Northern Ontario siblings-in-law to take part in grueling 1,500-km canoe race

Two siblings-in-law from northern Ontario are preparing to participate in a gruelling 1,500-kilometre canoe and kayak race across the far north.

The Yukon 1000 race starts Thursday in Whitehorse and finishes at the Dalton Highway in Alaska.

Sean Lougheed, from Corbeil, and his sister-in-law Lauren Andersen, from Sudbury, have been paddling together for years.

Together, they made the shortlist to participate in the race.

Lougheed said that for last year's race 6,000 teams applied for the race, and fewer than 30 made the cut.

He could only guess as to why they qualified for the race, but Andersen said she suspects their years of experience probably played a factor.

"We have an extensive resume of adventure trips specifically with paddling, but hiking and other adventure trips as well," she said.

Andersen said she is a nurse practitioner, which probably also played a role in their success qualifying for the race.

Because parts of the race are so remote, she said competitors often need to rely on each other in case of a medical emergency.

Lougheed said the race organizers mandate six hours of rest each day, so their plan is to paddle for 18 hours a day.

Competitors are given 10 days to complete the 1,527-kilometre circuit, but Lougheed said they hope to finish in fewer days than that.

"It's just a remarkable opportunity to feel pretty small in a canoe and a pretty vast and expansive wilderness," he added.

Andersen said there is little fanfare at the finish line.

"What happens when you win? It's kind of the same thing that happens if you don't win," she said.

"The race director comes and shakes your hand. He hands you a medallion that has the Yukon 1000 insignia on it. And then you just kind of meditate on the experience."