Thursday at dawn, sailors, rowers and paddlers will cast off from Port Townsend, Washington, on a 750-mile marathon up the Inside Passage to Ketchikan, Alaska.

It’s the third edition of the zany “Race to Alaska,” which has two basic rules: no motors and no support crews.

Tom Banse (@TomBanse) of Here & Now contributor Northwest News Network hears from three stand-up paddleboarders competing in the adventure race.

Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.