Race description

The Yukon 1000 is an Expedition Race that is unlike anything else in the world. In most races, you are trying to win but in this one, your main goal is to finish. It's all about pushing your boundaries in a new and unforgiving landscape. The race itself started in 2009 by Peter Coates and was a yearly event until 2012. That's when they switched up the race format to be a biannual race which they still use today. They made the switch probably due to the large amounts of administration that has to go into a race like this. Lots of logistics.

1000 miles mapped out on the Mississipi to show scale

The race start takes place in Whitehorse in the Yukon Territories province of Canada and finishes at the Dalton Highway Bridge just North of Fairbanks rounding out at almost an exact 1000 miles. Most maps of Alaska and Canada make it really hard to realize distance because of vast terrain and the large distance between towns soI translated a 1000 mile journey into the Mississippi River to help people visualize how much is to be covered in the matter of a week and a half. Yeah, that's right. That's all you have to complete 1000 miles. Most teams will complete it under the 9-day mark and the current record is 6 days 2 hours and 11 minutes.

In order to make sure that the teams are prepared for the race the director supplies everyone with a mandatory equipment list that is much more comprehensive than you might think of for a race. Most of the decisions are made for safety and equality. They don't want someone to get a lead because they made risky moves to cut weight by dropping crucial safety equipment. That's unfair to the people who are playing it safe and not a potential rescue waiting to happen. Another precaution the administration takes is by having a cut-off point early in the race. After a couple days of the race if you don't make it to a certain bridge you are immediately cut and pulled off the river. Teams also have the option to quit at that point but it's more likely that people will be pulled off because of unsafe decisions or slow pace. The deciding factor for the location of the cutoff is that it's the last stop in civilization before you really disappear into the wilderness. If you can't make it to that point in the time required you won't make it. The third and final major safety component is mandatory stops. Each team is mandated to stop for 6 hours a day during a specific time frame to ensure that teams aren't entirely sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation can lead to poor decision making which could put a team's life in danger.

Between the long hours on the water and intense planning needed for the trip, it's going to be hard. We are less than 6 months out and the race has already started in terms of preparation. The next 5 months or so will be pedal to the metal planning for us to make sure that we are prepared to take on this challenge. Lot's of new information to come so stay tuned!

,Blake