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 a 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. 

22nd ANNUAL YUKON RIVER QUEST: JUNE 24 – JUNE 28, 2020 – Registration opened on November 1, 2019 at 18:00 (6 PM) PDT. We had 99 teams registered in the first hour, and the field of 125 teams was full by 03:37 on Nov. 2nd (a record)! Teams who still want to get in the race should pay the $50 wait list fee in case teams drop over the winter.  There is a total team limit of 125 teams, and limits on the number of solo (50) and voyageur (15) teams. Teams will be added from the wait list as teams drop. See Rule 2 for how this process works. NOTE: Solo paddlers who have not completed the YRQ must race tandem or voyageur or must convince the YRQ Technical Committee that they have sufficient marathon racing or wilderness paddling experience. Solo racers must be able to self-rescue. Solo racers must provide a satisfactory paddling resume prior to registration. YRMPA reserves the right to reject any entry. Read latest press release about the 2020 YRQ in NEWS. As of 07 November there were already 20 teams on the wait list.

TAKE OUR SAFETY SURVEY. We are currently reviewing how we deploy our safety boats during the race with an eye on reducing our carbon footprint while still providing adequate safety cover and rescue capabilities on the lake and downriver. WE NEED YOUR INPUT! Please complete our short SAFETY SURVEY (link open till further notice).

2020 RULES POSTED: BE PREPARED – THIS IS A TOUGH WILDERNESS PADDLING RACE! –  Become familiar with the 2020 Race Rules. Read the Preamble about what you will experience out there, and how to prepare for this tough wilderness race.  Also check out the various articles on our RULES & PREPARATION page, such as how much food and fluids are needed to sustain you in a long river race and other essential tips to help you finish! View the racer and support crew briefings (they will be updated early in the new year). Support crews need to become familiar with all of this information to help your team prepare! Check out the SUPPORT link above. Check out the FAQs to learn more about navigation, insurance requirements, support at Carmacks, how to get back from Dawson, and more. 

PREVIOUS RACE REVIEW: RECORD FIELD IN 2019! – A record 117 teams started the 21st annual YRQ at noon on Wednesday, June 26, and 86 teams finished by 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 30.  A total of 31 teams (26.5%) scratched during the race (an additional team withdrew just before the start). Most of the scratches were in Carmacks, as several teams were fatigued and/or unable to make the cutoff time there on the evening of June 27. Only 3 teams scratched past Carmacks. Thirteen countries were represented: Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Netherlands, Norway (new), United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Papua New Guinea (new), France, Austria, and Ireland. Pull up 2019 Results and replay the race on our RACE TRACKER page, courtesy of Yukon 1000 Software, and see photos in our GALLERY and posted on our YRQ FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM pages. Read our AWARDS PRESS RELEASE.   

THANK YOU  VOLUNTEERS – LIFEBLOOD OF THE YRQ:   More than 200 of you made our race shine under the Midnight Sun!  A Volunteer Appreciation Party was held in Whitehorse  on Sept. 13 at Mt. MacIntyre and we gave out lots of Air North tickets and other door prizes. Thanks to those who donated! Also see our big THANK YOU AD from the Whitehorse Star published on Friday, July 26, 2019,  Want to get involved for the 2020 race? Sign in on our new VOLUNTEER page and then view the different jobs available. It’s never to early to volunteer, and it’s fun! 

 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 before spring 2020.

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 fall 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 list of lifetime members, current board & executive, and read our Vision, Values and Mission statements on our ABOUT US page. 

YRMPA BOARD NEWS:  At the Oct. 30, 2019 AGM, the current executive was elected for another one-year term: Peter Coates, president; Deb Bartlette, Vice President  Spencer Edelman, secretary; and Lidweign Hanrath, treasurer; along with these directors, also serving a one-year term: Jim Boyde, Jeff Brady, Stan Fordyce, Al Foster, Carmen Gustafson, Roger Hanberg, Anne Jessup, Stephen Mooney, and Hank Moorlag. Draft minutes now posted on ABOUT US page. We are in the middle of developing a Strategic Plan for the next 5+ years. Upcoming meetings:  Thursday, December 19, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. at Sport Yukon, and the third Thursday of the month as we start the new year.