A 25-year-old Penticton canoe race set records for participation on Saturday, May 11.

Duel in the Desert, sanctioned by the Canadian Outrigger Racing Association (CORA), returned to Skaha Lake and welcomed 38 teams from across Alberta and B.C.

Don Mulhall from the Penticton Paddle Sports Association said that beats the race鈥檚 previous record for number of teams, set in 2023 when 33 squads came to the city.

This weekend鈥檚 series of races serves as one of CORA鈥檚 first events of the season, with Penticton set to host the association鈥檚 2024 finals in late September on Okanagan Lake.

鈥淚t feels a little bit like opening day, but it鈥檚 also so nice seeing everyone after winter,鈥� Mulhall said on Saturday, as spectators watched the canoe teams in near 30 C temperatures.

Teams from as far as Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver Island are among those racing in Penticton this weekend.

A standard canoe race on Skaha Lake is 15 kilometres and the fastest teams typically finish the course in around 90 minutes, Mulhall added.

Duel in the Desert action continues Sunday, with final awards set to be handed out late in the morning.

Next up for organizers at Penticton Paddle Sports is the annual Okanagan Super Sprints, which welcomes teams to Skaha Lake in mid-June.