RACE TO ALASKA: Australian kayaker makes history

Published 4:30 pm Wednesday, July 8, 2026

KETCHIKAN — The final four became the final two Wednesday.

And the final two are nearly within eyesight of Ketchikan.

The last four boats, all human-powered still making their way to Alaska all appear they will finish the race sometime today if not late Wednesday.

Two of the four finished Wednesday. The kayak Belly Full of Team paddled by Esther Wheeler from Sydney, Australia, arrived in the Ketchikan harbor at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday after completing the 750-mile race in 21 days, 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Though not yet official, it appears that Wheeler will claim the Hecate Solo Star Award, a crowdsourced, one-time-only sidebet that will go to the first woman solo finisher in Race to Alaska history. The prize is $2,000, plus a star named in her honor.

Wheeler had been alongside a stand-up paddleboard, Apple Bottom Boy, paddled by Eric Strickland of Bainbridge Island, but she built up a big gap over Strickland. Strickland arrived in the harbor at about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, roughly 45 minutes behind Wheeler, becoming only the second stand-up paddleboarder to finish the Race to Alaska. He finished in 21 days, 2 hours and 15 minutes.

It also appears that Lillian Kuehl of Port Angeles and Nathaniel Greene of Friday Harbor are both going to finish as they were about nine to 10 miles outside of Ketchikan on Wednesday afternoon.

Kuehl, rowing the wherry Lillian Signed Up to Suffer, and Green, paddling the kayak Notes, are on opposite shores of the Revillagigedo Channel in Alaskan waters several miles south of Ketchikan, with Kuehl having a slight lead Wednesday afternoon. They are projected to finish around 1 a.m. today but that doesn’t take into account whatever sleep break they may take, so they might arrive in Ketchikan later this morning or in the afternoon.

This is Kuehl’s third attempt to finish the Race to Alaska and it looks like this year she will do it.

If all four boats finish, that will make 33 finishers out of 69 boats that left Port Townsend three weeks ago, including seven human-powered vessels. A total of 36 boats dropped out.

The race was won by the trimaran team out of Friday Harbor, Northbound Nutters, in 5 days, 8 hours and 4 minutes, winning a $10,000 cash prize.