Gordon Townsend and Bob McLachlan win Yukon 1000 kayak race
The Yukon 1000 isn't just a race you can show up to — there are limited spots and a rigorous vetting process.
'There were 5500 applicants, so that's 2500 teams. That gets whittled down to 150, and those teams have a video interview. From there, 30 teams are selected to compete.'
Undertaking such a challenge is not for the faint of heart, but with his experience in events such as Godzone and Coast to Coast, Townsend is quick to point out how preparation is key.
Midnight camp on the Yukon River, Alaska.
'An adventure race and multi-sport background sets you up well for an event such as the Yukon 1000.
'We knew it was going to be hard — and it was. Past experience teaches you discipline, how to sort out systems, as well as food and nutrition.
'There are so many similarities between adventure racing and the Yukon 1000, so straight away it gives you an advantage.'
Townsend quickly realised he needed a teammate, so he called up McLachlan to gauge his interest.
'I knew of Bob but hadn't met him. We chatted on the phone for a while, and in the end, he agreed to do it with me.
'I could hear his wife in the background, with a shocked voice, say, 'You didn't just agree to do that, did you?'.'
The pair met and trained together only twice before the event, paddling the Clutha River and Queen Charlotte Sound, although they spent many hours training individually.
Things didn't start well for the pair in the Yukon, with a broken rudder shortly after the race began. With a strict no-support rule in place throughout the event, they had to be ready to deal with every situation themselves.
'We pulled over and realised it wasn't a quick fix — it would take about an hour to repair — so we carried on.'
'After I removed my makeshift footrest, I did what I could, controlling the kayak with only hard right or straight-ahead controls.'
The pair continued with a broken rudder for 160km until they made camp, where they repaired the kayak.
'We just knew what to do. We didn't want to lose an hour on the water. It was raining when we made camp, and we had to set up for the following day, filter water, repair the boat — so we only got three hours of sleep that first night.'
With 18 hours of paddling a day, the duo had to spend a minimum of six hours off the water within each 24-hour period, as per the race rules. Setting up camp and preparing for the next day, they managed only about four hours of sleep each night.
Setting time and distance goals helped Townsend and McLachlan stay focused, and when paired with their adventure racing experience, they had the tools to handle the mental challenges they faced.
'The hardest part of the race was on the last day, with winds throwing sand off the beaches like a sandstorm and one-metre swells breaking over the top of Bob.
'Our speed dropped from approximately nine to three kilometres per hour — and if we stopped paddling, we would have been blown backwards.'
Despite spending five days, 14 hours, and 46 minutes enduring Yukon's remote hospitality, Townsend and McLachlan felt stronger with each passing day.
Gordon Townsend, left, and Bob McLachlan at the Dalton Highway Bridge finish line of the Yukon 1000.
'We couldn't wait to get away from everyone else and get on with it, so from the start, we just kept a steady pace and settled into it.
'We went 200 metres and saw no one. Then we got to the other side of the lake — still no one.'
By the time they crossed the finish line, the next team was still 160km behind.
The pair set the second-fastest time in the event's history and made New Zealand the first country to achieve back-to-back wins, with Kiwi duo Sophie Hart and Nathan Fa'avae having won in 2024.
Townsend reflected on what could have been.
'We were only three hours off the record, which was set in 2022 when the river was in flood.'
The race director described this year's conditions as the worst in the past 10 years.
Despite coming so close, Townsend has no plans to return to the Yukon any time soon.
'I would love to go back, but it's not cheap — and it's also a time hogger, especially with long training sessions. You can't just rock up.'
With no plans to return and no events on the horizon, he now has time to recover — and then turn his attention to whatever happens to be next on that bucket list.
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NZ Herald
13-08-2025
- NZ Herald
Gordon Townsend and Bob McLachlan win Yukon 1000 kayak race
'It's been a bucket list event for a few years, and I'm not getting any younger, so I thought I might as well put in an application,' he said The Yukon 1000 isn't just a race you can show up to — there are limited spots and a rigorous vetting process. 'There were 5500 applicants, so that's 2500 teams. That gets whittled down to 150, and those teams have a video interview. From there, 30 teams are selected to compete.' Undertaking such a challenge is not for the faint of heart, but with his experience in events such as Godzone and Coast to Coast, Townsend is quick to point out how preparation is key. Midnight camp on the Yukon River, Alaska. 'An adventure race and multi-sport background sets you up well for an event such as the Yukon 1000. 'We knew it was going to be hard — and it was. Past experience teaches you discipline, how to sort out systems, as well as food and nutrition. 'There are so many similarities between adventure racing and the Yukon 1000, so straight away it gives you an advantage.' Townsend quickly realised he needed a teammate, so he called up McLachlan to gauge his interest. 'I knew of Bob but hadn't met him. We chatted on the phone for a while, and in the end, he agreed to do it with me. 'I could hear his wife in the background, with a shocked voice, say, 'You didn't just agree to do that, did you?'.' The pair met and trained together only twice before the event, paddling the Clutha River and Queen Charlotte Sound, although they spent many hours training individually. Things didn't start well for the pair in the Yukon, with a broken rudder shortly after the race began. With a strict no-support rule in place throughout the event, they had to be ready to deal with every situation themselves. 'We pulled over and realised it wasn't a quick fix — it would take about an hour to repair — so we carried on.' 'After I removed my makeshift footrest, I did what I could, controlling the kayak with only hard right or straight-ahead controls.' The pair continued with a broken rudder for 160km until they made camp, where they repaired the kayak. 'We just knew what to do. We didn't want to lose an hour on the water. It was raining when we made camp, and we had to set up for the following day, filter water, repair the boat — so we only got three hours of sleep that first night.' With 18 hours of paddling a day, the duo had to spend a minimum of six hours off the water within each 24-hour period, as per the race rules. Setting up camp and preparing for the next day, they managed only about four hours of sleep each night. Setting time and distance goals helped Townsend and McLachlan stay focused, and when paired with their adventure racing experience, they had the tools to handle the mental challenges they faced. 'The hardest part of the race was on the last day, with winds throwing sand off the beaches like a sandstorm and one-metre swells breaking over the top of Bob. 'Our speed dropped from approximately nine to three kilometres per hour — and if we stopped paddling, we would have been blown backwards.' Despite spending five days, 14 hours, and 46 minutes enduring Yukon's remote hospitality, Townsend and McLachlan felt stronger with each passing day. Gordon Townsend, left, and Bob McLachlan at the Dalton Highway Bridge finish line of the Yukon 1000. 'We couldn't wait to get away from everyone else and get on with it, so from the start, we just kept a steady pace and settled into it. 'We went 200 metres and saw no one. Then we got to the other side of the lake — still no one.' By the time they crossed the finish line, the next team was still 160km behind. The pair set the second-fastest time in the event's history and made New Zealand the first country to achieve back-to-back wins, with Kiwi duo Sophie Hart and Nathan Fa'avae having won in 2024. Townsend reflected on what could have been. 'We were only three hours off the record, which was set in 2022 when the river was in flood.' The race director described this year's conditions as the worst in the past 10 years. Despite coming so close, Townsend has no plans to return to the Yukon any time soon. 'I would love to go back, but it's not cheap — and it's also a time hogger, especially with long training sessions. You can't just rock up.' With no plans to return and no events on the horizon, he now has time to recover — and then turn his attention to whatever happens to be next on that bucket list.
NZ Herald
12-08-2025
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On The Up: Northland runner Helen Waterworth to compete in 24-hour world champs
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Otago Daily Times
17-07-2025
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Kiwis win notorious river race
Bob McLachlan (right) and Gordon Townsend celebrate victory in the Yukon 1000 kayak race. PHOTO: YUKON 1000 They put their best foot forward — even if they were rudderless for a while. Wānaka adventurer Bob McLachlan has charged to victory in one of the world's great kayak races. He and Whakatāne crewmate Gordon Townsend, collectively known as the Best Foot Forward team, won the Yukon 1000 on Wednesday. The race takes paddlers 1000 miles (1609km) down the Yukon River from Canada to Alaska, paddling for a maximum of 18 hours a day. McLachlan and Townsend, both in their 50s, finished in five days, 14 hours and 46 minutes, the second-fastest time in the event's history and a shade under three hours off the record time. Remarkably, they did it after breaking their rudder right at the start of the race and having to paddle about 160km with no steering aid. That was "a truly Herculean feat, especially given the notoriously rough waters of Lake Laberge in the early stages", Yukon 1000 organisers said in a statement. The weather was rough at that point, too, and a rival crew were forced to withdraw after capsizing. McLachlan, 54, a vastly experienced kayaker as well as a longtime commercial rafting guide, looked fresh as a daisy after the race but acknowledged it had been hard work. "This is by far the toughest kayak race you can do, and the toughest kayak race I've ever done," he said. "You have to be racing when you're camping, because if you do things slowly then you don't get much sleep, and you'll be falling asleep in the kayak. "Then the paddling ... the wind can be so strong, and the long days of sun can be quite brutal." McLachlan said he and Townsend had hoped to break the event record. "We pushed hard the whole way, knowing the record was there. By the third day or even the fourth day, we thought it was manageable, but there was no chance with the wind over the last couple of days." The rudder issue was a piece of freakish bad luck as a stainless steel cable broke. "We knew other people would be hot on our tail. "We decided we'd just go rudderless that day, which was quite physically demanding." Thousands of people enter the Yukon 1000 each year but only 22 teams were accepted for this year's race.
