2019 RACE DATES – June 26-30:  Register Now for the 21st annual Yukon River Quest!

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 (SUP0, 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 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.

21ST ANNUAL YUKON RIVER QUEST: JUNE 26 – JUNE 30, 2019

REGISTRATION UPDATE (11-11-18) – The race filled during the first few days of registration with 125 paid-up teams from 12 countries: Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Norway (new), UK, Switzerland, Germany, Papua New Guinea (new), France, Austria, and Ireland. All 50 solos spots filled quickly, and wait lists have begun. Currently they break down this way:

See list of all teams on the TEAM BIOS page. Click on the REGISTER link to get on the wait list or edit your team information.  See PRESS RELEASE and more updates on our YRQ FACEBOOK page.

RACERS & SUPPORT CREWS INFO: Racers please go through the RULES & PREPARATION part of our site to view our 2019 RULES and Racers Briefing, and see what you are required to carry on this journey. Check out the FAQs to learn more about navigation, insurance requirements, support at Carmacks, how to get back from Dawson, and more. Support crews should check out the SUPPORT link above to view a separate Support Briefing and learn more about what you need to do to help your team get to the finish line! Watch for an updated 2019 SCHEDULE very early in the new year. 

VOLUNTEERS – LIFEBLOOD OF THE YRQ: Sign up now for 2019!  More than 300 of you made our race shine under the Midnight Sun for our 20th Anniversary!  Help us carry on into our third decade. Sign in on our new VOLUNTEER page and then view the different jobs available. 

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 last year’s BIB SPONSORS!  We have several sponsorship levels to show your support for the race. Our popular bib program is a great way for small businesses to both help the race and support a team. Click here for a 2019 Bib Sponsorship Form.

20TH ANNIVERSARY RACE REVIEW: Read about our incredible 20TH ANNIVERSARY race week with wonderful events in Whitehorse, Carmacks and Dawson, where more than 300 YRQ paddlers, support crew members, and volunteers marched in the Canada Day parade after the race. During our Awards Ceremony, we unveiled our GREAT RIVER CLUB of 5,000 and 10,000 kms paddlers!  Click on our YRQ RACE TRACKER page, courtesy of Yukon 1000 Software, where you can see complete results in every class and category and replay the whole race!  Also see our AWARDS PRESS RELEASE for a list of winners: Yukon Wide Adventures repeated as overall champion, beating Paddlesport Mongrels from the United Kingdom by about an hour, and a new Mixed K2 Record was set by the third place overall team, The Kiwis. We had a record 103 teams start and 76 finished. Congrats to all! 

BECOME A MEMBER OF YRMPA: 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 and consider joining the YRMPA Board to help us plan the race. Meetings are monthly most of the year, and more frequent the two months before the race. See our new Vision, Values and Mission statements on our ABOUT US page.

YRMPA BOARD NEWS:  At its Oct. 11 meeting the board approved the 2019 Rules and also approved an agreement with Listers Motor Sports for the purchase of five C4 canoes for the YRQ rental fleet. See new Canoe Rentals page.  Upcoming Meetings: YRMPA Board Thursday, November 8 at 5:30 p.m. in Sport Yukon Room 2;  ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: Tuesday, December 4 at 5:30 p.m. in Sport Yukon Room 2, followed by regular meeting.