Fighting fatigue on Lake Laberge.
thought of racing with 72 other teams made up of 171 paddlers—each of whom will be navigating the same historic wilderness route of the Klondike gold seekers, in search of their own gold. So what makes a person enter such a gruel-
ling competition—one that is as brutal on the psyche as it is on the body? Whaley, who has spent most of his life guiding and travelling Canadian waters, is quick to answer. “As one approaches the pinnacle of life and
starts to visualize the backside, it’s time to ask whether you will succumb to the proverbial slippery slope or dig your heels in,” quips the 48-year-old owner and operator of Coastal Spirit Expeditions from River John, Nova Sco- tia. “Racing the Yukon River Quest is my way of strapping on the crampons, grabbing the ice pick and digging in with reckless abandon!”
Gunning, a 33-year-old owner of a used car
dealership in Pictou County, started kayak- ing 14 years ago to build strong core muscles to support a back injury that resulted in a fused spine. He took one of Whaley’s kayak- ing courses, which led to more over the years. Completing the triangle is Playfair, who also found his sea legs thanks to Whaley. For seven years, the 40-year-old art director has been navigating Nova Scotian waters. Both men guide for Whaley on occasion. Te three friends made the pact to enter
the race after a pleasure paddle on the Cari- bou River in Pictou County in November, 2007. “After we got off the water, we went for a beer and the ideas started flowing. And scar- ily enough, no one was backing down,” laughs Gunning. “Right there we committed to en- tering the 2009 race.”
Paying the registration fee is one thing.
Training for a competition of this magnitude is another. Te paddlers spent four months on dry-land cardio, strength and core workouts. Gunning also worked out with a kayaking simulator he concocted from an old bench, a kayak seat and bungee cords. Once the ice broke, they moved into sprint
interval training for strength, and distance conditioning for stamina. Since mental fatigue is common during long, solo paddles, the trio group-trained to make sure they all would be safe on the water. Gunning isn’t the only one needing to baby
an injury. Playfair has niggling pain in his right rotator cuff, and years of repetitive use has left Whaley with tearing in both of his. Cranking up his training aggravated the injuries even more and he questioned whether he could
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