Hamilton's Director of Outdoor Leadership Andrew Jillings finished first in the single male kayak division and sixth overall in the 2007 Yukon River Quest, the world's longest annual canoe and kayak race. Based on results posted on the official race Web site last updated today at 3:45 EDT on Saturday, June 30, Jillings reached Dawson City behind one tandem kayak and four voyageur canoes, each with six to eight rowers. He had never participated in a kayak race before clinching the single male kayak title.
Jillings finished at 10:07 p.m. PST on Friday, June 29, 47 hours and 37 minutes after starting in Whitehorse, Yukon, on Wednesday, June 27. An additional ten hours were devoted to mandatory rest periods.
"My job at Hamilton 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 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."
There were a total of 79 teams that entered the race including voyageur canoes, tandem and solo kayaks, and an experimental solo canoe. Fourteen of the 79 teams quit before finishing the race including three of the 20 single male kayak entrants.
The wilderness adventure paddling marathon is held on the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson City in Canada's Yukon Territory. It began 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.
Jillings 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, he started whitewater kayaking.
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 South 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 included teams from Great Britain, Australia, Israel, Austria, South Africa, Latvia, and Japan as well as from across Canada and the United States. The field initially included 28 tandem canoes, 20 tandem kayaks, 25 solo kayaks and 10 voyageur canoes of six to 10 paddlers. There was also an experimental solo canoe class with two entries.
Sarah Weis, assistant director of Hamilton's Outdoor Leadership program, served as Jilling's pit crew during the few breaks he took.
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. The prize for many entrants is just finishing the event.
Race results have been posted throughout the event. Jillings is competitor number 18.
