Calvin Ball [left] and Ryan Baxter have been paddling 20km a day in Whangārei while training for the Yukon 1000 - the world's longest paddle race.
Two Northland men will spend a week kayaking 18 hours a day as part of the world’s longest paddling race – The Yukon 1000.
Calvin Ball and Ryan Baxter will traverse 1000 miles (1609km) through Yukon territory in Canada and into Alaska in a two-person kayak as part of the 30-team race.
The Northlanders have spent the last 10 months preparing for the once-in-a-lifetime adventure by kayaking 20km a day, hitting the gym and running.
The pair will encounter freezing waters, forest fire zones, bear territory and some of the most remote wilderness in the world.
In 2024, the race was won by Marlborough-Tasman residents Sophie Hart and Nathan Fa’avae in six days and 23 minutes - one of the fastest times recorded.
For Ball and Baxter, it isn’t about winning, it’s about the journey.
Having both biked the length of New Zealand, something like this was their perfect holiday.
“Instead of having a big overseas holiday, which most people would spend the same amount of money on, this is our holiday,” Ball said.
“We have this mutual philosophy around you’ve got to do hard things to really grow,” Baxter said.
“This just seemed like it ticked all the boxes in terms of outdoor, adventure, travel, dedication and friendship.”
The pair is armed with about 130 items of gear, including dehydrated meals, satellite phones, spot trackers, a GPS, solar panels and a first aid kit.
They will start in Whitehorse, Canada, and finish at the Alaska Pipeline Bridge.
“There’s going to be a lot of pain and a lot of suffering and a lot of fatigue, but for me, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s on the other side of that,” Ball said.
And the prize?
“It’s quite a humble event in the sense that there’s no finish line with a podium. It’s just a bridge in the middle of nowhere,” Ball said.
“You get a can of beer at the end and a handshake, and I guess for Ryan and I, that aligns quite nicely with how we go about life.”
The race is considered only 40% kayaking – the rest was navigation and other survival skills.
They would have to map their way down 1600km of river, which freezes over each year, so when it melts again, the same paths may have moved.
There would be plenty of other hazards too.
Part of their compulsory gear list is masks and goggles due to the potential threat of forest fires.
Meanwhile, hypothermia was a real risk thanks to the glacier-fed waters they would be wading.
And then there’s the wildlife.
“Bears are very active, so we have to take bear spray,” Ball said.
While some might think them mad for taking on such a risky adventure, the pair said that’s what they’re all about.
Ball firmly believed there was an importance in “feeling small”.
“In our urban, suburban lives, we forget how small we are. So when you’re in a landscape like that it helps bring things into perspective.”
They had a few goals in mind but the first was not to die, Baxter joked.
“Second is to finish the race – we’ve got 10 days to do it.
“Whatever our placing is, we’ll be happy as long as we’ve done the best we can.”
In true Kiwi form, their team name is ‘Get a Dog Up Ya’, a homage to their Northland roots and can-do attitude.
Those who want to support the duo have been asked to donate to a Givealittle page they have launched.
The money will go towards sending a Northland teen who wouldn’t otherwise have the means, to the outdoor adventure programme Outward Bound.
To track the pair on their adventure, head to this link.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.