With 41 teams already registered, and the entry deadline still more than three weeks away, organizers of the 2005 Yukon River Quest are expecting a banner year on the water.

The Yukon River Marathon Paddling Association (YRMPA), which runs the race, has set a limit of 70 teams this year, and with increased interest both locally and around the world, they expect to hit that mark by the May 26 deadline.

Last year, a record 51 teams began the 740-kilometre (460 miles) race from Whitehorse to Dawson City on the Yukon River. Already this year, there are paddlers registered from Austria, the United Kingdom, the U.S. Alaska, Washington, California, New York, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas, Utah, Florida, Idaho and Guam ñ� and across Canada.

YRMPA representative Dianne Villeseche said the fact the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has been to the Yukon twice to film the River Quest has played a large role in increased interest internationally. The 2004 race was featured in an episode of the BBC Challenge, in which the network followed a British kayak team.

'We have interest from all over the world and they're all saying they've seen the film and want to do the race,' said Villeseche.

The River Quest has also been featured in various international sporting magazines over the past couple of years.

'And the board of directors has been quite active in promoting the race on the website (www.yukonriverquest.com) and through other media for the last few years,' added Villeseche.

In fact, the River Quest has more registered participants at this point this year than any previous years. And there are still at least a few more local teams that plan on entering but haven't registered yet.

One Whitehorse resident who has registered for the race already is Linda Bourassa, who will be competing in her fourth straight River Quest she completed it the first year and last year, despite suffering from a back injury and flipping her kayak in 2004.

This year, Bourassa hopes to improve her time from Whitehorse to Carmacks by four hours, and then improve by another three hours from Carmacks to Dawson. She purchased an extra piece of equipment after last year's race to help her train for that goal.

'I improved my time by quite a bit last year, by over 13 hours,' she said. 'I trained last year using weights, and this year I thought maybe I could do a bit better.'

So Bourassa went online and found a company in New York that sells paddling machines, which are similar to rowing machines found in gyms, but are designed specifically to simulate paddling a kayak.

'It's great, it's wonderful, I love it,' stated Bourassa. 'I can't say enough about it.

'The first time I went out paddling this spring (at the beginning of April), it felt like I'd never been off of the water. They should have them in all the gyms here.'

While the paddling machine should help Bourassa complete the trip a bit faster, she's also taking better care of her body in other ways. After cutting up her back during last year's trip, which forced her to complete the race wrapped in duct tape, Bourassa consulted with adventure race guru Ian Adamson about preventing a similar incident.

She said Adamson told her she's actually paddling correctly, which means moving your torso, and that's what's causing the rubbing. She can already feel the rubbing in her practice runs, so she'll just have to wear tougher back protection along the river.

'I just want to get (to the finish line) hopefully injury free,' she said.

That's likely a common feeling among the rest of the River Quest competitors as well, some of whom will be gathering at this Friday's fundraiser at the Backwater lounge in Whitehorse. Organizers will be showing the 2004 BBC video at the lounge, and there will be local musicians performing as well as a silent auction.

'The fundraiser is to help raise money for next year's race,' explained Villeseche. 'Gas prices are rising and gas is a huge expense for us. So, we really need to do some fundraising so we can make sure the race is never, ever in jeopardy.'

The local musicians performing at the event include Birch and the Bed Tracks, Joe Bishop and Nadine Landry, Natasha Nettleton, the Gordie Tentrees Band and the Kate Weeks Band.

The popular Yukon River Quest Buff head wear and bib sponsorships will also be available for purchase at the fundraiser and anyone who has not signed up for the race can register at that time.

For more information, you can visit the race website, www.yukonriverquest.com.

While there are no major rule changes to the River Quest this year, there is an interesting addition to the crew. Naval officers from the HMCS Whitehorse, which is going to be stationed in Skagway during that week, will be assisting YRMPA with the start banquet, providing three of their chefs.

They're also going to helping out organizers at the Lake Laberge point of the race before heading back to Skagway.