Winner of Dawson City, Yukon's 1st potato race takes home trophy and bragging rights
CBC
Potatoes.
You can mash them, bake them, even whip them. And now a group of people in Dawson City, Yukon, can say they've raced them.
On Sunday, over a dozen people gathered at the George Black Ferry landing to participate in an event that has been called the first and only potato race in Dawson City.
The event was organized by Regan Shrumm, the Klondike Institute of Arts and Culture's (KIAC) artist in residence for the month of April, who thought it would be a great way to have some fun, and get people together.
The rules were simple: get your potato across the finish line without using an engine. The first to cross the finish line would be the winner.
Most people tossed their potatoes, hoping it would hit the ground without being mashed — and roll to victory.
15 people signed up to race, and it was Conor Driscoll who took home the prize.
"I'm feeling absolutely fantastic," said Driscoll, after the race. He's from the U.K. and is in Dawson City to work for the summer — but he had some fun posing as a world-champion potato racer.
"Came to Dawson City specifically to enter this competition. I've been doing the world circuit for the last three years. Won all of the big events except for the Yukon. This year it's mine and I'm taking it home," he said.
"I've done it all ... I guess a new generation is coming up and I'm just going to have to put them in their place too."
Driscoll said it takes the perfect potato to be a winner.
"Aerodynamics is key," he said. "You want a nice round shape . No harsh edges. But you also want something with a little give in her. Something soft. You don't want your potato too hard because it's going to explode on impact."
Driscoll's win got him a certificate of participation, a ribbon, a tiny trophy, and. most importantly, bragging rights to take back to the U.K.
Driscoll may have taken the title, but most people at the event on Sunday also left feeling like winners.
