YUKON 1000

THE WORLD’S TOUGHEST SURVIVAL AND ENDURANCE RACE

ABOUT THE RACE

The Yukon 1000 is the worlds longest paddle race; starting in Whitehorse, Canada and finishing 1000 miles later in Alaska and the Arctic Circle. The race is totally unsupported; teams must be totally self-sufficient and take everything with them that is needed to complete the race.

Due to the extreme nature of the Yukon 1000, it is considered one of the toughest endurance races in the world, and not only tests racers physical abilities but also their strategic planning, navigation, and survival skills. Paddlers can paddle for up to 18 hours a day and must take a mandatory stop for 6 hours each evening before going again, camping rough where bears, moose and wolves are very real considerations.

The race has a cut-off of 10 days; after which you are not acknowledged as being on the race. Typically a two man canoe or kayak race, since 2018 the organisers have accepted SUP teams.

Go Pro Stills Timeline - Craig & Skip_01_21_02_16.jpg

DAY ONE - WHITEHORSE, YUKON

So how did I find myself standing on the banks of the Yukon River on Friday 14th July 2023, nervously waiting for the final countdown to probably the biggest physical and mental challenge of my life?

We were down at the start line around 6am; giving ourselves plenty of time to get all the kit loaded onto the boards and try to keep relaxed and focussed on the task at hand. A few words and a poem were read by the Race Director and a First Nations blessing from Glenn Nolan was given. We all spent some quiet moments by the river alone with our final thoughts before the countdown was called. 5..4..3..2..1…GO! It was 07:30 and we were officially off on the adventure of a lifetime!

FIVE FINGER RAPIDS

Heading into Five Finger Rapids on the evening of day two

22:00 - FIVE FINGER RAPIDS

Approaching FFR; you hear it long before it comes into view. During the briefing you are told to only go through the channel on the far right. As we started to go through we both decided to drop to our knees; we didn't need a dunking at this stage of the day! As we passed through the towering columns you suddenly hit the standing waves - a few paddle strokes to keep you pointing forward and you are through. The bark is most definitely worst than the bite when it comes to Five Fingers; and whilst it can be a daunting place particularly during high river years like 2022; people probably worry a little too much about this little rollercoaster! We let out a celebratory cheer as the sun dipped behind the mountains, letting the adrenaline warm our bodies.

We paddled on for a few km’s before finding a perfect sandy camp spot on the far side of an island. We were both so pleased to have made it past Five Fingers by the end of day two. Alarm set, we put our heads down for a 3.5 hour sleep.

TRAINING FOR THE RACE

There is a saying that I first heard from the Race Director, Jon Frith that I had to keep repeating time and time again to myself during my training - "Don't do the race before the race". You simply cannot recreate this kind of race environment and physical demand that it will place on you, and trying to will most likely end in burn out.

Physical Readiness

My goal when preparing for the 2023 race was to ensure that I made it to the start line injury free, physically healthy and with a little more fat and muscle than I would normally be comfortable carrying! I knew I would be burning between 6-8,000 calories a day, and there is simply no way I could carry and digest that amount of food each day so carrying extra energy stores in fat and muscle was important.

My periodised training plan consisted of 3-4 Strength & Conditioning sessions a week, mixed in with SUP and trail running - long steady state and anaerobic sessions all designed to build my zone 2 aerobic base. As I do with my clients, I use Training Peaks to plot and track my training; my fitness, fatigue and form.

Mental Preparedness