Race to Alaska

The Race to Alaska (R2AK) is an annual 750-mile adventure race from Port Townsend, Washington up the Inside Passage to Ketchikan, Alaska. Any form of boat is allowed, so long as it has no motors. Support crews are not allowed.[1][2] Nearly half the teams don't make it to Alaska. The record time is 4 days, set in 2016.[3]

The race takes place in two stages. The "Proving Ground" is a 40-mile race from Port Townsend to Victoria, British Columbia, and acts as a qualifier. The second stage continues on to Alaska. In 2018, an optional pre-race stage was added from Tacoma, Washington to Port Townsend.[4]

History

The first race was in 2015.

In 2016, 44 teams were accepted and 26 finished.[5]

In 2017, the race introduced the "Boat Buyback Prize", through which the race organizers would offer each boat that finished $10,000 to buy their boat, regardless of the boat's value. [6]

In 2018, the race introduced the Seventy48 race, a pre-race from Tacoma to Port Townsend.[7] [8] It is a 70-statute-mile human-powered only race in which the winner of the race receives as a prize all of the entry fees paid by participants.

With the 2020 races scrapped by officials caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 6th was deferred to 2021.

Race location

The race begins in Port Townsend and proceeds to Victoria, which the racers are required to complete in 48 hours. Several days are spent in Victoria to give the racers the opportunity to correct any problems found or made during the first leg, and from there the race continues on to Ketchikan. The racers are required to pass through a checkpoint at Bella Bella, but are free to choose their course besides this.[9] The Seymour Narrows checkpoint makes any passage along the West Coast of Vancouver Island far less efficient despite the often stronger winds. 2021 is the first year that the offshore route from Victoria to Bella Bella will be allowed.

Eccentricities

The Race to Alaska is noted for having many eccentricities in its organization and prizes. Many were created to help advertise the race, such as the $10,000 first-place prize, and steak knife set second-place prize.[10] The race also features a Le Mans Start in the Victoria start; this is a starting method where racers are gathered outside of the race area and must run to their vessels to begin the race. Race updates and team write-ups are styled to be humorous rather than professional, and often make reference to the racers themselves as being overly devoted or unintelligent for being willing to participate.[11]

Sidebets have also been introduced, wherein sponsors offer a prize to whichever boat first completes the sponsor's criteria. An example of this is the Small Craft Advisor Magazine's offer of $1,000 and a place on the front cover to the first boat under 20' in length to complete the race.[12]

References
  1. "Stand-Up Paddleboarders Prepare To Set Off On 'Race To Alaska'". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  2. aarthur@ptleader.com, Allison Arthur. "Ruckus opens Race to Alaska". Port Townsend Jefferson County Leader. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  3. "The Race to Alaska". Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  4. "Seventy48 Race | Race To Alaska". r2ak.com. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  5. "Race to Alaska Explained | Race to Alaska". r2ak.com. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  6. "R2AK Buyback Program | Race to Alaska". youtube.com. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  7. "Seventy48 Race Homepage". seventy48.com. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  8. "Seventy48 Race | Race To Alaska". r2ak.com. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  9. "Race to Alaska Course | Race To Alaska". r2ak.com. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  10. "Sidebets | Race To Alaska". r2ak.com. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  11. "Team Buckeye Write-up". r2ak.com. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  12. "Sidebets | Race To Alaska". r2ak.com. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
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