1,000 Miles Down The Yukon, Three Days From Rescue: Inside The World’s Longest Paddling Race

A thousand miles down the Yukon River, from Canada into Alaska and up to the Arctic Circle. It’s the definition of remote — more people have been to the top of Everest than have been past Dawson City. No support boat, no resupply, no road, and no rescue worth the name.

Get it wrong out there, and you're days from help, not hours.

The Yukon 1000 is the longest paddling race in the world, and Jon Frith is the man who decides who is allowed to start it.

More than 1,500 teams apply. Just 30 make the start line. They paddle 18 hours a day, sleep for three, and once they're out past Dawson City, they're on their own.

Jon spent 32 years in the British Army. Competed in the Yukon 1000 because he’s passionate about pushing himself. Now he runs the whole thing.

In this conversation, he tells me about his extraordinary life before he found the event. Why the Yukon 1000 has no prize money. What happened the first time he saw the river. And why, while thousands of miles away, he can’t stop thinking about what might just be around the next bend.

Find out more about the race (and get your application in? You know you want to) at yukon1000.org.

Hunger & Heart is a podcast about the intersection of wild ambition and fierce compassion, hosted by Kaila Colbin.