Race to Alaska Movie is Coming to Nelson on the Big Screen
By Contributor
Seven hundred and fifty miles. Icy water. No motors. No support.
Described as “the Iditarod on a boat with a chance of drowning or being eaten by a Grizzly bear,” this epic endurance race attracts the intrepid and unhinged who find their edge along a coastline that is as punishing as it is beautiful.
On June 1st at 7 p.m., The Race to Alaska Movie will be screening at the Civic Theatre in Nelson.
Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society is partnering with the Civic Theatre, the Kootenay Pedalwheelers, and Race to Alaska, to screen this movie as a fundraiser to support stewardship efforts on Kootenay Lake and to generate excitement for team Kootenay Pedalwheelers as they prepare for the 2022 race.
The Race to Alaska (R2AK) is North America’s longest non-motorized adventure/endurance race. It starts in Port Townsend Washington and finishes in Ketchikan, Alaska, a distance of 750 nautical miles. There are two rules to the race; no motors and no outside support. The race course covers a stretch of coastline that is wild, often treacherous, thinly populated and very unpredictable. The R2AK is very simple in that the first team to Ketchikan, wins.
Prize for 1st place is $10,000 (USD). Prize for 2nd place is a set of steak knives. There are no other prizes.
The Kootenay Pedalwheelers is a team of six local Nelson sailing enthusiasts that are competing in the 2022 Race to Alaska. The Pedalwheelers have been preparing for the race since 2019.
The boat is a 10m Flying Tiger monohull sailboat, a light powerful craft that they have outfitted with a dual pedal drive system to propel it in place of a motor for when the winds are light or nonexistent.
The film is a sometimes nail-biting and sometimes humorous account of people with larger-than-life personalities testing themselves, and pulling through, time and again. It showcases camaraderie and competition, immersing the audience in the racers’ emotions and experiences – hardship, danger, success, frustration, and elation.
From the quirky to the sublime, from Olympic athletes to high schoolers, the characters in this film show that there’s no one way to do the hardest thing you’ve ever done.
Following the screening, Kootenay Mountain Culture Senior Writer Jayme Moye will lead a Q&A with filmmaker Zach Carver and the Kootenay Pedalwheelers. There will also be a raffle draw with a chance to win over $500 worth of prizes donated from Prestige Lakeside Resort, Morning Mountain Coffee, Sail Nelson, and Mustang Survival.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at https://www.friendsofkootenaylake.ca/news/the-race-to-alaska-movie-is-coming-to-nelson/. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to FoKLSS to improve the health and stewardship of Kootenay Lake.
About Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society
Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society is a local environmental non-profit whose mission is to improve the health and stewardship of Kootenay Lake through monitoring, habitat restoration, capacity building, and the empowerment of local communities, First Nations, and stakeholders. Friends of Kootenay Lake provides opportunities for lakeside communities to share information, collaborate, learn about Kootenay Lake, and actively take part in stewarding local ecosystems.
