Official race photos by Mark Kelly Photography
Welcome to the official Yukon River Quest web site. The Yukon River Quest is an annual marathon paddling race. Paddlers come from around the world to test their endurance, racing day and night to the Klondike on one of North America’s great rivers. It is open to solo and tandem canoes and kayaks, solo stand-up paddle boards (SUPs, and bigger C4 and Voyageur canoes. Please fully explore our site for information on how to participate in this great event, whether as a racer, a member of a support crew, or as a volunteer. The Yukon River passes through Five First Nations on our race route: Kwanlin Dün, Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, Little Salmon Carmacks, Selkirk, and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. Our race honours their culture and those who have lived off the river and nurtured it for centuries. To learn more about First Nations heritage on the river, see this River History from Yukon Schools. And for an in-depth account of Yukon First Peoples, read this ECHO (Ethnographic, Cultural, Historical Overview) handbook.
YRQ25 REGISTRATION DATE SET: Registration for the 25th Yukon River Quest will commence on November 25, 2024. Watch for further announcements. See Announcement!
NOW POSTED: 2024 PHOTO GALLERY & 2024 YRQ AWARDS & RACE NOTES – Thanks to everyone who was involved with this year’s event and for rolling with the changes we had to make to keep you all safe! We welcome you to return next year for our 25th Anniversary Race. Stay tuned for announcements and updates throughout the year.
OFFICIAL RACE UPDATE (1 pm, June 27, 2024) – The 24th Yukon River Quest is ending in Carmacks this year due to circumstances beyond our control. The board of the Yukon Marathon Paddlers Association made this difficult decision today after conferring with government officials about the fire situation along the North Klondike Highway, which has been closed except for essential travel. Thanks for the cooperation of the EMO with Wildland Fires for providing us the information needed to make this call. The YRQ does not want to impact the egress of fire control or present more challenges from trying to send a fleet of support vehicles and volunteers into an active fire zone. Racers also were impacted by the Thirtymile fire last night. While we know this is disappointing news, it is the responsible decision for the safety of our race community. Thanks to the patience of racers, volunteers, and support crews. Racer times coming into Carmacks will be the final results, and awards will be at 10 am Friday morning at the Coal Mine Campground checkpoint.
YRQ24 RACE ON! June 26-29, 2024 – The 24th Yukon River Quest started with 74 teams on Wednesday morning from Whitehorse. The race was stopped briefly Wednesday night to assess a fire flareup in the Thirtymile section, but teams were released to carry on after a couple hours (see statement on our Facebook page). Check out race updates and photos on our Facebook, Instagram, and X feeds. We are continuing to post as teams finish in Carmacks!!!
RACE TRACKER – Go here to follow your team, watch the race progress, and for official results. Check out the team bios and their Bib Sponsors under our RACER LIST.
FINAL YRQ 2024 RACE EVENTS SCHEDULE & MORE RACE NEWS – Pick up the annual ‘YRQ Race Supplement’ in the June 21 Yukon Star and at our different venues, listen to ‘Rapids Reports’ on CKRW-The RUSH all during race week through the finish. See our pre-race PRESS RELEASE.
THANK YOU 2024 VOLUNTEERS! – Check out our big THANK YOU AD published in the Yukon Star.
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BE PREPARED – THIS IS A TOUGH WILDERNESS PADDLING RACE! READ RULES & RACER GUIDE: Become familiar with the YRQ RULES. Read the Preamble about what you will experience out there, and how to prepare for this tough wilderness race. Also check out the RACER GUIDE and various items under the RULES & PREPARATION drop-down menu above, such as following best practices on the river and while camping, how much food and fluids are needed to sustain you in a long river race, and other essential tips to help you finish; racer and support crew briefings; and our FAQs to learn more about navigation, insurance requirements, how to support your team at Carmacks, how to get back from Dawson, and more. Support crews need to become familiar with all of this information to help your team prepare and stay safe! Check out the SUPPORT CREWS link above.
THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS – LIFEBLOOD OF THE YRQ: Salute! This race does not happen without our great volunteers, nearly 200 of them! Want to get involved? Sign up on our VOLUNTEER page (2024 SignUp link still active). It’s never too early or too late to volunteer, and it’s fun! If you do enough time with us, you will get a shirt, and see your name in our big THANK YOU AD in the Yukon Star. And remember, PLEASE THANK OUR VOLUNTEERS WHEN YOU SEE THEM. THEY ARE THERE TO HELP!
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS – SUPPORT THE YRQ: We have a lot of great sponsors who help us immensely in making this a great race. Please view our SPONSOR PAGE for a list of everyone big and small, including this past year’s BIB SPONSORS! We have several sponsorship levels to show your support for the race. Our Sponsorship packet and provisions are currently under revision and should be available some time this winter.
BECOME A MEMBER OF YRMPA: NEW! Joining the Yukon River Marathon Paddlers Association is FREE! Click on the Membership photo button above to access the form and then scan and email it to: YRQtreasurer@gmail.com. You also may attend our next AGM and consider joining the YRMPA Board to help us plan the race. Meetings are monthly most of the year on the second Wednesday of the month, and more frequently the two months before the race.
ABOUT US: Vision, Values and Mission – AGM REPORT OCT. 23, 2024: The Yukon River Marathon Paddlers Association held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday October 23, 2024 at 5:30 PM at Sport Yukon and via Zoom. Members present re-elected Jason Biensch to the board, and elected new members Ben Lott and Esther Wheeler. Officers for the upcoming year will be selected at the November board meeting.