Yukon Ultra | Yukon Arctic Ultra- report by Ray Zahab winner of 100 mile footrace
The Yukon Arctic Ultra organised by Robert Pollhammer is definitely the toughest race I have ever competed in! Not only was the distance and terrain challenging, but the beauty and
remoteness of the Yukon made it an awesome event.
My race plan was to run as much as possible, stopping only briefly to relieve myself or emergency bivvy. As it turned out, I did stop twice- once for 10 minutes and once for 15 minutes. ( 2 mins of sleep total!)
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Yukon Ultra | Yukon Arctic Ultra 2004 Update
Shirley Thompson, now safe and well at the High Country Inn in Whitehorse, phoned in to let us know how the competitors have got on on this year’s Yukon Arctic Ultra.
Rocky Reifenstuhl, on a mountain bike, is still way out ahead. He left the checkpoint at Fred Lake at 4.45 am on Tuesday morning, the only person through by then. He is followed by Laszlo Kovacs, who is on skis. At the last count, the leading runner in the race (only the 300 mile course is still going now) was Andrew Barnett. There is little information on their timings. Still, here are a few stories from the course, though.
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Yukon Ultra | Shirley : Yukon Ultra Day 3 Update
Luke's most recent report from Yukon Arctic Ultra 2004 makes it clear just how hard it has been for the competitors out on the course. To hear it, click below. The environment, and particularly the cold of course, which dropped to -30 at one stage, has made it an extremely tough challenge.
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Yukon Ultra | Luke - Audio Report Day 3
Luke reports in as he prepares to leave the checkpoint having completed the first 100 miles. Overnight the temperatures dropped dramatically - and around 5 people retired from the course. As he sets off on the next 35 mile stage to Fred Lake, Luke seems somewhat cheered by the fact that fellow UK competitor Andrew Elder came 2nd in the 100 mile race.
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Yukon Ultra | Yukon Arctic Ultra 2004, Day 2
On its second night, Yukon Arctic Ultra 2004 has gone through a sudden change of weather which has made the race far harder for the competitors. Having had a fairly mild first 36 hours, during the second night the temperature out on the course plumetted to around minus 30, making the race a far more serious challenge than it was just a day before. Four or five competitors decided to withdraw overnight, some of them suffering the effects of the cold. They were picked up and ferried to safety by snow-machine.
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Yukon Ultra | Luke : Audio Report Day 2
Luke checked in from CP2 with an update on the low down from the Yukon trails... Having been treated the delights of "stew" at the checkpoint and caught a few hours sleep - he's now figuring out that how he can thaw out that thermos flask of water that's rather awkwardly become a big ice cube over night...
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Yukon Ultra | Shirley : Audio Report Day 1
The Yukon Arctic Ultra is about to go into its second day. Plenty has happened in the first 24 hours. Here’s a round-up of how it’s gone so far, and a report just in from Shirley Thompson, who, approaching dawn Yukon time (9am), was mid-way between Checkpoints 1 and 2
<img src="http://raceblog.pmachinehosting.com/images/uploads/Shirley_and_Michael__in_tent_s.jpg" border="0" align="left" alt="image" name="image" width="200" height="150" /> The first surprise was Rocky Riefenstuhl, who sped off so fast on his mountain bike that the organisers could barely keep up with him. He reached the marathon mark and compulsory stop in less than 2 hours and 30 minutes. He was followed Hungarian Laszlo Kovacs 30 minutes later (on cross country skis) and then an hour later by German Sven Riedesel (also on a bike). The first runner, Peter Mild from Sweden, reached the Ranch at 4.08 pm, and he was followed 6 minutes later by two Canadians, Ray Zahab and Rob McWilliam.
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Yukon Ultra | Luke : Audio Report Checkpoint 1
Luke touched base from CP1 around 9:30pm last night.
CP1 is a compulsory checkpoint where competitors must stay for 4 hours. During this time the race organisers can assess that each competitor is able to complete a number of tasks including lighting a fire and being able to use their sleeping systems, before allowing them to continue onto the trail.
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Yukon Ultra | Yukon Arctic Ultra, Start line, Whitehorse
It’s the start today. At midday the forty-six competitors from 12 countries will depart from the town of Whitehorse, and set off into forbidding back-country of the Yukon in northwestern Canada on one of the most gruelling winter races around. It’s the start of the Yukon Arctic Ultra 2004.
There are three courses in the race – some runners have a marathon ahead of them, some a 100 mile course and others a 300 mile course. They also have a choice of transport – on foot, on cross-country skis or on mountain bike. Interestingly there are more competitors in the 300 mile race than in either of the other. Twenty-two competitors will be setting off and hoping the make that distance (two of them on mountain bikes and two on skis, with the rest on foot). There are 18 racers in the 100 miler, and six on the marathon.
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Yukon Ultra | Luke : Pre Race
Luke Cunliffe reports from the pre-race training course
As part of my preparations for the Yukon Arctic Ultra I enrolled on the training course run by Race Director Robert Polhammer and co-organiser Shelley Gellatley. This involved several hours of classroom-based training/discussion initially, covering subjects such as emergency fire-lighting, shelter building, first aid, movement over icy terrain and what to do if we break through "overflow" on lakes, rivers and creeks. Then we experimented with our equipment, cookers and sleeping systems, in daylight, before testing them again, in anger, so to speak, on a local trail at night.
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