For the second year in a row, a record number of teams will push off from the banks of the Yukon River in downtown Whitehorse and make their way to Dawson City in the annual Yukon River Quest (YRQ).

While the event set a new record with the total of 67 teams last year, organizers of the eighth YRQ say they have already reached maximum capacity, with 70 tandem canoe and solo and double kayak teams signed up by late February of this year.

Applications for voyageur canoes are still being taken, but four voyageur teams have already committed to racing and at least two more are expected to join before the application period ends May 26, which would make that a new record as well.

Competitors in this year's race hail from the U.S., Great Britain, Austria, Australia and Canada. The four teams signed up so far for this year are from Prince Rupert and False Creek, B.C., Toronto and the Yukon's own Paddlers Abreast.

'It's pretty gratifying,' said Jeff Brady, the president of the Yukon River Marathon Paddler's Association (YRMPA), the group which runs the River Quest. 'Most of (the increase in numbers) is just word of mouth.

'The real allure of the event is paddling 24 hours a day. That's not something you can do in any other race anywhere.'

Brady said the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) documentary on the YRQ, which aired just over a year ago in the television company's primetime slot, has also played an important role in the increase of the event's popularity. There are 14 British teams entered in this year's race.

'That's pretty phenomenal,' stated Brady. 'And there's still interest over there for next year.'

The BBC isn't the only media group taking interest in the world's longest canoe and kayak race (740 kilometres).

A film company from Saskatchewan, Juxtapose Productions, is also hoping to do a documentary. They're in the process of trying to sell the rights to major U.S. and Canadian networks, which may mean they won't begin filming until 2007. But Brady said they will at least visit Whitehorse for this year's race.

The editor of Canoe and Kayak magazine is also making the trip North for the eighth River Quest, to cover the event. The magazine is based out of Kirkland, Washington.

It's in part because of the increased interest from around the world that organizers have made some changes to this year's race.

As announced last fall, the largest change will be in the structure of prize money. First of all, the total prize purse has been increased by $5,000. So now, the total possible amount if each category is full, is $20,250.

YRMPA has taken the prize money and split it up between the classes, which means now, there's no prize for first place overall in the River Quest, other than a free entry in the next year's race. Instead, the top team in each class will receive $1,500.

'We're going to see how this plays,' said Brady earlier. 'It was the best thing we could come up with to try and make it fair to everybody and increase the competition between classes, rather than kayaks and canoes going head to head.'

Organizers will also be more strict with measuring boats this year, including a new system for kayaks. While kayaks used to be measured on just width and length, Brady said the four-inch water level is really where the difference is made.

The reason for the new system, he said, is that while it's OK for professional paddlers to use the faster race boats, if an intermediate paddler entered the event in one, it 'could be a very scary situation.'

'We've made the decision with an eye on safety. We're going to try and keep it limited to the fastest recreational boats available, that's where we draw the line.'

For canoes, the rules will stay the same.

As well, all participants in this year's River Quest must carry a sleeping bag in their boat.

Brady said it's a long race and anything can happen, so competitors need to be prepared to camp overnight on the Yukon River if they have to.

'Some of the faster teams may not like the extra weight, but we have to think about everybody, not just the top finishers,' he said.

The 2006 Yukon River Quest gets underway at 12:30 p.m. on Main Street in downtown Whitehorse, June 28.

It wraps up with a banquet in Dawson City on July 2.