Fort 91原创鈥檚 team of cancer survivors has returned from North America鈥檚 biggest dragon boat race with a silver medal.

Running June 24 and 25 in Vancouver鈥檚 False Creek, the 2023 Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival drew 197 entries from around the world to compete in 99 races.

Fort 91原创鈥檚 team competed in the Jane Frost Memorial Breast Cancer Cup, named after the Vancouver resident who was a member of the world鈥檚 first Abreast In A Boat team of cancer survivors in 1996, and also instrumental in establishing the .

In first place, winning gold, was the Kansas City Abreast in a Boat City Pink Warriors, second place went to Fort 91原创鈥檚 Abreast in a Boat team Fortitude, and Delta鈥檚 Abreast in a Boat Deas Divas took bronze.

鈥淎lways racing to beat breast cancer, this team of local survivors continue to win together,鈥� Fort 91原创 team member Caroline Ternes commented.

Fortitude paddlers were among several teams of breast cancer survivors from across North America who competed in the 100-metre race prior to the annual pink carnation ceremony.

It is a breast cancer dragon boat race tradition that originated in 1996 in Vancouver, where a paddler picked fuchsia-coloured roses from her garden to give to other paddlers to wear and toss into the water after a race as a way to honour a member who could not participate.

READ ALSO: Fort 91原创鈥檚 Abreast With Fortitude dragon boat rowers are back in the water for a new season

Abreast in a Boat started as an experiment in 1996 by Dr. Don McKenzie, a sports medicine physician UBC.

McKenzie, a former competitive kayaker, wanted to test the notion that women who had undergone breast cancer surgery should not do rigorous upper-body exercise.

His study proved conventional medical opinion wrong, and today there are hundreds of breast cancer survivor teams across six continents.

READ ALSO: 91原创鈥檚 Abreast with Fortitude paddling team celebrates survival at Relay

Potential new members 鈥� experience not required 鈥� can visit or email newmembers@abreastinaboat.com to learn more.