I live in Oak Harbor, Washington. Just a 20 minutes drive from here to Coupeville and a 30 minute ferry ride across the Puget Sound, and you find yourself in Port Townsend. This, as The Race to Alaska identifies, is the starting line for the harrowing boat race between Washington State and Alaska. While the finish line in Ketchikan might seem straightforward to get to, the route proves to be perilous and daunting, and The Race to Alaska proficiently chronicles first person perspectives of exactly how challenging the race is.

The Race to Alaska, or R2AK as it’s commonly abbreviated, was created in 2015 by Jake Beattie, and the documentary collects stories and experiences from racers who have participated over multiple years of the race’s existence. Racers with boats of all shapes, sizes, and styles come to try their hand at navigating the treacherous 750 mile route, allowing this documentary to capture a plethora of truly inspiring stories of challenge and triumph.

As Jake puts it, “The rules of The Race To Alaska are intentionally simple.” Start in Port Townsend. Finish in Ketchikan. Racers must travel with no motor on their boat. The boat must be self-sufficient for food and supply storage. The only resources allowed along the route are resources available to everyone. A set of steak knives goes to second place finishers. $10,000 for first. That’s it.

The rules might be simple, but the factors to consider when conducting and participating in the race are endless. Weather conditions, vessel malfunctions, limited rest breaks, experience levels, safety protocols, on and on and on. The Race To Alaska is marvelous at not only documenting how racers work around the complications of participating in this race, but also exploring why they do it. Interviewees eagerly share both the successes and failures of their races and the lessons they learn. And through it all, they always manage to find fun and humor in the experience. It all culminates to being an exciting and thrilling experience for them, which organically translates to an exciting and thrilling watching experience for audiences of the doc.

The Race To Alaska captures the pure essence of what adventure means here in the Pacific Northwest. It’s overcoming challenges; it’s venturing into the unknown; it’s exploring the natural world but also exploring how much fortitude we have within ourselves. Everyone interviewed in this documentary seems to take something special away from this race experience. Which, in turn, offers viewers something special to take away from this entertaining, funny, wildly inspiring documentary.

Acting and Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 2 | Story and Message - 2 | Entertainment Value - 2 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 2 | Reviewer's Preference - 2 | What does this mean?

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