Fifteen outrigger canoe teams from B.C., Alberta, and even Ottawa will be in the Okanagan this weekend for a massive paddle sports event.
The 100-kilometre Ultra Distance Endurance Race, hosted by Penticton Paddle Sports, takes place Sunday (Aug. 31).
Teams will begin at Kin Beach in Vernon at 7 a.m., before racing the length of Okanagan Lake and finishing in Penticton.
鈥淲e are so excited to be bringing this iconic race back to the outrigger community,鈥� event organizer Launa Maundrell of the Penticton Paddle Sports Association said. 鈥淲e have one crew that is hoping to beat the record time of 8 hours and 7 minutes, and I think they will do it, especially if we get a north wind."
The first 16 kilometres of the race will take competitors to Fintry Provincial Park.
There, crews will do a beach change as fresh paddlers jump into the canoe for the next leg of the race, a 24-kilometre marathon to Bear Creek Provincial Park in 麻豆精选.
The first crew, meanwhile, will hop back in the boat and race under the William R. Bennett Bridge, continuing for 24 kilometres around the corner to Peachland.
After another crew change in Peachland, teams will paddle 20 kilometres, south toward Summerland. According to event organizers, this stretch of the race is for "frequent strong winds and big waves."
鈥淲e are keeping our fingers crossed for a brisk tailwind and hopefully some surfing waves to give the canoes an extra push,鈥� added Janelle Parchomchuk, steersperson for Penticton's team on Sunday.
A final crew change in Summerland will lead to teams sprinting 16 kilometres to the finish line, near the iconic Peach in Penticton. One paddler from each boat, according to the event, will run up and kiss the Peach to mark they've finished the race.
More than 200 participants are expected to take part in the event, described by the event as the "ultimate test of stamina and teamwork."
鈥淜now that this is an epic race and one you will look back on with an amazing sense of accomplishment," Maundrell said in a message to the competitors.
Dinner, courtesy of long-time event sponsor David Prystay, will take place at the Barking Parrot Bar after the event.
Hoping to get a front-row view of the race? Penticton Paddle Sports is inviting people from across the region to find a place along the western shoreline of Okanagan Lake to catch the paddlers in action.
