About Us

We are Emma and Paige, two young women with a big goal, strong shoulders, and competitive spirits. This summer, we were the first women's team to ever finish The Yukon 1000, the world's longest canoe and kayak race. We hail from the land of ten thousand lakes and proudly to represent St. Paul, Minnesota.

If paddling 1000 miles sounds like a big undertaking, it was. There was nothing easy about this race. One of the first things you see on the official Yukon 1000 website is "Do you really want to do this?”. We asked ourselves that question many times along the way. It was a long and grueling race on a wild river, but with the combination of water sports that we participate in, backcountry experience, and previous race experience, we knew we could do it. We set our fundraising goals high in hopes of donating money to the Ann Bancroft Foundation. Thanks to our sponsors and all of our supporters, we were able to raise over $1,200 to support girls in sports and their dreams.

Emma Burgeson

Founder and Principal

Paige Norman
Project Manager

Paige is newer to the canoe, but a veteran of the water. A competitive swimmer and mermaid since age 4, Paige moved to the surface in high school to begin rowing on the Mississippi. That endeavor lead to a full-ride scholarship to row for an NCAA division I school, where Paige was part of the varsity crew team for two years. As a freshman, her boat won the Varsity 8 race at A10 Conference Championships. In May 2016, she graduated from George Washington University with a major in Geography and a minor in Geographic Information Systems.

Emma competed in the 2014 Yukon 1000 as part of the first all female team to ever enter the race, where she learned about the planning process and what to expect on the water. She grew up going on extended canoe trips and has spent a lot of time on rivers and lakes in Minnesota, Alaska, Washington, and the Northwest Territories.

Emma graduated from Western Washington University in 2014 with a BS in Environmental Science and a minor in Economics. She coaches gymnastics, loves to climb, and has recently joined an outrigger canoe team that allows her to get out on the water and paddle hard.