“You can never stop paddling if you want to win.”

These words of wisdom are from Bob Ross (Kinesiology and Health Studies), the winner of the 2015 Yukon River Quest, the world’s longest canoe and kayak race. Dr. Ross and racing partner Dave Hutchison finished the race in their tandem kayak in just over 44 hours with a time of 44:51:07.

The race is ranked as one of the top 10 endurance races in the world and was followed online this year by 31,000 people.

“The race takes place on the large and unforgiving Yukon River where you might go 24 hours before seeing another person,” explains Dr. Ross, who was the oldest competitor among solo and tandem boats in the race. “The race attracts only the most serious paddlers from around the world and it’s an amazing journey. We paddled from Whitehorse to Dawson, the trail of the original gold rush.”

To prepare for the race, which takes up to 78 hours for some paddlers to finish, Dr. Ross trained year round and, once spring arrived, spent 15 to 20 hours on the water each week. He also trained in Montana, where Mr. Hutchison lives, for three days.

Dr. Ross says the mental preparation that goes into the race is just as important as the physical preparation.

“At many points in the race you need to dig deep inside yourself to find just a little bit more,” says Dr. Ross. “There are only two stops – a seven-hour break in Carmacks at the 300-km mark and a three-hour break at the 550-km mark. It’s a long race and you have to be prepared.”

In order to keep a non-stop paddling pace, Dr. Ross says he depends on liquid nutrition and pulls water directly from the river and uses tablets to treat it. He positions the hydration hose from his drinking bladder (a lightweight bag that holds water) close to his mouth which allows him to keep his hands on his paddles.

Other than fatigue, the main challenge for the duo was a massive thunderstorm that hit at the 650-km mark when they were starting to get tired.

“The headwind was ridiculous," Dr. Ross says. "The wind was the worst I have ever paddled in.”

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