The Yukon River Quest is a special one for me and many others . It ’ s been running for more than two decades and has a dedicated community of eccentric paddlers who may look normal on the outside but possess an exceptional level of internal strength . The northwest of Canada is a remote , raw and ridiculously beautiful part of the world . If you wish to disconnect from modern society , then here ’ s your chance : The Yukon River has almost zero internet access , and you ’ ll see very little civilisation . The finishing ‘ city ’ of Dawson – home of the infamous ‘ Sourtoe Cocktail ’ – has a population of just 1,300 , and that ’ s the second-largest town in the entire province …
There are two ultras on the Yukon , the other being the ‘ Yukon 1000 ’ that is precisely that : you paddle 1,000 miles down the river ( as opposed to ‘ only ’ 440 miles for the quest ). The cut-off time is ten days , and even the great Bart de Zwart said it was the hardest thing he ’ s ever done .
The Yukon 1000 is the craziest race in terms of length , but a close second would be the Alabama 650 , which also features a 10-day cut-off and blurs the line between ‘ race ’ and ‘ journey ’ so that it becomes hard to classify . Is it a race or an adventure ? Competition or a quest ? That ’ s what I love about the ultras – they ’ re something else entirely .
The postcard-perfect ’ 11 Islands ’ tour of Thailand returns this November , and we ’ re also working on an Aussie edition
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