Welcome to the official Yukon River Quest web site. The Yukon River Quest is an annual marathon canoe, kayak and stand-up-paddleboard 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 SUP, and 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 volunteer. The Yukon River passes through five First Nations on our race route: Kwanlin Dun, Ta’an Kwachan Council, Little Salmon/Carmacks, Selkirk, and Trondek Hwechin. Our race honours their culture and those who have lived off the river and nurtured it for centuries.

REGISTRATION STILL OPEN TILL JUNE 1!

REGISTRATION UPDATE – STILL ROOM:  –  Registration for the 20th Annual Yukon River Quest commenced on November, 1, 2017 and all 125 spots were initially filled by March 10, 2018. There were some withdrawals in early May and few spots have opened up.  Registration officially closes at 11:59 p.m. on June 1, 2018. Note: May 15 was the deadline to withdraw a team and receive a 50% refund. Teams that withdraw now forfeit the entire entry fee. Entries received in the late registration period from May 15-June 1  may not be listed on pre-race publicity materials.

20TH ANNIVERSARY RACE June 27 – July 1, 2018 – See teams and bios under RACERS tab above. To review the 2018 RULES (posted in six languages), just click on a flag above. The English Rules and Preparation tab also has a lot of great information for Racers and Support Crews about preparing for this summer’s race.  The 20th Annual YRQ will be a memorable affair. We are hoping a lot of teams that were in early races come back, whether on a team or as a volunteer. In advance of the race, please share your special YRQ stories with us by emailing them to info@yukonriverquest.com.  See link to our 20th Anniversary Page above to view these stories and a breakdown of all the special events we have planned. Watch this new 5-minute Paddling the Yukon River Quest Video about the race on our YouTube channel.  Please see our 2018  PRESS RELEASE and stay tuned to more news about the YRQ this spring. 

NEW! 2018 RACE SCHEDULE – now available! Make plans to attend these great local paddling events: Marathon Paddling Clinic on May 11-12 with Mike Vincent; Icebreaker Race on June 2 hosted by Flatwater Yukon and Up North Adventures (details on schedule).

VOLUNTEERS – MORE NEEDED FOR 2018: We will need more than the usual 225 volunteers to help with our big anniversary year. Sign up on the VOLUNTEER page. Thanks to those who volunteered in 2017 and prior years. The annual post-race Volunteer Party was held at Tony’s Pizza in Whitehorse after the race. If you missed it, check out our Volunteer Appreciation Party photo gallery on Facebook and also check out our big Thank You Ad in the Whitehorse Star from Wednesday, August 9 (pdf now available on Volunteer page).

BECOME A MEMBER & SUPPORT THE YRQ : Join the Yukon River Marathon Paddlers Association for just $20 a year (adults), $10 a year (juniors 18 & under), or $100 for lifetime. Email the race office for details or attend our December AGM. See Race Schedule for more information about what happens during Race Week and consider becoming a Volunteer or Sponsor. We have several sponsorship levels and the popular Bib Sponsorships to show your support for our teams and the race.

2017 RACE A WRAP! Thanks to all PADDLERS, SUPPORT CREWS & ESPECIALLY OUR VOLUNTEERS! If you missed it, you can see results and replay the race on our Race Tracker! See race photos on our Facebook and Instagram pages and awards in our post-race 2017 Awards News Release.  We had 88 teams start with paddlers from 12 countries represented in this year’s race: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Guernsey, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, and Togo.  All but 19 finished the race. Congrats to all!

YRMPA BOARD NEWS:   Read our new Vision, Values and Mission statements on our About Us page. May Board Meetings: Thursday, May 10 and May 24, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. in Sport Yukon Room 2.