Archive YAU 2005
15:00 PM local time.
The most important news right away: all 300 mile athletes are fine – considering the circumstances. They are exhausted and some in pain but they will recover. Tonight's party will be the first step ...
As you all probably were assuming, I had technical difficulties updating the website. Unfortunately, I do not work with satellite connections for these updates. That means I depend on the local infrastructure. And there is internet in Pelly Crossing but for some reason the browser kept crashing whenever I tried to update arcticultra.de. As a consequence my changes and sometimes entire parts of the website disappeared. My apologies if this made you worry about the health of a competitor or caused any other inconveniences.
We have seen an amazing race these last couple of days. Andy Heading managed to gain a lot of time on Stefano Miglietti who was then leading the 300 miles. When I was on the Pelly River to check their progress they were only 1.5 miles apart from each other. At this point I thought that Andy will have overtaken Stefano by the time he gets to Pelly Farms. However, Pelly Farms was still a long distance away. And I was wrong with another guess of mine. I thought Stefano would get to the farm, eat and leave right away. This would have meant 2 nights with practically no sleep for him. When the Italian finally came to Pelly Farms he stayed for about two hours, had a rest and 10 minutes sleep – if you can call it that. Only when Andy’s headtorch light started to appear in the distance did Stefano get ready and leave.
The hard work and hardly having had any rest finally got to Andy. When he reached the last checkpoint he was tired and in pain. Part of it was also due to the fact that he went into overflow up to his knees shortly after starting the stage. It did not take him long to decide that he probably would not be able to overtake Stefano. Not without risking his health. So, Andy stayed for a while and enjoyed the hospitality of Sue, Dale and the kids. He even got some sleep.
Next into the checkpoint was the German Thomas Muhler. It was a tough day for him as he had to push his MTB for about 80% of the distance. Nonetheless, he was cheerful and in good shape. He left the checkpoint after Andy but was able to overtake him. The last 30 miles were on the farm road and this enable Thomas to actually cycle again.
Overall Ranks YAU 300 Miles
1st Stefano Miglietti, Italy 6 days 2 hours 35 minutes (146 h 35 min)
2nd Thomas Muhler, Germany 6 days 5 hours 07 minutes (149 h 07 min)
3rd Andy Heading, England 6 days 8 hours 24 minutes (152 h 24 min)
The results table has just been updated. There you will find the in/out and finishing times of all athletes.
4 more athletes have managed to finish the 300 mile race. William Gow reached Pelly Crossing on Feb. 21st at 19:50. Henry Worsley followed on Feb. 22nd at 01:35. Pearse Allen and Joachim Rintsch came in on Feb. 22nd at 08:10, just 2 hours and 23 minutes before the time limit. William and Henry used this race as part of their preparation for an expedition to the South Pole. Pears actually signed up for the 100 miles. Since he enjoyed it so much he decided to go add on another 200 miles. He teamed up with Joachim who already successfully competed in the race last year. The two are quite an unlikely pair. For one thing they can’t communicate since they don’t speak each others language. But maybe that is why it worked out for them.
Tom Wolter-Roessler had to give up on his way from McCabe to Pelly Crossing. He simply lost his energy and said he literally could not go one step further. We were all surprised to hear this as he has always been very fit when he reached previous checkpoints. He was disappointed but learned a lot of lessons. Hopefully we will see him back next year.
Out of 17 athletes who had signed up or the 300 mile race, only 7 reached the finish. Even though the YAU is the world’s toughest and coldest ultra, this drop out rate of 60% is unusual. One of the reasons may be that it has actually been rather "warm". Due to this the snow surface is softer and it makes it more difficult to maintain a high speed without suffering. Also, we have had many entrants who are more than capable of going 300 miles but they had not done it in the cold and on snow. In addition to that it is a non-stop race, in remote wilderness and 16 hours of darkness every day. This is what makes the YAU so tough and a lot of athletes say that 70% of finishing the race in time is accomplished by the head and not the feet. Athletes who don’t manage to adapt to all these factors very quickly have a hard time finishing within the limit of 8 days.
The great thing is that almost all the participants who did not finish thought that it was a fantastic experience and a great adventure. It is their intention to come back next year and finish unfinished business.
I will soon write a report on the entire race. Also, there will be reports from athletes on this website. So, please come back and check!
We have many new photos in our gallery. If the folder has a person's name, it indicates who took the pictures.
14:31 PM local time.
Photo taken by Nicola. It's getting colder!
Looks like we have a real race for the 300 mile foot category! Whilst Stefano rested a little longer at Pelly Crossing, Andy came in, stayed a little and left again. Andy is now 1 hour behind Stefano. I have to say, though, that Stefano was not informed correctly when he asked at what time Andy left McCabe. So, in fact Andy was a lot closer than Stefano thought. I hope it did not affect the Italian's strategy too much.
Thomas Muhler should get to Pelly Crossing any minute now.
In the meantime Tom Wolter-Roessler has made it to McCabe.
The rest of the athletes has not arrived in McCabe, yet.
There are new pictures in our gallery, taken by Nicola!
18:24 PM local time.
Everyone made it into Carmacks. Henry and William left to make it to McCabe Creek.
I hope you guys are not eating anything while reading this because Henry wanted his friends to see this:
16:43 PM local time.
This morning I walked out on the trail to meet up with Stefano and to give him some company on the way to McCabe Creek. He was further out than I thought and I had to return without meeting him. At 13:20 PM Stefano made it to our CP at the famous Quest Checkpoint of the Kruse family.
When I was out on the trail I filmed a short bit of the trail to give everyone at home a bit of an idea what it looks like. I will try to make it available for downloading a little bit later on.
When Stefano came in he was very puzzled about the time it took him to get to the checkpoint. And I was wondering, too. I expected him to arrive at 7:00 AM. Stefano said "it's impossible, it has to be longer than 34 miles". My answer was "no, our snowmobiles have measured it and it's the third time this race is happening". Well, I learned a lesson when I got back to Carmacks about 1 hour later. The Italian adventure runner was right and I was wrong. We got a typo in our distance chart and nobody noticed it until now. On the way to Carmacks the athletes covered 34 miles and not 43. On the way from Carmacks to McCabe they cover 43 miles and not and not 34. So, the overall distance remains the same. We will try to get the message to Thomas and Andy who are currently on their way to McCabe. All athletes here at Carmacks, i.e. Henry, William and Tom, already know. Everyone yet to come in, will be told, too. I wonder why nobody complained about the shorter distance into Carmacks ;-)
The reports of the crew on the spirit out there on the trails are always very good. Of course everyone now suffers but the athletes all seem to be dealing with it well.
Unfortunately, Matt withdrew from the race. He camped 17 miles before Ken Lake last night. That made it impossible for him to reach Carmacks before the cut-off at 22:30 PM tonight. As soon as he gets here, I will offer him to continue out of Carmacks unranked. We will see if he wants to do that. Sometimes athletes don't like that idea because it's just not the same.
So, everyone who is not in Carmacks has left Ken Lake and is on his way. They all should make it in before long.
23:13 PM local time.
It looks like Stefano is stepping into Rocky's footprints. Like the Alaskan during the first two editions of the YAU he is leaving a big gap behind himself. The Italian is tired but already has left Carmacks again to move towards McCabe Creek, the next checkpoint, 55 km away. The trail is in good condition and he could make it there as early as 5:00 AM tomorrow morning.
Andy Heading and Thomas Muhler have arrived in Braeburn, too. Luckily Andy's problems with his shins seem not to have gotten worse. Like Thomas he is now sleeping.
Tom Wolter-Roessler, William Gow and Henry Worsely have left Ken Lake. Everybody else, apart from Matt Pain, has reached Ken Lake. Matt said he may sleep out next to the trail somewhere tonight. What I did not know before yesterday evening, is that Matt stayed a very long time with Katherine when she was suffering from stomach problems on her way to Braeburn. Don, one or our snowmobile guides, said that things would have been a lot worse for Katherine if Matt had not stayed to help. That is the kind of spirit any race should have. Great job Matt!
Everyone who is still on his way to Braeburn is doing fine. Of course they are all suffering but they seem to really enjoy the challenge and the adventure!
Gavin Booth who probably would have given Stefano a hard time whilst trying to win the 300 miles, has written a little bit about his experience. Due to an injury he had to withdraw at Braeburn and now helps us out as a volunteer. You can download the word file here.
13:41 PM local time.
More athletes had to withdraw from the race. It was not an easy decision for them but Simon Howell, Milan Milanovich and Gavin Booth will not continue.
Gavin did not want to risk making his hip injury even worse. He is already determined to come back next year to finish unfinished business. So is Simon. On our way up to Carmacks he said "I will do it again - just without the skis". 10 seconds later he asked "Did I just say that? I can't believe I just said that." With Simon the probleme was that his skis in combination with the sled did slow him down. He was quite sure he could not finish the 300 miles in time.
Milan also was taken by surprise due to he difficult terrain and the additional weight of his sled. He thinks his biggest mistake was not to train with the gear he was using during the race. And he added that for an athlete who is used to running ultras the YAU is very difficult. Because of the long distance, terrain and the gear, usually a lot of hiking is done. That's of course very different to the body.
Stefano is expected in Carmacks within the next 30 minutes. Gavin who will stay with the race as a volunteer will be there to greet him.
There are new photographs in the gallery!
02:30 AM local time.
What a day! It has been beautiful out. And the athletes enjoyed some magic views, e.g. when crossing Braeburn Lake.
Almost all participants had hallucinations which is normal after walking for such a long time in the cold without resting. However, I tought Simon Howell's non-existing images were particularly funny. He saw green unicorns and a Russian accordeon player. Simon is experiencing troubles with his xc-skiing shoes. They are hurting him. Luckily he has got somebody to blame. Katherine told him about the YAU so he says it's all her fault. That's what Katherine told us with a big smile on her face while resting at Braeburn. I do not think she felt too guilty. She is out on the trail again and on her way to Ken Lake. Since she has overcome her stomach problem we let her continue the race unranked.
The winners of the 100 mile race are John O'Regan, Ken Byrne and Pearse Allen. They crossed the finish line together at 11:11 AM on Feb. 16th. Needless to say that they had a great time. Pearse has enjoyed it so much that he spontaneously decided to continue on and do another 200 miles. I am not sure if his friends were joking when they said "if he feels good he will just keep going until he gets to Dawson." He probably could do it if he wanted, too. When Pearse came into Braeburn Lodge he offered to help Gavin Booth who is still trying to recover from an injury which actually seems to be his hip rather than his leg. The Irish said "I'll fix that for you ... but you have to give me a kiss in return." Need I say more? When I left Braeburn at about 23:00 PM Pearse was getting ready to continue.
Peter Meyer from Germany came in 1:30 h after the 100 mile winners. He was disappointed because he was far ahead and could easily have won the race. However, due to heavy snowfalls he was uncertain where the trail leads across Braeburn Lake. He decided to get out his sleeping bag and slept until sunrise. That's why he was overtaken.
All other 100 mile athletes have crossed the finish line. Local Tammy Reis came in at 17:12 PM. She is tired and happy that it's over. Tammy is a very good example of the fact that it's worth it not to give up. She kept on going when she was ready to drop out and she made it.
Thomas is having a blast on his Fatbike. Werner who is filming our documentary told me that Thomas fell face front in the snow on his way down to Coghlan Lake. The German Mountain Biker saw that the film crew was approaching and did not move until they were near enough to catch this funny situation on camera. On other occasions he has offered to use his MTB to pull out ski-doos that were stuck in deep snow. Werner also said that Andy Heading, Tom Wolter-Roessler and Katherine Hey-Heddle were doing fine when he saw them. They are all heading towards Ken Lake now. Joachim Rintsch joined them. He will walk through the night. Since Joachim did not sleep at this checkpoint we assume that he will sleep next to the trail whenever he gets tired.
Unfortunately, David Hoile had to scratch due to problems with a cold. Sean Brown who came to Braeburn at 22:16 on Feb. 16th, also scratched. He fhad some problems eating enough and felt he was going too slow. He figures it was a good and interesting lessen. Next year he will come again. He will just travel a bit lighter. Ralf Jacobi had to scratch, too. Bad feet slowed him down and he decided not to continue.
By now everybody except Matthew Pain and Simon Howell should be on their way to Ken Lake. Gavin may still rest in Braeburn, too. He could not really get rid of his hip inmury and was not sure if it is a good idea to continue.
In the meantime Stefano Miglietti who is still leading the 300 mile race has reached Ken Lake.
03:43 AM local time.
All the athletes are safe. Unfortunately, we have had problems with the satellite connection here at Braeburn and the website at the same time. So, apologies if you have not had any news for a while.
Stefano Miglietti is leading the 300 mile race. He is still at Braeburn but we expect him to leave shortly. Thomas Muhler, Gavin Booth, Andy Heading and Tom Wolter-Roessler have made it to Braeburn, too.
Thomas is in very good spirits and said he will wait until the morning to leave.
Gavin was trying to catch up with Stefano and he almost did. The pace he set for himself may have been too fast, though. Now he has problems with his left leg. He is resting and hopes to continue in the early morning hours.
Andy is fine. There is a tunnel of trees which goes on for a long distance on the way to Braeburn. When Andy was asked what he tought of this tunnel he said something like "aweful" and "I don't even want to talk about it". His legs and feet are sore but with some ice and a good rest he should be able to continue.
Tom is doing good. His only problems are a few blisters and a broken bag on his sled. He just went to rest a few minutes ago and plans to continue when there is light out.
Katherine had a rough night on her way to Dog Grave lake. Stomach problems forced her to pull out of the race. Our ski-doo guides brought her from Dog Grave Lake to Braeburn Lodge. Here she is resting. Everybody else has made it to Dog Grave or is now on his way to Braeburn.
Michael Odenwald also had a rough night. His Camelbak burst and has had difficulty with the cold and exhaustion. That is why Michael decided not to continue. He was so tired that we could not transport him to Braeburn, yet. We will bring him out tomorrow.
It has been a very warm day today. Temperatures went up to - 10 degrees or even warmer. The wind is now coming from the north and was snowing quite heavily for a while. That will make it difficult for Stefano if he really will leave in a few minutes. He will walk over some lakes that are more than 10 km long and snow will have covered our tracks. However, if all the Quest markers still are there, his head torch should be able to pick them up.
00:23 AM local time.
All athletes have left SIR North Country Ranch before midnight. Unfortunately, Fergus Hughes had to withdraw from the race due to back problems. He got a ride to Whitehorse with Shelley and will go see a doctor tomorrow. Everyone else is now heading for the next checkpoint. If they are lucky, they will see some Northern Lights on the way. And maybe the wolves will howl ...
The race is on! At 10:33 AM the third edition of the Yukon Arctic Ultra has started in downtown Whitehorse.
Athletes gathering at the start line.
With minus 18 degrees Celsius it was the coldest start the YAU has had so far. For most of today's distance, trail conditions were excellent. There was only a minor stretch close to the finish line that was very tough. Deep snow for about 1 km was not something the athletes had expected. And I am glad I was not there. At that point in time I was not the most popular person in the world ... However, everyone made it.
For some athletes the race is already over but in a positive way. All marathon runners and xc-skiers made it to the finish line. Richard Malz-Heyne from Germany overtook the local athletes Tamara Goeppel and Thomas Tetz not far away from SIR North Country Ranch. With a time of 4:13h he is this years winner of the marathon. Thomas and Tamara finished both at the same time, 9 minutes after Richard. This makes Tamara the fastest woman for the marathon. Thomas has finished the Yukon Quest sled dog race in previous years and I am very proud to have had a real Quest musher competing in the YAU. Roger Hamburg finished after 4:40h. He said he really enjoyed it ... now that it's over ;-) Christine Todd from Whitehorse did the 26 miles on xc-ski. Her time was 5:04h. She was very happy about her performance and the great weather. We may see her again next year trying to finish the 100 miles. Kim Outridge, also from Whitehorse, came in after 6:15h. It was her second YAU marathon and like last year she will help the other athletes as a volunteer for the next couple of days. Thanks Kim! Last but certainly not least, Lester Byington from the US finished his race after 7:26h. He found it very difficult with his xc-skis but enjoyed the experience none the less.
Overall the feedback of the athletes as they were coming in was that it is a lot harder than they thought. It was a cold day and even though the trail was in good condition it just is a lot different from the terrain most people train in. The good news is that everybody will be able to continue the race. Some have already been heading out on the trail again. We expect that before 1:00 AM everybody will have left CP #1. For all it will be a very cold and long night.
Dog Grave Lake, the next checkpoint, is ready and looking forward to the arrival of the first athletes. If you want to see where everybody is, please have a look at the results table. And there will be more new pictures in our gallery shortly.
Best regards
Robert Pollhammer
Race Director
The Yukon Arctic Ultra proudly presents: The first update of the third edition of this great adventure.
No, the race has not started, yet. But these last couple of days have been very exciting already.
Thomas Muhler (300 miles) from Germany and his brand new Fatbike - the right bike for the Arctic.
Yesterday and today the Yukon Arctic Ultra training course took place. It is mandatory for any athletes who have no prior extreme cold weather experience. The first part of the training course takes place indoors. Shelley Gellatly, the organiser of the course was supported by Mike Simon and together they helped the athletes with a lot of important and useful information.
Everybody is listening carefully at our Training Course.
After having been in the nice comfortable meeting room of the High Country Inn for several hours everybody was really eager to get out in the cold. We had dinner and then got going. And cold it was. -20 degrees celcius was exactly the right temperatures to feel the effects of these conditions and it still allowed for testing without freezing too much. There were some steep learning curves, especially regarding the sleds. Very often what works at home does not work in the cold. After a hike on long winter road, it was time for some serious camping excercises. Everybody had to light their stoves and build a wood fire, two very important skills in the unforgiving Yukon Wilderness. It was interesting to see the different approaches. Again, it was a very good learning experience for the participants. Those who wanted to also tested their sleeping system and had time to try out other gear.
Henry Worsley is getting his stove going.
Today, the participants of the course met again at 10:30 AM to talk about the learnings from last night and to go through the maps of the race course. In time for the start of the Yukon Quest we were done. The latter certainly was the high light of the day. 21 teams started right in Whitehorse for the world's toughest sled dog race. That's 21 mushers and about 300 dogs. Formula 1 in the North.
At the official pre-race meeting of the YAU at 5:00 PM, the athletes, volunteers and organisational staff gathered again at the High Country Inn. Everybody has made it. 16 athletes for the 300, 9 athletes for the 100 and 7 athletes for the marathon. Thanks to the one day flight connection of Air Canada everybody seemed very awake. The new connection arrives late at night and even the time difference usually does not keep travellers from sleeping upon arrival in the hotel. Having said that, the fact that the race starts tomorrow and the increasing excitement may also have played a role in it.
After a welcome for the athletes, the introduction of the organising team and volunteers, it was time for some talk about rules and other important issues. When all the administrative things were done everybody enjoyed some heavy carbohydrate loading. The mood amongst the participants is great! Everyone is eager to go.
Start of the race will be tomorrow at the same place where the Yukon Quest mushers started today. Regarding temperatures we expect a high of - 10 degrees Celsius. Later on in the day it may drop to - 20 degrees. However, that is a weather forecast. We will see if it is right.
If you want to email an athlete, send your message to info@thegreatoutdoors.de. However, we do not guarantee this message will get to its destination within one day.
In case you urgently need to get in touch with an athlete, we have emergency numbers for you. From Feb. 14th to 16th Dave Milne will be on 24h stand-by. The numbers are 1-867-333-9792 or 1-867-393-3614. From Feb. 16 approx. 8:00 PM Mike Simon will take over. The numbers for him are 1-867-333-9792 or 1-867-633-3566. PLEASE CALL THESE NUMBERS ONLY IF IT IS A SERIOUS EMERGENCY!
For more pictures please have a look at our gallery. We will try to update it as often as possible.
Best regards
Robert Pollhammer
Race Director
This will be my last update out of Europe. On February 4th I will fly with Air Canada to Whitehorse. By the way, they have now flight connections that get you to the Yukon in one day! That saves time and money. Therefore, if you are not coming to the race and want to experience the Yukon on your own some time, make sure to have a look at the offers of Canada’s largest airline.
Until Feb. 13th I will have daily access to email. If you want to talk to me you can also give me a call at the High Country Inn (1-867-667-4471) or send me a fax (1-867-667-6457). During the race I will not be able to check my emails on a daily basis. If you urgently need to get in touch with me or one of the athletes, there will be an emergency number that you can call. This number will be posted here in the "News Updates" section.
Maps of the race course
Thanks to the work of David Milne and the support of Gary and Mike, we will have great maps of the race course this year. These will be handed out at the pre-race meeting. As of tomorrow there will also be maps to download in the "Race Info" section. However, due to the amount of data, these pdf-files are quite large (1MB each).
I would like to ask the athletes to please note that the maps are a back-up in case you get lost. The race is marked all along the way with the markers of the Yukon Quest. It’s these markers that count.
Pre-Race Meeting
The pre-race meeting will take place at the High Country Inn on Feb. 13th and start at 5 PM. All YAU 2005 athletes have to attend.
The rough schedule is as follows:
- 5:00 – 5:30 PM welcome speeches
- 5:30 – 5:40 PM introduction of the YAU organisational team
- 5:40 – 6:00 PM rules & regulations
- 6:00 – 6:30 PM safety
- 6:30 – 7:00 PM trail update and Q&A
- 7:00 – 8:00 PM collection of medical certificates, sign-in, hand-out of race maps and t-shirts
- 8:00 – 9:39 PM buffet style dinner with plenty of carbohydrates
Start of the race
The Yukon Arctic Ultra will start on Feb. 14th at 10:30 AM. It will start one day after the Yukon Quest and in the exact same spot as the famous sled dog race, i.e. very close to the Yukon River and only a short walk from down town Whitehorse.
Updates during the race
There will be regular updates in this "News Updates" section and on www.eventrate.com. Eventrate will get the official event updates but also updates from two athletes. It will be interesting to get their perspective on how things are going. A couple of days will be very busy and there are quite a few places where we do not have email access. So, please do not be surprised if the flow of information is at times slow. We will do our best.
Messages for athletes
I have not decided yet if we will try to forward printed emails from back home to athletes again. Due to the difficulty of having email access at the remote checkpoints we may chose a couple of places only where we will deliver messages. Please check out this section of the website a couple of days prior to the race in order to get the latest information on this subject.
Best regards
Robert Pollhammer
Race Director
Hello everyone,
most of you who will do the race are probably already aware of it. It’s been quite cold in the Yukon lately!
-44C at the SIR North Country Ranch. Photographed last week by Rolf Schmitt.
Here is what the Yukon Quest wrote on Jan 13th on their website (www.yukonquest.com):
"Yukon Quest Trail gets Deep Freeze!
Temperatures along the entire Yukon Quest Trail dove below -40 this week, the point on thermometers where measurements in C(elcius) and F(arenheit) are identical! Whitehorse, Yukon saw -46C/-50F, but it was one of the warmer spots over the past several days! Dawson City, Yukon saw the mercury plummet to -48C/-53F and Fairbanks, Alaska felt the full blast of the Arctic winter with thermometers registering -50C/-60F! Cars hobbled down the streets with "flat-on-one-side" tires (rubber becomes brittle and pneumatic tires stay flat from the load on them while resting overnight), and ice fog descended on any location where open rivers brought moisture into the air.
Temperatures are expected to rise over the coming days, but Alaskan and Yukon residents were reminded that they live "North of 60" with the recent cold snap.
Such extreme cold temperatures are perfect for solidifying the rivers that make up much of the Yukon Quest Trail, so race organizers are pleased with the deep freeze. Now for a little milder temperatures, some more snow, and a great last few weeks of training for the mushers and their dog teams."
We have had pretty much the exact same thing happening last year, i.e. very low temperatures a few weeks before the YAU and "milder" temperatures when we started the race. We will see what will happen this year. In any case it is another reminder that -50C may become a reality.
Best regards
Robert Pollhammer
Race Director
Hello everyone,
time is going by very quickly now. And as will be the case with those of you who will be racing, the excitement is also starting to kick in with everyone involved in the organisation!
Very useful information from Shelley Gellatly.
Shelley represents the YAU in Canada. She lives in Whitehorse and has participated in the 100 mile distance in 2003 and the 300 mile distance in 2004. Both times she has done exceptionally well. Shelley has been very busy this year and not been in the Yukon a lot but she will join us for the race again in February. Only this time she will not participate. Rather she will focus organising the pre-race clinic and to help during the race at checkpoints.
Shelley has her own company, called Northern Athletic Experiences, which offers Running Vacations, Athletic Adventures and other great services. If you are interested in finding out more about it, please have a look at her website www.northernathleticexperiences.com.
The following information Shelley put together for the participants of the YAU 05:
Hello to you all,
I hope you are all healthy and happy and looking forward to your trip to Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada! We’ve had a cold week which will help to freeze all the overflow and help the trail conditions. Things are looking very good for this year’s race.
I will be meeting many of you at this year’s pre-race clinic, where we’ll be going over this information in much more detail. However, in speaking with Mike Simons (one of the organizers in Canada), Gary Rusnak (the head snowmobile guide), Corina from Coast Mountain Sports in Whitehorse, and based on my experience in the 100 and 300 mile races the past two years, there are a few things we thought we’d like to mention to all the race participants.
Stoves
A number of people have enquired about what the type of stove to use. I’m sure there are many functional options. The last two year’s I used a MSR Whisperlite stove that used white gas. It worked well. The only trouble I had was getting the fuel line into the main burner at -30C. After I greased it at home the problem disappeared.
Our main advice to all of you, regardless of the type of stove you are using, is to make sure and practice starting it when the stove is cold and your hands are cold. This might mean leaving the stove and gas in your freezer for 6 hours and then taking it somewhere relatively cool/cold to try starting it. Often there are parts that don’t work in the cold and if you know this ahead of time you can prepare for that eventuality on the trail e.g. grease the parts, warm them up with a fire prior to starting the stove, etc. You should also practice trying to light your stove with a lighter and matches. I’ve found that when my fingers are cold matches are my best bet. If you drop the lighter in the snow it’s often very hard to get it to work. You may want to bring both for your kits.
Shoes
Footwear is a personal matter of course. Last year I wore my regular trail runners and simply bought them one size larger. I wore a wool/synthetic liner sock, followed by SealSkinz socks, my runners and gaitors. I also used Neos overbooties. If it was really cold I’d wear two liners under the Seal Skinz socks. This worked well and my feet were quite comfortable.
For blisters I used the Bandaid advanced gel strips. They can stay on your feet for days. I put them on blisters I had at Carmacks and my feet were healed by the end of the race in Pelly. I put Duct tape over the gel strips to keep them in place.
Clothing and Dampness
The worst thing that can happen to you during the race is getting wet. The chances of getting wet via overflow are slim, but most people have a problem staying dry during the race due to sweat. You need to practice running/walking at a pace where you sweat the least. Make sure you are always a bit cool when you are travelling along the trail and take off clothing as soon as you start to feel warm. When you stop you can put the clothing back on.
Check yourself in Whitehorse at the start line. If you feel comfortably warm before you are moving you have too many clothes on and will sweat very shortly.
The tendency in past races has been for people to wear way too many clothes and then they have problems staying warm after they get wet. RESIST THIS TEMPTATION. Hot shots/chemical hand warmers can help to keep your extremities warm while allowing you to wear less clothing on your core.
PS Never take your gloves off unless you absolutely have to. Exposed skin will lead to frostbite. Practice putting your gear together, lighting your stove etc. with your gloves/liners on.
We’ll talk more about this during the clinic.
Where to Sleep
Gary and his crew have asked us to reinforce that people are not to sleep ON the trail. You will find this challenging at first as it means setting up your sleeping system in loose and deeper snow off the trail. You can pack down an area or check for areas where there is less snow i.e. under large spruce trees, on hard packed lakes etc. The same goes for cooking. DO NOT even think about setting up your stove and equipment directly on the trail. Last year there were a number of close calls where the snowmobile guides just about hit racers that were sleeping on the trail.
That’s it for now. Can’t wait to see everyone! If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me. It may take a couple days for me to respond, but I will get back to you.
Shelley
Penalty for sleeping on the trail
Shelley has already mentioned this problem above. It is a very serious one. I believe I do not need to tell anyone what may happen if a snowmobile runs over a sleeping person. Therefore, athletes who are found sleeping on the trail from now on will be disqualified. No discussions.
Down sleeping bag for sale
Corina who is our contact at Coast Mountain Sports in Whitehorse, would like to sell her the North Face -40C inferno down sleeping bag. It is 800 fill with a total weight of 2,338g and the length is 223cm. It is like new. Regular retail is CAD 900 and she would sell it for CAD 650. If you are interested you can reach her at home +1 867-633-2766 or at work +1 867-667-4074.
Buying gear in Whitehorse
It has been quite funny to go shopping at Coast Mountain Sports in Whitehorse during the last two editions of the YAU. No matter what time of day, somebody participating in the YAU was always there making last minute purchases. And it is a good idea to buy gear at Coast Mountain Sports – certainly for all those of you coming from Europe. The North Face Dark Star regular sleeping bag costs CAD 400. In Germany the retail price is at EUR 374.95. The WisperLite stove costs CAD 85 (Germany EUR 72.95). Just to give you a couple of examples. You can always contact Corina at the above work phone number or send an email to cms780admin@klondiker.com.
YAU now open for Skijoring
From now on also Skijorers can enter the YAU. For those who have not heard about this sport before, it is xc-skiing with the help of a dog. It was a late decision to open up this category. Therefore, no athletes may sign up for this year’s YAU. However, quite a few Skijorers have already expressed their interest in the YAU 2006. It will be interesting to see how they will do compared to the other disciplines, especially MTB.
YAU documentary 2005
In November’s newsletter I have already informed you that Werner Walcher would like to film a YAU documentary again. He will be filming in PAL with a Sony DSR-500WSP in 16:9 widescreen format. Werner has asked me to find out how many people will want to purchase the video at CAD 49.00. We will need to get 50 pre-orders that can be paid at the pre-race meeting. However, in order to see if we will be anywhere near the 50 pre-orders, please send me an email asap to tell me if you are interested. By the way, Werner can also sell footage to sponsors and television stations. If you want to find out more about Werner, please have a look at his website www.yukonimages.com.
Best regards
Robert Pollhammer
Race Director
YAU Organisation in the Yukon.
This year once again Mike Simon will be my main contact in the Yukon. He organises the checkpoints and coordinates all preparations. Mike emigrated from Germany quite some time ago. In 1991 he founded the company called Blockhuettenabenteuer in Canada which since has developed into a very successful Yukon Tour Operator. Towards the end of 2003 his company employed Thomas de Jager, another German, as the General Manager. With 25 years of experience canoeing and over 100 national and international competitions, Thomas is able to help experienced and less experienced canoe tourists alike. Thomas will also help out during the YAU. Since 2004 Blockhuettenabenteuer has a different name. It is now called Yukon Wide Adventures. The services include the planning of individual tours, all kinds of transfers, rental of canoes and kayaks as well as outdoor equipment of all kind. Also, Mike and his team offer organised and guided tours with canoes and trekking tours in all of the Yukon and Alaska. In the winter time it is possible to book ski tours and other specials.
However, not only Mike but also his wife, Jessica, will be part of the YAU team in 2005 again. And this is great for us because with her knowledge of Wilderness First Aid Jessica is able to help athletes at the remote checkpoint of Dog Grave Lake. Thanks to Jessica, the YAU will soon play an important role in a book, too. It will be part of a story that she is currently writing. More news on this as soon as the book is available.
The website of Yukon Wide Adventures (www.yukonabenteuer.de) is in German. So, if you want to get in touch with them for planning your next adventure trip to the Yukon after the YAU, it is best to contact them by email: info@yukonwide.com.
Emergencies during the race.
We are currently working on improving our evacuation and emergency plans and I want to make you aware of the following facts:
In a real emergency, e.g. due to a serious injury (e.g. caused by a fall) or breaking through thin ice, it may (a) take a long time until somebody finds an athlete and (b) an evacuation if needed, in a best case scenario, takes at least several hours. At night or if the weather is bad, transportation back to civilisation may take more than a day. Therefore, if participants of the YAU are out there and have a problem, they have to know how to deal with it themselves. This is also the case if they are immediately able to contact us via sat phone. If you are totally wet and it is minus 40 degrees our help will arrive too late, even if we manage to get to you within 5 minutes. However, 5 minutes are not a likely scenario. The YAU takes place in the arctic wilderness of the Yukon and not in the Black Forest. Therefore, I want to ask all participants to think about possible emergency scenarios and how to deal with these.
In order to avoid an emergency or to be able to better deal with them, there are some simple rules and measures:
- Best possible preparation regarding gear.
- Pack certain items/clothing in waterproof bags. Matches, lighter and any other tool that is used to light a fire should be packed in several different places (clothing, backpack, sled).
- Under no circumstances should you dehydrate.
- Don’t wait to put on a layer of clothing until you are already freezing and don’t wait to take off a layer until you are already sweating.
- If you are so tired that you are falling asleep while walking (this frequently happens) make camp!
- Often there are groups of athletes who go at the same speed. Why not try to stay at least within shouting distance of each other?
Many more topics will be talked about during our training course. And we are always happy to receive questions.
Weather forecasts
Rolf Schmitt from the SIR North Country Ranch – Checkpoint Nr. 1 of the YAU – sent me an interesting link regarding 10 day weather forecasts: http://grads.iges.org/pix/temp2.html
Race timing
At the YAU 2004 some athletes misunderstood our rules regarding the race timing. The rule is simple. Racers must sign in and out at each checkpoint. This does not affect the overall timing. We start the clock in Whitehorse and we stop it when the athlete finishes the race. The time that is spent at a CP is part of the overall time.
News regarding the race course
Last summer several fires have destroyed woods in the Yukon. With the support of the government the Yukon Quest is currently working on preparing the trail wherever it is needed, e.g. cutting any trees that have fallen on the trail. I called the Yukon Quest office in Whitehorse last week and they told me that there will be no changes to the Quest trail due to the forest fires.
Unfortunately, the Cabin at Ken Lake, which was our basis for the checkpoint there, was destroyed in one of the fires. Mike is already looking for an alternative. And we have plenty of options. If need be we can also work with wall tents.
Pulk Sleds
I do not know how many athletes have tried to get a hold of Trevor Braun regarding gear. I heard it has not been easy. Regarding pulk sleds there is also the option to rent or buy one from Shelley. Rental for the 100 miles is CAD 120. If you want to purchase it, it is CAD 200. Shelley has used this type of sled for the 100 and 300 miles. It measures approximately 58cm x 122cm. Harness is not included! Shelley will need your orders by Dec. 19th.
Harnesses
Shelley also sent me an interesting contact regarding harnesses. They custom made a harness for her and she was really happy with it.
Duffy’s Pets & Tanzilla Harness Supply
407 Alexander Street
Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2L8
Phone: 867-668-6350
Email: tanzill@yknet.ca
Web: www.tanzilla.ca
Best regards
Robert Pollhammer
Race Director
Norcan once again sponsors 4x4 vehicle support.
Being out on the roads in a Yukon winter can be quite nasty. That is why I am very happy that Norcan has confirmed their support for the YAU 2005 without a second of hesitation. They have great service and awesome rental cars. So, if you need a rental car for yourself, get in touch with Norcan. Their web address is www.norcan.yk.ca.
SIR North Country Ranch to host YAU mandatory camp-out.
Rolf and Ingrid from the beautiful SIR North Country Ranch have confirmed to me that they will be more than happy to host us at their ranch again. And because of their experience and the feedback from some of last year’s athletes we will implement some changes. In 2005 the camp will be approached on a different route. It will be the same route that the marathon runners take to make it a 26 mile marathon distance. This will allow us to use a more convenient spot for the camp. It will not be right on top of the hill. It will be further up, closer to the farm. There we have the convenience of a heated barn to prepare the meals and we have water. That way we do not need to transport stuff with the ski-doo all the time and there will be less noise. As usual there will be a big wood fire and plenty of space to roll out the sleeping bags. Of course, it also means that the overall distance for the 100 and 300 mile athletes will increase by 6 miles. This yet needs to be updated on the table on arcticultra.de.
In the summer Rolf and Ingrid offer tours with horses through the Yukon wilderness and other great adventures. This winter they have put together a very interesting tour revolving around the Yukon Quest. They call it the Yukon Quest Rookie Tour. Here are the details if you are interested:
Duration: Feb. 7th-14th, 2005
Price: CAD 1,765.00
Programme:
- Dogmushing on the Yukon Quest Trail
- Ski-doo adventure in the Miner’s Range
- Ice Fishing
- Meet the Mushers
- Hotsprings
- Wildlife Preserve
- City Tour
Price includes all entry fees, transfer, hotel nights (double occupancy), fishing license, lunch on days with activity.
Since we start the YAU on February 14th and the training course and the pre-race meeting prior to that, there may be a bit of a time clash. But get in touch with Ingrid and Rolf. I am sure there are ways to make the programme work for you anyway. Or maybe you are bringing a friend, wife or husband who would like to participate in this interesting trip. The new email address for the SIR North Country Ranch is sir@northwestel.net.
If you are interested in doing some typical Yukon Winter activities after the race, Rolf and Ingrid can help you as well. For more information have a look here.
YAU Forum
The YAU forum on Eventrate.com is up and running. For all those of you who do not know, it’s very easy to sign up. Just go to www.eventrate.com/private, become a member (which is free of charge) and then you can get in touch with other people interested or signed-up for the YAU. It’s a simple and great way of exchanging information. You can also check out last year’s entries!
Gear Rental
Trevor who has been renting out gear for YAU athletes for the last 2 years, wants to do this again in 2005. However, next year it may be a bit more difficult as he and his wife have moved to Old Crow where they are running a health and fitness project for the youth. He did tell me that he has sleeping bags, sleds and stoves available. Please get in touch with him directly to find out what the rates are and how you can best get a hold of the gear before the race. His email is huski@northwestel.net.
Race Video
Werner Walcher who has done a great documentary video of the first YAU has offered to do a video again of the YAU 2005. This time he would even follow the entire race, i.e. including all of the 300 miles. The price for the video will be CAD 49.00 and we need 50 pre-orders. Orders will be taken during the pre-race meeting on February 13th. Please also bring the money if you wish to purchase a video.
Best regards
Robert Pollhammer
Race Director
The YAU team 2005
Looks like we will have pretty much the same team organising and supporting as last year and that is good news because there simply is no better team! I will introduce everyone over the following weeks.
I will start with the ski-doo guides today. Gary and his guys will be responsible for looking out for you on the trails again. The members of his team will be Murray, who has done all other YAU races, Donny who had to take a break last year and was missed by everyone, and hopefully Craig, Gary’s brother who had his first appearance as ski-doo guide this year.
Training Course
The training course next year will be mandatory for both 100 and 300 mile athletes without prior extreme cold weather experience. Due to the positive feedback we will keep the same format as last year. For details on the training course please click here.
Travel Packages
There will be no travel packages this year. I had offered these for the first and second YAU. However, the numbers of people who made use of these packages were very limited. This year everyone has to make his/her own flight arrangements. However, that is easy. Every good travel agency will be able to help. Regarding accommodation we have a great partner, the High Country Inn (www.highcountryinn.yk.ca), and if you want other accommodation, Whitehorse has a lot to offer. You will find more information on www.touryukon.com.
To find out more about the special YAU rates for the High Country Inn please click here. Be quick with your reservations no matter where you want to stay. The Yukon Quest will be in town and rooms will be rare very soon.
Yukon Quest events
The Yukon Quest has two official evening events prior to its start. There is the Yukon Quest Meet the Mushers night on Feb. 10th and the Yukon Quest Start Banquet on Feb. 11th. Both are very interesting events. So, if you have the extra time you might want to arrive a few days earlier to get acclimatised and to go and meet some of the mushers and poeple who organise or volunteer for the world's toughest sled dog race. Anybody who is interested, please get in touch with me (info@thegreatoutdoors.de).
Best regards
Robert Pollhammer
Race Director
Back to the jungle!
Tomorrow I will return to Brazil to continue with the preparations for this year's Jungle Marathon (www.junglemarathon.com). I will stay there until October 2nd, 2004. Whenever I am in the jungle, I do not have access to email but there will be quite a few opportunities for me to get internet access. So, please do not hesitate to send me any enquiries. I may not be able to answer right away but you certainly do not have to wait until October.
Best regards
Robert Pollhammer
Race Director
The first registration for the marathon has just come in - Welcome Richard from Germany!
I am currently in the beautiful Brazilian State of Pará busy with preparations for another great ultra race, the Jungle Marathon 2004. That is why you have not seen too many updates lately. As we get closer to the YAU 2005 there will be more updates again.
At the moment the average temperature here is 32 degrees Celsius and from where I work I can see the place where the black waters of the Rio Tapajos meet the brown water of the Rio Amazonas. Quite amazing that is! For more information on the Jungle Marathon check out www.junglemarathon.com.
The YAU race roster has seen quite a few entries already. So, welcome to all new athletes! As was the case for this year’s race, a lot of entries are for the 300 miles.
With this update I want to inform you that from 2005 onwards, the pre-race training course which we will do prior to the race in Whitehorse, is also mandatory for 100 mile athletes without prior experience in extreme cold weather!
Also, we have added some new content, an FAQ section where you will find a lot of interesting information about the race. Participants form 2003 and 2004 are welcome to contribute by sending me comments or more answers by email.
Best regards from Santarém, Brazil
Robert Pollhammer
Race Director
The first registration for the 100 mile race has just come in - Welcome back Tammy!
Tammy was the fastest woman on this year's marathon course and now she can't wait to go for the 100 miles next year.
Yukon Arctic Ultra 2005 now open for registrations.
It will only be the third edition of the Yukon Arctic Ultra and already it has established itself as what it claims to be: the world’s toughest and coldest ultra. Everybody agrees that this unique race truly is the toughest race on this planet. And as far as temperatures are concerned the YAU 2004 showed what arctic conditions have in store for competitors. If you are looking for the ultimate challenge you should be part of the experience and travel to Whitehorse. We will take off into the arctic one day after the Yukon Quest, the world’s toughest sled dog race. This will allow us to meet the mushers at the Quest banquett and to see the start of this famous sled dog race.
The number of entries will be limited for 2005 in order to keep it at a level where everyone still enjoys what this race is all about: adventure, wilderness, fun and friendships. Also, limiting the numbers will allow us to have a safer event. The 100 and the 300 mile race will be open for 35 athletes each. The number of participants for the marathon is unlimited.
We gladly will answer any enquiries you may have.
See you in the Yukon!
Best regards
Robert Pollhammer
Race Director
