Film Review: ‘The Race to Alaska’: ‘Mad Max’ Meets the Iditarod on Water

Michael Clark
5/21/2022
Updated:
1/5/2024
NR | 1h 39min | Documentary, Sports | 20 May 2022 (USA)

Everyone knows one or, at least, knows someone who knows one (or maybe, it’s you): the people that regularly participate in “extreme” sporting events. Apart from the microscopic number of those who engage in these activities as a profession, the remainder do so for the sheer thrill of it or abide by the “because it’s there” adage. Adrenaline tends to be their drug of choice.

TeamNorth2Alaska, one of the craft featured in the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)
TeamNorth2Alaska, one of the craft featured in the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)

Whether it be snowboarding (low) or mountain climbing (extremely high) there is an inherent level of risk that comes with pushing these activity envelopes. The chances of spraining an ankle or breaking bones are considerable but actual death, less so.

In the 100 years people have been climbing Mount Everest, 311 have died while doing so, the most recent less than two weeks ago. To date, no one has died while participating in the Race to Alaska, commonly referred to as “R2AK.”

One of the craft featured in the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)
One of the craft featured in the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)

Medium Level Danger

Held annually in the spring since 2015 (save for 2020 due to COVID-19 and in 2021 because of the Canadian border closure), the “R2AK” is about a six out of 10 on the danger scale and, after watching this highly entertaining documentary, it is also the most colorful, unique, and freewheeling event of its kind.

As much of an endurance test as it is a traditional race, the taxing water trek begins in Port Townsend, Washington (with a LeMans-style cold start) and ends some 750 miles later in Ketchikan, Alaska. The first portion is something of a qualifier known as the “proving ground”: a 40-mile jaunt ending in Victoria, British Columbia. Think of it as the cut taking place halfway through most professional golf tournaments. Teams unable to complete this phase within 36 hours cannot move forward.

TeamKetchMeIfYouKan, one of the craft featured in the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)
TeamKetchMeIfYouKan, one of the craft featured in the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)

Will It Float?

The pressing question regarding “R2AK” isn’t who can participate, but rather, who can’t? If you have an apparatus which floats and treads water, you’re in. Sail boats, paddle boats, peddle boats, rowboats, canoes, schooners, kayaks—they’re all good.

Wanna make the trip on a surfboard? Sure thing. Do you have a machine which defies categorization? Welcome to the show. Each team can have as many mates as they wish but there are two things no vehicle in the race can have: a motor or a secondary support team. Those are the only restrictions. Everything else is fair game.

Participants peddling their craft featured in the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)
Participants peddling their craft featured in the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)

At first blush, watching the plethora of sea-worthy vehicles leaving the starting point suggests a similar array of augmented road monsters seen in the “Mad Max” franchise. Not a single one of them looks, moves, or operates the same and each has its own distinct personality—and that goes for their various team members.

The lion’s share of the competitors aren’t self-deluded. They know going in they have zero chance of actually winning; they just want to go along for the ride and everyone appears to be in hog heaven the entire time. This is certainly an event where the journey is greater than the destination.

Founded by Jake Beattie and sponsored by the Northwest Maritime Center, it’s clear the organizers take as little as possible (beyond safety) seriously. Teams are able to choose whatever route they wish in getting to the finish line, needing only to pass through a single checkpoint at Bella Bella, British Columbia. They also play down and borderline lampoon the prizes while paying homage to a 1992 movie.

Steak Knives

In laying out the stakes for a sales contest in “Glengarry Glen Ross,” the sales manager character (played by Alec Baldwin) states: “first prize is a Cadillac, second prize is a set of steak knives, and third prize is you’re fired.” The winning team of a “R2AK” race receives $10,000 (nailed to a piece of wood) and the second-place team gets a set of steak knives. There is no third-place prize.
Start of the race in the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)
Start of the race in the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)
Well over 90 percent of the footage in the movie is culled from smart phone videos shot by the teams themselves and it is to the immense credit of first-time director Zach Carver regarding the mammoth task he faced in sifting through what had to be thousands of hours’ worth of moving images to assemble a cohesive and engaging final cut.

Humor and High Drama

As tongue-in-cheek as the “R2AK” movie often is, it is not without its moments of danger, peril, and high drama. The most intense of these passages shows a team attempting to sidestep a moving whirlpool measuring 30 feet around and 10 feet deep and others dealing with unseen but equally threatening riptides. Unlike other team races such as the prestigious yet elitist and stuffy “America’s Cup” (which Carver makes a good-natured swipe at early on), the competing “R2AK” teams look out and care for each other. They all love to compete but their collective humanity reigns supreme.
One of the craft featured in the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)
One of the craft featured in the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)

The movie also pulls double duty as a history of the race, chronicling it from the gestation stages in 2015 through 2019. Like so many events derailed by events beyond their control, “R2AK” bounces back in just under a month on June 13.

Zach Carver, director of the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)
Zach Carver, director of the documentary "Race to Alaska." (Adventure Entertainment)

It’s too late to sign up but, if it floats your boat (pardon the pun), you can still make the north by northwest trip and witness this inspiring example of the human condition in the flesh.

‘The Race to Alaska’ Director: Zach Carver Running Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes MPAA Rating: NR Release Date: May 20, 2022 Rating: 4 out of 5
Originally from Washington, D.C., Michael Clark has provided film content to over 30 print and online media outlets. He co-founded the Atlanta Film Critics Circle in 2017 and is a weekly contributor to the Shannon Burke Show on FloridaManRadio.com. Since 1995, Mr. Clark has written over 4,000 movie reviews and film-related articles. He favors dark comedy, thrillers, and documentaries.
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