Hundreds of paddlers set off from Whitehorse as 2016 Yukon River Quest begins

Hundreds of paddle-wielding adventurers left Whitehorse on Wednesday to begin the 2016 Yukon River Quest, the longest annual canoe, kayak — and, for the first time, stand up paddleboarding — race in the world.

The 715-kilometre race from Whitehorse to Dawson City, which began at noon local time on Wednesday, is in its 18th year. A record 93 teams have registered, representing 236 paddlers from 14 different countries.

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One of those is 71-year-old David Thom, who made his way from Ireland to kayak the race, saying that its length does come with some unique challenges.

"We've got to carry everything in the water, non-stop, apart from the seven hour sleepover in Carmacks," he said before the race. "It's pretty tough. Especially on the bum."

Numbers have swelled for this year's race: last year, there were 155 paddlers, and in 2014, 153.

The attendance boost has meant a surge in business for Scott McDougall, the owner of Whitehorse store Kanoe People.

"It's been crazy," he said. "You know, a fun crazy. They're in the store buying last minute stuff all the time, especially the last day before the race."

Stand up paddleboarding makes debut

This year's quest also sees a new group of adventurers taking the waters next to canoeists and kayakers. Stand up paddleboarding will make its Yukon River Quest debut, with 12 participants set to compete, including three locals. 

"I was really lured in by the adventure," said Michelle Eshpeter, one of the Yukon participants, "and that it was the first year. 

I'm anticipating everything hurting when I get to Dawson," she added, with a laugh.

Stand up paddleboarding is an experimental category for this year's River Quest, and will be exempt from prize money. Organizer Jeff Brady previously said that if enough paddleboarders can finish the race before the 74-hour cutoff (not including 10 hours of mandatory layovers), it will be added as an official class for the 2017 race. 

Paddleboarders are required to carry the same gear as canoe and kayak teams, with survival supplies in dry bags on their boards.

Stephen Wattereus is another local participant, and says that he's looking forward to learning from experienced racers during what's anticipated to be a three-day journey. Several world-class endurance paddlers have signed up for the event, including Hawaii's Bart de Zwart, who's won the Netherlands' 200-plus kilometre 11 City Tour four times.

"It's new for everyone, so it's yet to be seen whether a person can stand for three days," said Wattereus. "It's great to learn from more seasoned paddlers.

"My personal goal is to not fall in the river at the start... to complete the quest would be fantastic."

The cut off time for finishing the quest is at 11:59 PM on Saturday, July 2.