"My job is to take students out into places that are beyond their normal bounds. If I'm going to do this, I should be doing it myself," explains Hamilton Director of Outdoor Leadership Andrew Jillings about his decision to enter the ninth Yukon River Quest. "The trips I take them on shouldn't be a stretch for me - that would be irresponsible. So I chose to go to the Yukon to feel the same 'stretch' that my students do, only for me, the stretch is necessarily longer," The race is the longest annual canoe and kayak race in the world.
The 740-kilometer (460-mile) wilderness adventure paddling marathon is held on the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson City in Canada's Yukon Territory. It begins on June 27 with a mass start at 12:30 p.m. on Whitehorse's Main Street, with teams running to their vessels on the Yukon River and concludes on July 1.
Jillings, who will compete as a solo kayaker, is no novice when it comes to racing on the water. He began kayaking at the age of 11 at his school in England and continued through his high school years. Fifteen years ago, after coming to the United States, Jillings started whitewater kayaking. He is also an experienced rower, having competed on a club level after high school in London.
Training throughout the spring, Jillings spent the majority of his hours kayaking on the Erie Canal once the ice was gone. During spring break he traveled to North Carolina where he purchased a kayak specifically for this race and practiced at Cape Lookout. His training regime included stints on the water from a couple hours to more than eight. He says that the most important issues have been figuring out how to sit still for long periods of time and how to select food that agrees with the strenuous nature of the endeavor.
The 2007 race roster includes teams from Great Britain, Australia, Israel, Austria, South Africa, Latvia, and Japan as well as from across Canada and the United States. The field includes 28 tandem canoes, 20 tandem kayaks, 25 solo kayaks and 10 voyageur canoes of six to 10 paddlers. There also is an experimental solo canoe class with two entries.
Competitors paddle on the Yukon for about 20 hours to the first, longest break, seven hours. This section includes the famous Lake Laberge of the Robert Service poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee." After a little sleep and a lot of food, competitors return to the river for the biggest rapids of the race, the Class II/III Five Finger Rapids. Another 18 hours follow to a three-hour break, then another 15 to the finish in world-famous Dawson City, site of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-1898. Sarah Weis, assistant director of Hamilton's Outdoor Leadership program, will serve as Jilling's pit crew during the few breaks he will take.
The Yukon River Quest is one of the premier events in the north and the paddling world, featured on the BBC, CBC and in numerous paddling and adventure magazines. In 2006, 74 teams started the event, and 57 finished. The prize, for many, is just finishing the event.
Race results are posted throughout the event. Jillings is competitor number 18.
The 740-kilometer (460-mile) wilderness adventure paddling marathon is held on the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson City in Canada's Yukon Territory. It begins on June 27 with a mass start at 12:30 p.m. on Whitehorse's Main Street, with teams running to their vessels on the Yukon River and concludes on July 1.
Jillings, who will compete as a solo kayaker, is no novice when it comes to racing on the water. He began kayaking at the age of 11 at his school in England and continued through his high school years. Fifteen years ago, after coming to the United States, Jillings started whitewater kayaking. He is also an experienced rower, having competed on a club level after high school in London.
Training throughout the spring, Jillings spent the majority of his hours kayaking on the Erie Canal once the ice was gone. During spring break he traveled to North Carolina where he purchased a kayak specifically for this race and practiced at Cape Lookout. His training regime included stints on the water from a couple hours to more than eight. He says that the most important issues have been figuring out how to sit still for long periods of time and how to select food that agrees with the strenuous nature of the endeavor.
The 2007 race roster includes teams from Great Britain, Australia, Israel, Austria, South Africa, Latvia, and Japan as well as from across Canada and the United States. The field includes 28 tandem canoes, 20 tandem kayaks, 25 solo kayaks and 10 voyageur canoes of six to 10 paddlers. There also is an experimental solo canoe class with two entries.
Competitors paddle on the Yukon for about 20 hours to the first, longest break, seven hours. This section includes the famous Lake Laberge of the Robert Service poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee." After a little sleep and a lot of food, competitors return to the river for the biggest rapids of the race, the Class II/III Five Finger Rapids. Another 18 hours follow to a three-hour break, then another 15 to the finish in world-famous Dawson City, site of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-1898. Sarah Weis, assistant director of Hamilton's Outdoor Leadership program, will serve as Jilling's pit crew during the few breaks he will take.
The Yukon River Quest is one of the premier events in the north and the paddling world, featured on the BBC, CBC and in numerous paddling and adventure magazines. In 2006, 74 teams started the event, and 57 finished. The prize, for many, is just finishing the event.
Race results are posted throughout the event. Jillings is competitor number 18.
