BOATS Race requirements call for canoes and kayaks to follow YRQ specifications, which essentially removes any race-specific canoe or kayak. Jamie Playfair paddled the Current Designs Nomad kayak. At 18-feet, 10-inches, it’s a fast, solo touring kayak. Matt Gunning and Peter Whaley paddled the tandem 21-foot Current Designs Unity, built for speed and efficiency on open water. Both have a fibreglass layup.


Tech talk


CLOTHING After boats, the next key to the team’s success was a good layering system, according to Whaley. Many paddlers dropped out due to hypothermia. “For an ultramarathon


kayak race, correct clothing is paramount,” explains Whaley. “In the course of 24 hours plus paddling on the Yukon River, you encounter a large swing in temperature ranging anywhere from 0 to 25 degrees Celsius, as well as adverse river conditions and funneling microbursts.” To manage perspiration and


these temperature fluctuations, Whaley opted for versatile layers: a breathable Zephyr paddling jacket from Immersion Research over top of an icebreaker top and IR fleece.


PFDs Another key consideration was choosing a PFD (the Salus Jazz) that was comfortable and generously cut for full movement to prevent chafing.


38 ADVENTURE KAYAK | EARLY SUMMER 2010


handle the 700,000 paddle strokes from start to finish. After learning that the race spits out even the most fit, Whaley made the decision to move from a K1 into a K2 with Gunning. Fast forward to Sunday, June 21, 2009. Te


Nova Scotian contingent is ready to put their physical, emotional and mental preparation to the test. Some early arrivals take advantage of the paddling clinic and training runs. Tuesday kicks off with boat measuring and gear inspec- tion, which requires a first aid kit, map, PFD, extra paddles, adequate food and water, and more.


“


even conjuring up a Sasquatch at one point. Tey fight the lure of sleep and battle indiges- tion. But by dawn, they are making up lost time and even sprint the last few hours of their 26- hour first leg into Carmacks campground—the official midpoint of the race and a mandatory seven-hour layover for all paddlers. Many racers pull in to find tents or campers


set up and a meal prepared by waiting support teams. Gunning and Whaley fend for them- selves then settle into deep sleep. Playfair, how- ever, is MIA. Struck by severe acid reflux 12 hours into the race, he paddles the remaining


We went for a beer and the ideas started flowing. Scarily enough, we committed to entering the 2009 race.”


“Te inspectors went through all of our sup-


plies from stem to stern,” describes Playfair. A mandatory pre-race briefing rounds off


the afternoon. Some paddlers, such as Brad Pennington from Houston, Texas, continue preparing well into the evening. Pennington won last year’s race in the solo kayak category, after finishing fourth in 2007. Most others like Whaley, Gunning and Playfair opt to eat and sleep. Wednesday, June 24: race day breaks beauti-


fully crisp and clear. Te mammoth Voyageur boats are launched and moved to their starting positions in the Yukon River, while solo and tandem boats are arranged by number on the Rotary Park lawn: Whaley and Gunning are number 24 and Playfair is 25. Final inspection is underway and pre-race jitters are building. By 11:30 a.m. paddlers have shifted their


boats to their assigned spots on the riverbank and are at the starting line, bibs on and excite- ment at an all-time high. Te half-hour wait until race time is probably the toughest to handle. Like gated greyhounds, these paddlers need to be let loose. Twelve noon. Te horn blares and racers


sprint the 100 metres to the launch area, where they jostle for space in the mad rush of boats on the river. “Te feeling as the energy built at the start line was one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced,” says Gunning. Although their plan is to not get caught


up chasing the leaders, Gunning and Whaley soon get into their groove and pass racers. Only a few K2s dot the water in front of them. Playfair finds his own inner rhythm, settling into a comfortable pace. But halfway through immense Lake Laberge, Gunning and Whaley feel the fatigue. Whaley’s shoulders start seiz- ing. He stops paddling at times, letting Gun- ning pick up the slack. Teir pace slows and boats blow by them. Te first night is the worst. Gunning is the


first to hallucinate, convinced the shores are lined with crowds of people cheering them on,


14 hours sick and shaky. By the time he reaches Carmacks he can barely get out of the boat. “About four hours from the checkpoint, I


pretty much decided that would be the end for me, but I was determined to get there,” he ex- plains. “I had mixed emotions lying in the tent that night. In was as much a moral victory as a defeat.” Whaley and Gunning wake to tight muscles


and the daunting feeling they are only halfway through this life-changing odyssey. But they shake it off and prepare for the final push. Un- loading a whack of unnecessary weight, they stock up on $20 worth of grilled cheese sand- wiches from the campground restaurant. Tey paddle out of Carmacks in agony, but


their backs and shoulders are soon anesthe- tized by their even strokes slicing the water. Te two paddle well, feeling at one with the river. Tey make it to Five Finger Rapids in a cold rain around midnight and navigate them easily—unlike the war canoe team, Te Loo- nies, who sink right in front of them. Te duo gain about 15 places by the time they reach the second mandatory checkpoint at Kirkman Creek. Teir one snag? Going off course while in a sprint race with Missing Link, an Ameri- can team. Feeling good about their progress so far, they


grab a quick snack and 20 minutes of shuteye during their three hours on dry land. Ten they are back in their kayak and facing what ends up being the toughest leg of the journey. Fatigue has settled deep into their bones and the river layout is a confusing mix of islands. Te ensuing straight stretch is equally tough because the view never changes. It’s here where Whaley joins “Team Hallucination.” “I would catch him staring at the wall of


rocks and trees all around us. He was wob- bly and staring, then he would give his head a shake and try to refocus,” says Gunning. “I knew exactly what he was seeing.” For eight hours of the second half of the race, the tenacious K2 team matches the pace of K1


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