) down river in 40 hours to stay in the race, and then must make Dawson within 96 hours to officially finish and catch the awards banquet on Sunday afternoon. The race record is 52 hours, nine minutes, but most teams average between 65 and 80 hours. The Yukon River Quest grew out of the gold rush centennial Dyea to Dawson races and has increased in popularity each year, from 16 teams in 1999 to last year's record 36 teams. Organizers hope to reach the 50-team mark this year, and are actively soliciting teams in Alaska and the Yukon, as well as internationally through paddling magazines, canoe and kayak clubs, and its Web site, www.polarcom.com/~riverquest.Ê As of April 10, a dozen teams had registered, including overseas entries from Germany, England, Scotland, and the Guernsey Channel Islands, and North American entries from the Yukon, Alaska, British Columbia, Manitoba, Texas, Ontario, and Maine. The "Maine Yahoos to the Yukon" were the first team to sign up for the popular voyageur canoe category. Other categories are tandem canoe, tandem kayak, and solo kayak. Steve Van Vlaenderen, a kayker from Manitoba, is raising money for the arthritis research under the Arthritis Society's "Paddle Far" pledge program. Greg Tibbetts and Larry Seethaler of Anchorage return as a canoe team for their fourth and fifth River Quest respectively. Teams will compete for a total purse of approximately $19,500 Cdn. Entry forms and other information, from race rules to prize breakdowns per category, can be downloaded off the Web site. Deadline for entries is May 31. The race is being managed this year by the Yukon River Marathon Paddling Association, a group of paddling enthusiasts from the Yukon and Alaska who took over race organization last fall from the Yukon Quest International, organizers of the world-famous dog sled race. It was an amicable split so volunteers could concentrate on the races they know best. Lifetime individual memberships in the new Yukon River Marathon Paddling Association are available for $50 Cdn. For information on the race, including sponsorship opportunities, e-mail the race organizing committee at riverquest@polarcom.com. Official sponsors include: Acuvue Contact Lenses, Wenonah Canoe (which provided 18-foot Jensen canoes to the race for sale to corporate donors and use by teams - a few are still available), Up North Adventures, Air North, Canadian Tire, Norcan Leasing, Whitehorse Star, and CKRW Radio. The Canadian Rangers will assist the race safety crews again this year. Volunteers will be needed this year in Whitehorse, Carmacks and Dawson City. To sign up, contact Shanna O'Malley at 867-633-2182.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Yukon - John Firth, YRMPA president, 867-667-2144 (weekdays), 867-667-4749
(eve.) or John.Firth@clarica.com
Alaska - Jeff Brady, YRMPA Alaska rep., 907-983-2354 (weekdays), 907-983-2515 (eve.) or dotjeff@aptalaska.net