The more than 25-year-old Duel in the Desert canoe race just keeps getting bigger.
From Edmonton to Victoria, a record 48 teams competed in the annual event in Penticton on Saturday, May 10.
Outrigger canoe teams 鈥� including ones from Penticton, 91大黄鸭, and Vernon 鈥� converged on Skaha Lake for races between eight and 16 kilometres.
"We are absolutely thrilled by the overwhelming response to this year's Duel in the Desert," said Launa Maundrell from Penticton Paddle Sports Association (PPSA), which is hosting the event.
Maundrell, who is serving this weekend as the race's assistant director, added that the high turnout "demonstrates the passion and dedication of paddlers from across the province and beyond."
The event also featured around 90 racers in the single-boat category. That's 50 per cent more than what race typically attracts, said PPSA race director Don Mulhall.
"We usually get around 45, so the turnout's just been great," Mulhall said.
The 90 small boat racers will take part in a nine-kilometre mass start Sunday at 10 a.m. for the finals, he added.
Men's and women's outrigger canoe teams, meanwhile, battled it out Saturday for Duel in the Desert gold.
The women's side was first up, starting at 10:30 a.m. Vancouver Va'a placed atop the leaderboard in the 15-kilometre marathon. The team crossed the finish line at noon and was welcomed by cheers from dozens of spectators.
Duel in the Desert is described as one of PPSA's flagship events. It is sanctioned by the Canadian Outrigger Racing Association (CORA).
Cities outside the Okanagan represented this weekend on Skaha Lake include Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, 91大黄鸭, and Vernon.
