R2AK is simple: get a boat without a motor. Race 750 miles to Alaska any way you can. Don’t get eaten by a bear. $10,000 if you’re first.
The Starting Gun goes off June 14, 2018! The Race to Alaska started in 2015 with competitors racing 750 miles from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska. It is the longest human and/or wind-powered race in North America.
The Race is limited to vessels that are human and/or wind powered and have included a wide array of designs from a paddleboard to a 32’ foiling catamaran. Unlike many similar races, there are no separate divisions or handicap system for the different vessels. Racers cannot receive any planned assistance during the race including food drops and resupplies.
The race was dreamed up by three friends in a beer tent who wished to inspire people to adventure, to start a conversation about engineless voyaging, and compel people into the world of watery adventures that are possible from a limited platform.
2017 R2AK photo by John Buday.