Yukon River Quest cut short by wildfires for the second year in a row

Paddlers setting off on the Yukon River Quest Wednesday morning won't be travelling all the way to Dawson City after all and will instead finish in Carmacks, less than half of the original distance from Whitehorse, due to wildfires.

The annual long-distance canoe and kayak race stretches 715 kilometres from Whitehorse to Dawson City. It's the second year in a row that the race is cut by more than half, finishing around the 300-kilometre mark in Carmacks.

Organizers made the change around 9 p.m. Tuesday night to avoid the Dawson area while the region manages evacuation alerts driven by wildfires. Evacuation alerts in the region are currently in place for West Dawson, Henderson Corner and Ethel Lake near Stewart Crossing.

"It just became clear that it was the right thing to do, to not be a drain on resources at a pretty tense time in Dawson," said Eva Holland, the race's media co-ordinator.

Holland said they wanted to make the call before the race started, to avoid a scramble once paddlers arrive in Carmacks.

"It's disappointing, but it's the right and responsible thing to do," she said.

With the route change, Holland said this year's competitive paddlers might "increase the pace" to account for the shorter distance. Otherwise, most participants won't have to make major changes. 

The race is still setting off at the regular time Wednesday morning from Rotary Peace Park in Whitehorse at 9 a.m. Yukon time. Participants will have 36 hours to cross the finish line. The winners are expected sometime on Thursday morning.