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.

RACE WEEK FUN BEGINS JUNE 25

TEAM COUNT UPDATE (6-20-18) –  Registration for the 20th Annual Yukon River Quest closed as of 11:59 p.m. on June 1. We had a record pre-race official count of 116 teams, resulting in a boost in the total potential purse to over $48,000. That team number had dropped to 115 when this PRESS RELEASE was issued June 8th, and as of June 20th was down to 108. Bib numbers are now set, so if teams drop their numbers are just removed from the list on the bio and tracker pages. Watch for more race info as we roll into race week.

2018 RACE SCHEDULE – See the full schedule leading up to Race Week in Whitehorse and through the end of the race in Dawson City, including all the great 20th Anniversary events we have planned for racers past and present, volunteers, and support crews. Happy 20th YRQ!!!

20TH ANNIVERSARY RACE June 27 – July 1, 2018 – See all 111 teams and their paddler bios under RACERS tab above.   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 for more news about the YRQ.

RACERS: ARE YOU PREPARED? Go through the RULES & PREPARATION part of our site to view our Racers Briefing, and go over in the rules what you are required to carry on this journey. To review the 2018 RULES (posted in six languages), just click on a flag above. Check out the FAQs to learn more about 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! 

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 (pdf 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. June Board Meetings: Thursday, June 7, 14 and 21 at 5:30 p.m. in Sport Yukon Room 2.