The Yukon River Quest will open registration at 2 p.m. MST for the 22nd annual race on Valentine's Day. It will be held June 23 to 26. The River Quest was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns, but it will paddle ahead into 2021 with COVID-19 health and travel mandates.

As such, race registration will be limited to Yukon and Canadian teams – who can meet the proper 14-day self-isolation protocol enacted by the territory. Yukon teams currently on hold from the shuttered 2020 event will be registered first.

All international teams that were previously registered for 2020 will be withdrawn; however, they will have the option of being put on a waitlist if travel restrictions are lifted before the race.

The 715-kilometre (444-mile) race travels from Whitehorse to Dawson City. The "Race to the Midnight Sun" for many years was the world's longest annual paddling race and remains unique because teams race around-the-clock on a wilderness river.

In the past two years, before the pandemic, more than 100 teams registered, prompting race officials to adjust the team registration limit to 125 teams. During the last race in 2019, a record 117 teams were at the start line, and 86 of them finished.

The 2020 race was shaping up to break more records still. When registration opened on Nov. 1, 2019, it only took 9.5 hours for all 125 spots, plus a substantial waitlist to fill.

River Quest president Peter Coates said Wednesday a team from the YQR met with Yukon health officials to review their plan. The limit of 125 boats remains, but Coates doesn't expect it to be filled this year.

"There are already a few Yukon or Canadian teams who said they will do the 2021 race since they registered for 2020." said Coates. "There are about 20 Yukon teams right now.

There will be a limit of 15 teams for the voyageur canoe category, and a limit of 50 solo teams. Solo paddlers who have not completed a YRQ need to provide a satisfactory paddling résumé before registration demonstrating they have sufficient marathon racing or paddling experience.

"Prospective paddlers thinking about entering need to be aware that this is a race that is tough mentally and physically," said Coates. "Be prepared to be cold and sore, mentally and physically exhausted, out in the middle of nowhere.

"A very beautiful but unforgiving nowhere. Do not enter on a whim, but only if you are up for the challenge."

New this year, for teams who feel they can't commit to the full River Quest, is the Half Quest – a race from Whitehorse to Carmacks.

"Hopefully this will bolster the numbers," said Coates. "It is aimed at locals and there has been a lot of interest in that. There has been an undercurrent of demand for this almost as long as I've been involved, about 15 years. It seemed like a good year to try it."

The Half Quest has its own set of rules, including entry fees. Information for both races and how to get prepared can be found on the YRQ website http://www.yukonriverquest.com.

Coates said the race limits apply to the combination of both races.

To make the River Quest as COVID-19-safe as possible, there were some changes made to the familiar race format.

The first change is the race start. Teams will no longer be making the dash from the lawn of Rotary Peace Park to their boats waiting on the water.

"The run was not COVID safe," said Coates. "Instead, people will be lined up, socially distanced, in their team numbers and called out every 10 seconds to head to their boat. They will be given the time back in Carmacks."

When teams reach Carmacks, they will not have volunteers to help them, and their boats, out of the water.

"Teams and their support crews will need to be self-sufficient," said Coates.

The checkpoint after Carmacks has also changed from Coffee Creek to Minto Resorts – the area was used in races from 2001 to 2003.

"Staffing checkpoints can be difficult," said Coates. "It is easier to stop at Minto and there is a huge area for camping."

In a normal year, paddlers would be required to spend seven hours in Carmacks and three hours at the next checkpoint. However, because Minto Resorts is only a six-hour paddle down river, racers will have 10 mandatory hours to split between the two checkpoints as they see fit.

There will also be fewer motorized boats on the water. At the back of the pack will be two canoes, one to help set the pace to keep the boats at a speed where they will meet the cutoff.

The other will be sweeping and encouraging those boats at the back to keep going.

Coates said the race is still searching for volunteers.

"We will need just as many volunteers as before," said Coates, who referred any prospective people to the website to learn more.

Despite the uncertain times, Coates said, come hell or high water, preferably high, the race will go on.

"We are doing this and we will do it," said Coates. "It is really important for people to have something to look forward to. We will remain fluid. The only thing that will stop us is if it gets so bad and the communities tell us not to come."

The total possible prize money for the full YRQ remains $48,830 based on 100 teams registered by June 1. There will be no prize money for the Half Quest in its experimental year.

Many people do the race for personal satisfaction, however, and finishers of both distances will receive a YRQ Finisher Pin.

The YRQ course record still belongs to Canadian voyageur Team Kisseynew's winning time of 39 hours, 32 minutes, and 43 seconds in 2008. In 2019, the last race, the overall winning time was 44:59:10 by the C2 team #wepaddletogether (Mike Vincent and Ivan English) of Saskatchewan.