Once again a successful Yukon Arctic Ultra was only possible thanks to numerous sponsors and a great team of staff and volunteers. Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you:
Tourism Yukon - our only "Gold Sponsor" for the financial support and the help with PR. City of Whitehorse - for the financial support and the permission to use the street as a start area. Canadian Wilderness Travel Ltd - for the sponsoring of the checkpoint in Carmacks. Mitchell Petroleum - for the fuel donation. High Country Inn - for the hospitality and the financial support. Coast MountainSports - for the great advise given to athletes regarding gear and the financial support. Norcan - for the support regarding rental vehicles. Scuttlebutt Lodge - for the support and the sponsoring of the accommodations for the team. Yukon Quest and Canadian Rangers - for the great co-operation and an awesome trail. Air Canada - for the cheaper flight.
My special thanks to all staff and volunteers:
Shelley Gellatly and Dave Milne - for the many hours of preparation and during the race. Jessica and Mike Simon - for all the preparation work, being a great checkpoint crew and helpers on the trail, Race Centre, the updates on the website and very good press articles. Thomas de Jager - for the trailer and sat phones and the very well done job at Ken Lake checkpoint. Gary and Murray - for the support as guides out on the trail. Pete Nielsen - for the professional help at Dog Grave Lake and Scroggie Creek checkpoints. Diane Patrick and Eric Kocher - our great medical team that non only helped in case of blisters or injuries. Heike and Sarah - who stayed on after the race to help as volunteers. Marianne, Suzanne, Tammy, Kim and Andy - volunteers who have greatly influenced the race with their positive attitudes and helping the athletes and staff day and night.
A big thank you also goes to:
Steve and Lee from the Braeburn Lodge - for an interesting checkpoint and the gigantic food. The Kruse family - for hosting us and some great cooking. Sue, Dale, Uncle Hugh and the Kids from Pelly Farm - you guys are amazing!
And here comes my final report for the Yukon Arctic Ultra 2007:
The start of this unique race took place on Feb. 11th in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. 43 athletes from 8 nations were really eager to finally get going at 10:30 AM. With – 18 degrees Celsius temperatures were ideal as the Yukon as a dry cold. To certain limits this cold is actually good to deal with, especially when moving.
Richard Malz-Heyne at the marathon finish
The marathon was over rather quickly. After 2005 German Richard Malz-Heyne won this distance for the second time. It took him 4:32 to finish the 26 miles. Keith Thaxter from Whithorse came in second only 5 minutes after Richard. Local xc-skier Claude Chabot came third in the overall ranking. His time 5:15.
Shelley crossing Braeburn Lake
For the rest of the field this was only the beginning of their adventure in the world’s toughest and coldest ultra. 9 of them had decided on the 100 mile distance. 5 of them, Shelley, Jacob, Thomas, Paul and Patricia, brought with them experience from previous YAUs. And even tough it was not an ideal race for Shelley as she injured herself she did really well and won this distance with a time of 29:59. Jacob who had his difficulties in 2006 improved his time by over 12 hours to 35:25! Thomas Wiget, an experienced musher from Switzerland, needed 36:50 and placed third. The new comers did very well, too. Heike, Sarah, Patricia, Christine and Paul all finished. Only Ian had a hard time right after the first checkpoint. His sled broke and it took a long time until he received a replacement sled as our crew was only due to check the area the next morning. By then he had already made up his mind to scratch. I hope we see Ian again next year giving it another try.
From Takhini Hotsprings to Dog Grave Lake quite a few of the 300 and 460 mile athletes ran into problems. For Brett the race as over right at the hotsprings. An old injury forced him to scratch. The same happened to Greg later on. Mark had to stop because of breathing problems likely due to a flue. Andy received bad news from back home just before the start and it was difficult for him to focus on the race. His thoughts were with his family and at some point he decided to stop. Jim and Sam had sled problems like Ian. To make things worse Jim started having wrist problems. Both decided to scratch rather than wait for a replacement sled. Sam later on continued unranked from Braeburn to Ken Lake. He had a new sled but at Ken Lake decided to get transportation to Carmacks. „It is just too hard”, he told me then. We had a very hard packed trail this year and it turned out that for the xc-skiers this was actually rather difficult to handle. I am somehow glad we had no mountain bikers. They would have set record times for years to come and spread out the field big time.
Another athlete who had to quit was Andrew McLean. He was going so strong but as soon as he arrived in Braeburn it was obvious that he was in major pain. As it later turned out he sustained a Pseudo Jones fracture with a tendon pulling off a small portion of the 5th metatarsal. He is already on the way to recovery now and eager to come back in 2008.
In the meantime, the weather got colder and colder. From Braeburn followed another leg to a wilderness checkpoint. Not only did volunteer Diane and guide Thomas fall of the snowmobile on the 44 mile ride to Ken Lake. When they got there they had to discover that a bear had taken apart the cabin looking for something to eat. It took them quite a few hours to get the cabin repaired enough to be heated.
On the trail from Ken Lake to Carmacks Mark Allen had to scratch. He had done well but was not fast enough to make the cut-off time. “In the video you don’t see how difficult it is”, he told me after Gary had brought him to the Carmacks checkpoint. I have not seen Mark afterwards when he was still in Whitehorse after the race. However, I am told he is considering to try again next year.
The rest of the field was making good progress. Palle and Torben who had broken sleds were now moving well again with new sleds.
Enrico and Stefano at the 300 mile finish
The 300 mile race by then was almost decided. Stefano and his friend Enrico were moving like locomotives racing from one checkpoint to the next. They were not really keen on sleeping under the stars in these temperatures. Maybe this had something to do with their nationality. Being from Italy they must be used to resting in warmer conditions. They kept their clear lead right until Pelly Crossing and reached the finish in a new record time of 126:05!
Fellow 300 mile athletes David and Frank in the meantime had their own little adventures. Frank, personal trainer from Vancouver, was accompanied 38 miles by a dog. At first he thought it may be a small bear but then he realized it was not. From Carmacks right until McCabe the dog did not leave him alone anymore. “It stopped when I stopped. When I looked to the south it kept his eyes to the north. I even gave it some of my food”, explained Frank afterwards. Peter Gerasch our checkpoint host in Carmacks was very nervous when he realised one of his dogs was missing. Had the animal turned around half way it could have been a welcome change for the diet of a wolf pack. Fortunaltely, that did not happen and Peter was able to collect his dog at McCabe. Although it very much would have enjoyed to stay a bit longer.
David in turn ran into problems due to exhaustion on his run from Pelly Crossing to Pelly Farm. When he came to Pelly Farm around midnight everyone was asleep. They expected him around 2 AM and had the alarm set accordingly. Polite man that he is he did not try to wake anybody up. “My heart knew I was in the right spot but my brain said I need to turn around”, David later explained. Well, David listened to his brain and went back 20 km and then turned around and went the 20 km back again only to return to Pelly Farm. So, he did another marathon in between. He still reached the finish well ahead of Frank at 164:44. Frank who had to scratch early into the race last year made it to Pelly Farm after 174:36. The Danes, Torben and Palle, reached Pelly Crossing, too. Even though the first 100 km were not easy for them they seemed to have enjoyed the experience.
Sean Brown at the 300 mile finish
Very remarkable and inspiring was Sean Brown’s performance. Twice before Sean had to scratch at Braeburn. Now in his third try he made it all the way to the 300 mile finish.
After an 8 hour mandatory stop the remaining 460 mile competitors were on their way to Dawson City. Andy Heading was in the lead. He needed 2 days to get to Scroggie Creek checkpoint. Tom and Joachim, Pearse and Klaus were in the back.
Behind the scenes we had started to take a close look at the weather forecasts. It did not look good. Since we knew that Germans Tom and Joachim and Pearse from Ireland and Klaus from Austria were travelling in teams of two, we were not worried about them. All of them also had considerable cold weather experience already. In case of an emergency they would stick together.
It got even colder. For the first time in the history of the race we had a forecast of – 40 and below for a period of more than 1 week. It meant that our safety procedures came into effect. Whilst the four in the back were struggling with the cold, Andy was held at Scroggie Creek. Our communication via satellite phones worked well and we were able to check on the athletes still on the trail twice. When we met them for the third time we decided to evacuate them. Pearse and Klaus were brought to Pelly Farm. Now you need to know that being in the back of a snow mobile in these temperatures is hell. Our crew drove very slowly but still Pearse and Klaus were not able to take off their jackets by themselves once they had made it to the farm.
Pearse had frostbite on his fingers because he spilt gasoline on them. Klaus had a leaking Camelbak in his sleeping bag. Something had frozen and only in the warm sleeping bag did it unthaw. “I could not have made it past Scroggie. Not this time.” told me relieved and smiling Klaus at Pelly Farm. Pearse we were only to get off the trail because the race was stopped. My crew told me that otherwise he would have insisted on going to Scroggie himself.
Tom was brought to Scroggie where he was later joined by Joachim. The next morning I drove from Dawson to Pelly Farm (on the road!). Due to a forecast of – 61 degrees and no improvement in sight we decided to evacuate the athletes by airplane. The same day Tom, Joachim and Andy were flown out thanks to a very professional pilot with great equipment from alpine Aviation and Mike’s and Pete’s great effort the transportation worked fine. For the participants the race was over. Safety first.
For Mike and Pete the adventure should last some more days. They were stuck at the checkpoint with only one functioning snow mobile and all the gear. Jessica, Mike’s wife, was in touch with them via sat phone and we knew they had a warm place to stay and enough to eat. I was waiting at Pelly Farm where I enjoyed long conversations with Dale and many cups of coffee and tea.
Thermometer at Pelly Farm weather station
The temperatures did not want to warm up. On Friday I did not trust my eyes. The thermometer told – 51 degrees. At this temperature you can throw warm water in the air and it turns to ice fog. Well, we tested it and it is true.
The next day it was not much warmer. Uncle Hugh came in the house and said „I feel a heat wave coming. It has warmed up to – 48. Time to get my t-shirt out …“. Thus Mike’s and Pete’s departure was postponed twice. And I must say I was not unhappy because the plan was that I should meet them half way. I already saw the headlines “Stupid German race director frozen to snow mobile …”.
It was still – 45 when I eventually did go the next day. Dale helped me by putting a cover on the ski doo (in order for it not to take too much cold air in) and by giving me his warmest boots. Thank you Dave! With my mountaineering boots I would likely run around with a few less toes now.
I eventually did meet Mike and Pete on the trail. They just had had a coffee break and were in great spirits. “Finally back home”. The way back was not pleasant as it got colder again. My glasses and the helmet kept freezing. However, we made it and at 8 PM the Farm was in sight. Race definitely over. Everyone safe.
To sum it up: Thanks to a great team and the right measures this YAU once again was as safe as can be in these kind of circumstances. The athletes were awesome and I really enjoyed the adventure. According to the feedback the participants enjoyed it, too.
Now it’s getting ready for the next Yukon Arctic Ultra!
February 26th, 2007 - Race Director Update
06:05 (local time) All athletes and staff are save
Already since a couple of days our 460 mile athletes are back in Whitehorse. However, Mike and Pete were stuck at our checkpoint due to the extremely cold temperatures. I waited in Pelly Farm in order to be able to help them the day they would attempt to make it out. This took a while and all that time I did not have internet access. That is why you have not heard from me any earlier.
Yesterday night we came back to Whitehorse. Like all the athletes Mike and Pete are fine. Now I am flying back to Germany. As soon as I am back I will write my little report on how things went. There are quite a few stories to be told ...
February 21st, 2007 - Race Director Update
20:15 (local time) Andy Heading wins a shortened 460 mile race
With temperatures expected to go down to - 61 tomorrow and "warmer" temperatures only arriving by Sunday it was decided to stop the race. We also took into consideration the progress Tom, Pearse, Klaus and Joachim have made in the last 24 hours. They managed to do roughly 17 miles in that period of time.
Before making the decision I talked to trail expert and Canadian Ranger John Mitchell and local pilot Dan Reynolds. For John Mitchell the glaciers on the trail were the main problem for evacuations north of Scroggie. That and the considerable elevation. Dan told me that in these kind of temperatures small planes only take off in life or death situations. We knew this before but I wanted it confirmed. So, considering all input and circumstances I would say it was the right decision.
This makes Andy Heading from England the winner of a race course that now measured 337 miles. It is very likely that Andy would have made it to the finish line in Dawson City in one piece and in time. However, I am also sure that he understands and accepts why race officials had to hold him at the checkpoint. And he already went into this last leg knowing this might happen as I personally informed him about our safety procedures for prolonged and extremely cold temperatures.
Klaus and Pearse were brought to Pelly Farm and I am told they are slowly warming up and happy. Tom was evacuated to our new checkpoint 6 km north of Scroggie. Joachim is the only one who still might be on the trail. However, it was Mike's plan to make sure he gets to the checkpoint safely, either on his own feet or on the back of a snow machine.
12:55 (local time) Still no athlete beyond Scroggie Creek
Whilst yesterday Mike from our checkpoint crew at Scroggie had agreed with Andy that he may leave the CP at 8:00 AM this morning things had changed after another very cold night. I do not have any details as we don’t have time for long conversations on our sat phones. However, it is confirmed that Andy stays another 24 hours at the checkpoint. I am assuming that the main issue for Mike is potential problems with the snow machines. They have to get up every 2 hours during the night to start the machines. Otherwise, they would freeze and not work anymore. Also, they are running out of wood as it takes a lot of wood to heat a cabin in these temperatures.
Pearse, Klaus, Tom and Joachim have not reached Scroggie Creek, yet. Mike is leaving within this hour to meet Dave further south on the trail. Then he will also run into these athletes. When Mike and Dave meet they will exchange news and Mike will also receive a new sat phone, more gasoline, anti-freeze and additional food. So, whenever Dave arrives back at Pelly Farm I will have news again on how things are going.
In any case we will move away 6 kilometres further north with our CP as there is another cabin with more space. That is where hopefully Mike, Pete and the athletes will then spend the night. The problem is that temperatures will be falling to a low of – 46 again tomorrow. We are now working on two or possibly three scenarios for the next few days.
Scenario 1 is to evacuate everybody out of the new checkpoint as that is still fairly accessible. This would be the case if Mike and Pete, the staff at Pelly Farm and myself get to the conclusion that it is safer to handle things that way.
Scenario 2 is to make camps in between the new CP and King Salomon Dome (approx. 75 miles north of the new CP). Mike and Pete could drive ahead of the athletes, set up a camp and that way be close to the athletes and making progress towards a place where we have easier access again for evacuation. However, this scenario is not evaluated, yet. It will be Mike’s and Pete’s decision if this is safe and doable.
There is also a scenario 3 where we let the athletes continue as a group. This Mike can discuss with them tonight and then decide.
Again, so far it seems that the athletes are fine (as of yesterday afternoon). It is more a decision of having the possibility to help in case an emergency does come up and not endangering the lives of athletes, staff and volunteers.
I will keep you posted.
February 20th, 2007 - Race Director Update
New pictures online
You will find new pictures in the gallery of Joachim Rintsch and Tom Wolter-Roessler. Also, I added the files Day 8 and Day 9 with some photos.
Temperatures will drop down to - 48 degrees Celsius tonight
Tonight temperatures will drop down to a YAU record low of - 48 degrees Celsius. Andy is still at Scroggie. Klaus and Pearse are 30 miles out. Tom and Joachim are 32 miles away from this checkpoint.
The group of four approaching Scroggie was checked upon by Diane and Dave at 16:15. They all were doing fine considering the circumstances. Tom and Pearse did have extremely cold fingers but Diane checked it and it does not prevent them from lighting a stove or making a fire. So, they were allowed to continue.
Apart from the safety of the athletes we now also have to take into consideration the safety of the trail crew and the need for functioning equipment. While our trail crew always have what is necessary to survive, I do not want to test this unless an athlete's life is at risk. We will discuss our options and come to a conclusion by 8:30 AM (local time) tomorrow.
Race Centre now in at the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City
Yesterday evening I reached Dawson City together with volunteers Sarah (who ran the 100 mile race), Marianne (Andy Heading's sister) and Eric Kocher (EMT from Atlanta, Giorgia). It is not an easy job these guys have as more than 90% of their time they have to spend waiting. However, I think they are enjoying it anyway. It is an interesting way to get to know this part of Canada and the people who live here.
For the next few days our race centre will be at the famous Downtown Hotel. From here I will take over writing reports on the race progress again. Jessica has done a great job on keeping the results table updated and also written updates for this section of the website. We have been getting plenty of positive feedback as in past years we have not always been able to update so frequently. Thank you Jessica!
Andy Heading reached Scroggie Creek
Andy Heading is currently in Scroggie Creek and will stay there for another 24 hours. He would have liked to continue but was held by our checkpoint team for safety reasons.
The last two nights temperatures went down to - 40 degrees. Now we are expecting - 45 degrees. This means our safety procedures come into effect. The main issue at the moment are our snowmachines. Both Scroggie Creek and our team at Pelly Farms are experiencing difficulties with the machines. Two of Bearcats we are getting exchanged today.
Andy reached Scroggie with frostbite and with temperatures decreasing even further and snow machines not starting the crew at Scroggie recommended Andy to stay and recover really well. They may also make him travel with other athletes as these come in. This will not affect the rankings as Andy will receive time credit for the unplanned stay.
Pearse, Klaus, Tom and Joachim are checked upon as I am writing this. I should have another update later tonight (local time).
Meanwhile the Yukon Quest is facing the same challenges. Where they are it got even colder, i.e. down to - 57 degrees Celsius. In these kind of temperatures racing becomes really difficult. Many teams have scratched and others slowed down. Having said that, the first musher is expected to reach the finish in Fairbanks any minute now.
For information on how the Yukon Quest is doing and how the cold influences their race please check www.yukonquest.com.
Race Updates by Jessica Simon
YAU volunteer and professional writer Jessica Simon is back from Dog Grave Lake in her warm Whitehorse home. There she now functions as our race centre where all the calls from the checkpoints come in. From now on Jessica will also write updates on the racer's progress.
I may have news for you every now and then, too. These you will then find below (with the respective date as a heading).
A little story in between - Wildlife Encounters
In the lonely hours on the trail one expects to see unusual things, but not after a healthy rest like the one Frank Janssens had at Carmacks. Still, when Frank saw the glint of eyes under dark rounded ears he stopped dead in his tracks. It’s a bear, he thought, and took a closer look. Odd time of year to see a bear, though; don’t they hibernate? Odd behaviour too, he noticed, as it lollopped ahead. It seemed pretty small, in his estimate, and not much interested in him, so he kept going.
Meanwhile, Carmacks checkpoint host Peter Gerasch rose early to feed his thirteen dogs. Hey, wait a minute – there’s only twelve. Where’s Bobby? If the dogs roam the wolves will get them. Racers, checkers and volunteers scoured the grounds for the lost dog. The trail crew spread out, but before they found the lumbering black Newfoundland-cross, they caught up to Frank. That’s no bear, Frank, they told him. It’s Peter’s dog and he wants it back. Where’d it go?
To McCabe. When the errant hound showed up at the workshop opened to the Quest and Ultra racers, Mike Simon and Andy Heading’s sister, Marianne, called Carmacks. Does Peter know his dog is here? Peter was over in a flash. The checkers had kept the dog near by. Now it was time to get him in the truck. But, Bobby was having none of that; he was an ultra athlete now. He dodged and ducked for a good ten minutes before a running tackle ended his sport career. The former champion is spending his retirement in the dog house.
Race Update, Feb. 19th
It’s minus 34° C at Pelly Farms, but intrepid adventurers Joachim Rintsch and Tom Wolter-Roessler hit the trail at 10:15. Pearse Allen and Klaus Schweinberger followed half and hour later. 65 miles away, bush camp hospitality awaits them at Scroggie Creek. In between the only human contact they can expect are sporadic visits by our snowmobile crew Gary Rusnak, Mike Simon, Dave Milne and Pete Nielson on the trail to maintain safety.
Mike’s initial trail report has smooth running for the first 40 miles, but after that is a string of glaciers with steep grade. The Quest has clearly marked each location with crossed stakes, and although no single ice field is over one kilometer, several are hundreds of meters wide and pose a serious hazard.
While the intrepid adventurers carry on northbound, all the 300 mile competitors are off the trail. Denmark’s Palle Andersen and Torben Birch could put their feet up at 08:25. At 11:00 a.m. a tired but determined Sean Brown earned the red lantern. After being defeated by the trail in 2005 and 2006, and overcoming injury this year, a special congratulation to him and respect to all the finishers of this year’s Yukon Arctic Ultra 300.
Race Update, Feb. 18th
At 8:30 this morning Andy Heading took the Ultra’s first steps into the unknown, the trail to Scroggie Creek. Physically, he’s in great shape and good spirits. Only his gear is giving him grief. He repaired a sled blow out on the fly by cutting off the back end of his toboggan so accumulated snow could slough off. And, a stay that broke out of McCabe was replaced in Pelly with parts scrounged up by race officials. Now, refreshed and refurbished, “he’s looking fine and making good time,” said trail crew Mike Simon and Pete Nielson who caught up to Andy 27 miles north of Pelly Farm. To ensure athletes can finish under their own steam, trail crews are hauling spare pulk parts.
Joachim Rintsch and Tom Wolter-Roessler got to Pelly Farms at 13:28. Klaus Schweinberger and Pearse Allen caught up to them at 21:20. They have eight hours to prepare for the northern challenge. Joachim and Tom plan to be on the trail at 2 a.m.
Heading into the home stretch are 300-milers Sean Brown, Torben Birch and Palle Andersen. The Danes left Pelly Crossing at 12:30 this morning, but had a false start when they couldn’t find the trail out of town. Reoriented from the checkpoint, at 01:55 they went downstream on the final 60 miles of trail. Half an hour later Sean followed them along the Pelly River. It’s down to the wire for all three contestants as the eight day deadline looms. They have until 10:30 Monday for the last leg to Pelly Farms and back to the finish in Pelly Crossing.
Basking in the glow of a well-run race is David Berridge, the third 300-mile finisher. He crossed the line at 08:14. Frank Janssens, who left Pelly Farms at 07:19, got in at 17:06. Both are spending tonight in soft beds at a Whitehorse hotel with central heating and hot and cold running water. Nothing like a week in the bush to heighten one’s appreciation of modern conveniences.
Race Update, Feb. 17th
Weather: It’s snowing to beat the band in Whitehorse, and hot as blazes in Pelly Crossing. Joachim Rintsch and Tom Wolter-Roessler hiked out of McCabe to sunbathe on the trail today and arrived at 17:25.
Klaus Schweinberger and Pearse Allen followed after an eight hour break at McCabe at 06:40, “and are moving along very fast,” Robert Pollhammer said. When they, along with Sean Brown, who left the riverside farmhouse at 07:37, get to the Selkirk First Nation Community Centre, they’ll be greeted by the Danes, Torben Birch and Palle Andersen, who arrived together on strong legs at 18:33. Sean, unfortunately, has shin splints, but his day-old taping has seen him through the roughest section of the 300 mile course. This is his third comeback to the Yukon, and all are cheering his push to the end.
Thirty miles away Andy Heading and Frank Janssens have their feet up at Pelly Farms. Since yesterday they’ve been traveling together and left Pelly Crossing at 07:25. They reached the oldest farm in the Yukon at 17:15. Andy’s mandatory eight hour lay over will have him out before dawn, when he and Frank part company - Andy to break trail into the goldfields and Frank on the final leg of his 300 mile finish.
Frank will dog David Berridge, the third 300 finisher who left Pelly Farms at 13:48 after a two hour break. David enjoys walking so much, he tiptoed into and out of the checkpoint and headed a mile or two up the Farm Road before turning around to make sure they really knew he’d been there. David should cross the finish line tomorrow in time for dinner.
Race Update, Feb. 16th
Team Terraz wins 300
From lunchtime yesterday to teatime today, the Italian team of Stefano Miglietti and Enrico Ghidoni blasted over sixty miles of Yukon wilderness to take first place in the 2007 300 mile Yukon Arctic Ultra. In 126 hours “We never stopped between the checkpoints,” said Stefano, “not to eat or to sleep.” They also ran, rather than walked, the initial marathon, giving themselves a leg up on their planned times.
Miglietti, an electronic parts supplier, and Ghidoni, a conservation officer, kept up a steady four kilometers miles per hour. Their pace broke Stefano’s rookie time of 146 hours in 2005 and last year’s record of 129 hours held by Andrew Matulionis.
Next is David Berridge who came into Pelly Crossing at 11:08 and struck out at 13:46. Blister-free and limber as one can be after a week on their feet, sleep deprivation has caught up to him. He wanted his wife and family to know, though, that otherwise “I’m feeling fine and really enjoying myself.” Four hours later, Frank Janssens came into the checkpoint, followed by 460 leader Andy Heading at 18:05.
Farther back, Dawson-bound Joachim Rintsch and Tom Wolter-Roessler were all smiles when friends and racers greeted them at McCabe Creek at 18:25. Several miles back are Klaus Schweinberger and Pearse Allen.
Palle Andersen and Torben Birch shaved some of their rest time today to maintain a qualifying pace and arrived at McCabe Creek at 22:43. Overnighting on the trail behind them is Sean Brown. Although he left Carmacks with the Danes today at 06:25, he’s struggling with his Ken Lake shin splints.
Withdrawing from the race is Mark Allen who had yet to reach the Carmacks checkpoint by the 04:30 cut off time this morning. While the trail may have defeated him this year, he’ll be back for another attempt.
Race Update by Jessica Simon, Feb. 15th
So where is everyone? The Italians Stefano Miglietti and Enrico Ghidoni are way out in front. They arrived in Carmacks at 0:50 on the 14th, left at 06:30 and arrived in McCabe Creek at 18:38. After a seven hour lay over they hit the trail at 2 a.m. and arrived in Pelly Crossing this morning at 11:09. With their pace of roughly four kilometers per hour, they’ll break all records, including Stefano’s own.
England’s David Berridge and Vancouver’s Frank Janssens are next. David left Carmacks on the 15th at 23:01 and Frank pulled out at 05:10 this morning.
The rest of the field passed into the Black Hole of Communication at Ken Lake last night, except for Marc Allen who arrived at 2 p.m. today with some foot problems. He’s in Gary Rusnak’s capable hands now and on the way to Carmacks.
By noon, the Danes Torben Birch and Palle Andersen were within 30 kilometers of Carmacks, followed by Sean Brown. Sean developed shin splints on the Ken Lake trail, but with Diane Patrick’s taping skills he’s underway again.
Of the 460’s Andy Heading holds the lead. He arrived in Carmacks at 23:28 on Valentine’s Day and left at 6:31 this morning. Only his sled is a little worse for wear, with one stay missing and a snow-scooping hole burnt through the bottom.
A trailside report from Gary placed Tom Wolter-Roessler, Klaus Schweinberger and Pearse Allen within striking distance of Carmacks, and although little has been heard from Joachim Rintsch, he can expect a warm welcome from 100-milers Heike Pawzik in Carmacks, Sarah Hreczkun in McCabe and Thomas Wiget in Dawson.
February 16th, 2007
Results file crashed
When we tried to update the results last night, the file somehow crashed. We will see to get it up and running again. For now you will find the current in or out times here:
300 Miles
301 David Berridge into Pelly Crossing 16th, 11:09 304 Sean Brown out of Carmacks 16th, 6:20 305 Torben Birch out of Carmacks 16th, 6:20 306 Palle Andersen out of Carmacks 16th, 6:20 308 Stefano Miglietti out of Pelly Crossing 15th, 14:11 309 Enrico Ghidoni out of Pelly Crossing 15th, 14:14 311 Frank Janssens out of McCabe 16th, 07:15
312 Marc Allen scratched and is currently resting in Carmacks. He is fine just very tired.
460 Miles
404 Joachim Rintsch out of Carmacks 15th, 21:35 405 Tom Wolter-Roessler out of Carmacks 15th, 21:35 406 Klaus Schweinberger out of Carmacks 16th, 7:25 407 Andy Heading out of McCabe 16th, 07:23 408 Pearse Allen out of Carmacks 16th, 7:25
February 14th, 2007
18:50 local time
David Berridge came into Carmacks CP at 16:58. He is doing fine. "I must apologize to you", David said when he came in. "I have said some nasty things to you on the way here. It was a tough one ..." he added - now with a smile on his face.
Just as I was heading to the Carmacks Recreation Centre to make updates I saw Frank Janssens come off the river. He seemed tired but okay. By now he will be resting at the checkpoint.
Many new photographs online
There are now many new photographs in our gallery. The galleries have the names of the people who took the pictures. The ones that are called Day 1, Day 2 etc. were taken by myself or volunteers, too.
Videos of the race
EMT and volunteer member of the YAU medical team, Eric Kocher, has now also become our chief filming officer ;-). Eric Kocher made a few more videos. So, thanks to him you can now also get some impressions by moving pictures. And a friend of Eric's has written something which I find makes up for a nice quote:
"As a runner and a psychologist, I must say these people need more than your medical attention. What kind of person (this is a rhetorical question) runs 460 miles over two weeks (that's 33 miles per day) in the snow with temperatures (according to the website) averaging around 20 below zero? And if you look under the race rules on the website, you'll see they are required to carry half a household on their backs the whole way ...".
By the way, once again all our volunteers and snowmobile guides are doing an awesome job. Thank you guys!
Video before the start (short interview with Christine Lundvall - 100 miles):
Video of the start:
10:35 local time
The Italian locomotives are spreading out the field
At some point I thought that Andrew McLean would make us all work hard to keep catching up to him. Unfortunately, the Canadian ultra runner had to withdraw and is now back home again. We still have to work hard, though. It seems that Stefano and Enrico currently are trying break some records. The two reached Carmacks at 00:50 last night. I was there when they got off the river. Stefano is fine. Just Enrico has got problems with his right left knee. I offered to send a member of our medical team to the next checkpoint. He just said “No problem. Only needs ice”. Well, if there is one thing we have plenty of here, it is ice …
We expect Stefano and Enrico in McCabe by roughly 6:00 PM.
Further back, all athletes have now left Braeburn. Paul Byard was the last athlete to finish the 100 mile distance. He was exhausted but very happy and ready to have a beer with his son Andy and friend Andy Carr. Sarah from Germany came in before on the 13th at 10:02 to place 5th. Patricia Clune and her friend Christine Lundvall placed 6th coming in at 13:30. They were in a good mood and happy to see friends and family at Braeburn Lodge.
Everybody who is still in the race is fine as far as I know at the moment. Again it was a very cold night with temperatures down to – 30 degrees Celsius. For the first time there were great Northern Lights.
Torben who was slowed down before Dog Grave Lake because of a broken sled has been motoring yesterday. “He is going like crazy”, Murray and Gary told me. That way he was able to catch up to his friend Palle. The two Danish competitors left Braeburn in the very early morning hours together.
Frank Janssens from Vancouver is after our locomotives but is quite a bit behind. I have a non-confirmed out time from Ken Lake for him which is 6:00 AM. The sat phone connection was very bad. So, I can’t be sure. In any case we are waiting for him in Carmacks. David Berridge has left Ken Lake together with Frank.
Sean Brown is still in the race, too. It was great to see him come into Braeburn looking so good. For those who don’t know, Sean is back for the third time to try and finish the 300 miles. I have great respect for such determination and hope he will go all the way.
Last in the 300 mile race to leave the 100 mile checkpoint was Marc Allen. “Last year’s race video does not show how hard it is”, was one of his comments before he left.
Mark Melville-Taylor had to scratch due to what seemed to be a flue. It was his second try at the distance to Pelly Crossing and we hope to see him back.
The remaining 460 milers are doing what they should do. They take their time. Andy Heading is currently in the lead by about 6 hours. However, there is still such a long distance to go that it is difficult to say what will happen.
February 13th, 2007
07:49 local time
Shelley Gellatly wins the 100 mile race
Reporting about the difficulties people are having on the trail I almost forgot to announce that Shelley Gellatly from Whitehorse won the 100 mile race. Shelley was heavily involved in the organisation of this race. Since she has been busy at work and there was not much time for training it is great to see her doing so well. "If a snowmobile would have passed me on the last bit I would have scratched", she admitted to me. Shelley hurt her knee and since she already finished the 100 and 300 mile race in past years she said "I did not have anything to proof and I did not want to hurt my knee badly". Well, there was no snowmachine and she just kept on going.
Jacob Nielsen from Denmark came in on the 12th at 21:55 to place 2nd in the 100 mile race. I have not seen him yet as he went back to Whithorse right afterwards but I am sure he is happy about this improvement. In 2006 he placed further back in the field. This time he had great timing and it seemed to have gone well for him.
Thomas Wiget from Switzerland came 3rd on Feb. 12th at 23:20 and Heike Pawzik ranked 4th coming in this morning at 05:40.
Frank Janssens and David Berridge, both in the 300 mile race, headed out to Ken Lake not far apart from each other.
Unfortunately, it is now confirmed that Andrew McLean has got a stress fracture of one of his metatarsals. He has had the same problem in his other foot and his self-diagnosis was right. The Canadian is back in Whitehorse since last night. Greg Lindsey had to scratch because of an injury that he got treatment for already before the race. Very often at the YAU this is what happens. Old injuries come back or injuries that athletes got treated for in the weeks before the race get worse.
P.S. It has warmed up to -22 degrees Celsius ...
February 12th, 2007
The cold takes its toll
It is amazing how after 4 years of Yukon Arctic Ultra there are still things happening that come as a surprise. Last night a very large number of athletes seem to have experienced problems with their sleds. At this point it is difficult to know if there is one single reason for it. I guess that it is a combination of heavy loads, the cold and gravel on roads that athletes may have used. It is probably the worst thing that can happen – to still be in good shape but to have to scratch anyway. One of the unlucky ones is Ian Archer. After leaving Takhini he went about 8 km and then had to stop because of a broken sled. I have not talked to him, yet. I am told that he did not want a replacement sled. Since he would have been such a long distance behind the other he preferred to stop.
Another athlete who scratched is Jim Groark. He had problems with one of his wrists. Then his sled broke and he decided "that’s it". Jim will join us later and help out with the race as a volunteer. Sam Taylor's sled broke before Dog Grave Lake, too. He decided to quit but as I write these lines he continues unranked from Braeburn to Ken Lake.
Gary our head snowmobile guides told me that Palle Andersen and Torben Birch had broken sleds, too. Palle made it to Dog Grave Lake. Torben is resting 5 miles before Dog Grave and Murray should have checked on him by now. Replacement sleds have been sent to both of them.
It was – 30 degrees Celsius on parts of the trail last night. Together with the long distance and the many hills this gave the athletes a really hard time. Right now it is - 30 again and I expect it to drop to - 35 over the next few hours. It will be a night the athletes will never forget.
Many have left Dog Grave by now and the reports are that they are all doing fine so far.
Stefano and Enrico are trying hard to make us "run for our money". They left for Ken Lake and we expect them there tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM. Mike will head out on snowmobile later to catch up with them.
Andrew McLean slowed down his pace today. Unfortunately, it looks like he may have a stress fracture. At the moment he is in hospital in Whitehorse to get an x-ray. We will see if he can continue.
February 12th, 2007
02:12 local time
Gallery for day 1 online
Af first gallery for day 1 is now online. More pictures will follow.
Brett Cavanagh scratches
It was not an easy decision for Brett. He had to scratch at Takhine at about 24:00 because of knee problems. Often athletes continue with pain and use drugs to cope. Brett was smart enough not to do so as this can cause serious and long-term damage.
We brought him back to Whitehorse and he is fine.
All other athletes have left Takhini before midnight.
February 11th, 2007
22:30 local time
All athletes have arrived at Takhini Hotsprings and a lot are already on their way again. Last to make it into the checkpoint was Brett Cavanagh. He was tired but seemed fine when I saw him inside getting his meal and something hot to drink.
Greg Lindsey and some other athletes have blisters. Nothing major, though. Everybody is in good spirits. Some used the 4 hour stop to sleep. Others just waited by the fire and used the opportunity to talk to other participants.
Nancy Thomson was experiencing difficulties during the marathon. It got so bad for her that she did have to stop. Many of the marathon athletes took the opportunity and went to test the hot springs. It seems they enjoyed it. “A great way to finish this race”, Jennifer Platz said.
For those who continue to Dog Grave it will be a long night. Every year some participants stuggle to make it to that checkpoint. It is very hilly and goes on and on.
19:00 local time
We have our first finisher! After winning the marathon in 2005 Richard Malz-Heyne was back this year to see if he could win it again. And win it he did. Local runner Keith Thaxter was about 100 m behind him at Takhini Bridge. Both gave their best and pushed hard for the second part of the race. In the end Richard was 5 minutes in front of Keith. “I ran this one for Ralph Martin”, Richard said at the finish line. “Ralph was the one who got my love for the Yukon started years ago. He helped me with advice and told me what gear I need. Last year he passed away because of cancer”, Richard explained.
Keith tried hard to catch Richard. It was his 4th marathon in 6 weeks and he was keen to win this one. He did not quite manage but still enjoyed the great experience.
In third position for the marathon and 9 minutes behind Keith came Claude Chabot. Claude did the distance on xc-ski and for the first part conditions were good for him. Coming off the Takhini he like all others had to suffer. From there athletes had to go uphill and the trail was a lot softer.
The overall marathon results:
1. Richard Malz-Heyne, Foot (Germany) 4:32 2. Keith Thaxter, Foot (Canada) 4:37 3. Claude Chabot, XC-Ski (Canada) 4:46 4. Kyla Ramirez-Pedersen (Canada) 5 :15 5. Joanne van Bibber (Canada) 5 :18 6. Jennifer Platz (Canada) 5 :35 7. Sue Mackinnon-Dunn (Canada) 6 :49 8. Tunde Fulop (Canada) 7 :45 8. Sylvia Anderson (Canada) 7 :45 10. Laina Rushant (Canada) 8 :03 10. Danielle Daffe (Canada) 8 :03 12. Elizabeth McIlroy 8 :15 DNF Nancy Thomson
Stefano and Enrico came flying into Takhini Hotsprings at 15:34. However, they worked so hard that they also sweated a lot. Since athletes are not allowed to dry gear or stay inside at this checkpoint, they had a bit of a hard time. They did manage, though. A little wood fire helped them dry stuff at least a little bit. They left again at 19:34. Next in the 300 mile race was Frank Janssens at 16:48. He looked strong and confident. Number 3 in the 300 miles and into Takhini was David Berridge at 17:33. “Robert, you have a lot to answer for”, he said. “I thought this road would never end … “ he added.
After our Italian team Shelley Gellatly reached the checkpoint. She was in good spirits but like so many others she would have loved to keep on going. “I hate to get cold”, she said with a smile on her face. I always feel bad making people stay outside at this point in time. However, it is part of our safety plan and many athletes have already learned an important lesson here. Unfortunately for the more experienced athletes they have to stay, too. Shelley slept a bit an is now on her way again to see if she can be faster than she was when she finished the 100 miles in 2003.
Jacob Nielsen from Denmark came in 7 minutes after Shelley. Almost 1 hour later Thomas Wiget from Switzerland came and 7 minutes after him Sarah Hreczkun from Germany arrived. “It’s great she said and joined her friend and fellow athlete Joachim to get their hot meal.
The Canadian Andrew McLean was the first athlete in the 460 miler to get to Takhini. He arrived as early as 15:51 and not one drop of sweat on him. He stayed less than 40 minutes later to make the most of the daylight. “I want to go 36 hours straight and then get some rest”, he said. As far as I could tell he was not joking. Now I am thinking what this means for my timing …. I think he wants to pay me back and make me get up really early tomorrow morning. Otherwise he will get to Braeburn and nobody is there.
Next in was Andy Heading from England at 17:55 and only 1 minute later Tom Wolter-Roessler followed. Andrew already left again at 16:28 and Andy joined him at 18:24.
Less than 4 hours to the start!
All athletes are here, healty and in good spirits. Of course some are also very nervous but that is to be expected.
The training course on Feb. 9th was quite an eyeopener. It got down to -18 degrees Celsius and for the first time some of the athletes had to realize what this means. They tested gear, had to light their stoves and demonstrate they can make a wood fire.
For pictures of the training course check out our gallery.
Yesterday we then had the de-brief of the training course, the trail briefing and from 5 PM our pre-race banquet. So, there was plenty of information for everyone and opportunities for questions and answers. Due to an early dinner all athlete who still had ot prepare gear had plenty of time afterwards.
Yukon Quest start
One big event already did start yesterday. At 11 AM the Yukon Quest, the world's toughest sled dog race took off. The mushers and their huskys left in front of the White Pass building to head out onto the trails.
YAU volunteer Eric Kocher from Georgia made a little video which you will find here:
February 8th, 2007
Revised distances for YAU 2007
Due to new GPS data and an effort by our volunteer Dave Milne from Whitehorse we were able to revise the distances for this years Yukon Arctic Ultra. Dave has helped at every Yukon Arctic Ultra and he knows how to use and work with GPS data. With new data he sat down this week and had a close look at some of the distances.
Especially for the 460 mile distance there is quite a significant change. It is now more a distance of 430 miles. I just told some of the athletes about this fact and I must say they were not sad ...
For all the distances please check out the Race Info section (table at the bottom).
Introducing our new checkpoint in Carmacks
For the last 4 years have have used the Recreation Centre in Carmacks as our checkpoint. However, this year the place was so busy with other events that we decided to look for an alternative. And we have found a new checkpoint which may afterwards not want to move away from anymore.
We will be staying on the property of Anna and Peter Gerasch. These two have come a long time ago from Germany and have built up Canadian Wilderness Travel Ltd. one of Yukon's best Wilderness Adventure companies.
No matter what kind of Yukon travel adventure you have in mind, Anna and Peter have the right programme. To find out more about what they offer please visit www.canwild.com.
When they heard that we were looking for a new checkpoint Anna and Peter right away decided that they would like to host us. So, we and our athletes will receive a warm welcome and yet another very special YAU checkpoint.
View when entering the property
New YAU representative for USA
After working two years with Jay and Lisa Smith-Batchen the YAU will have a new representative for the USA as of today. I want to thank Lisa and Jay for their effort and wish them good luck with all their other races.
Our new rep is Andrew Matulionis, a true winter ultra legend. I hope he does not mind me calling him that as he is not that old, yet. However, it seems that Andrew is made for winter ultras. He won the inaugural YAU 100 mile race in 2003 and came back to set the new foot record for the YAU 300 mile race in 2006.
Stuart Gillet, Andrew Matulionis and Bruce Thompson (from left to right) after the YAU 2006
He is not only running winter ultras, though. Andrew also runs ultras in the summer and has participated in some of the world's toughest Expedition Adventure Races. It makes him the perfect contact for athletes interested in facing the challenge of the YAU. To find out more about Andrew please go to our About Us section.
February 7th, 2007
Introducing our finish line in Dawson City
We could not have found a better place. The athletes who finish in Dawson City will do so at the Downtown Hotel. This historical building makes a great background for a finish line.
The Downtown Hotel is not only a great place to stay. It is also the home of the world famous Sourtoe Cocktail and you bet that our finishers will experience this local specialty before we all head back home.
Trail and Weather Update
Members of the YAU organising team have gone all the way to Ken Lake last weekend. Their trail reports are very promising. It looks like the Quest Trail is in the best shape it has been since quite some years! The Quest office in Whitehorse confirms this. Plenty of snow and a well packed trail.
The weather forecast for the start day looks good, too. 60% chance of flurries, a low of - 16 degrees Celsius and a high of -12 degrees.
February 5th, 2007
Trail Update
I made it to the Yukon and since I am starting to be overweight I decided to go check out the trail. It was quite cloudy yesterday and it actually snowed with temperatures around – 10 degrees Celsius. Whilst snow as such is good news I quickly found out that for the trail it can also cause problems.
I met Quest Musher William Kleedehn near the start line and he told me they had put the trail in near Whitehorse with three snowmobiles a couple of days before. And it is good they did that because the new snow is like powder and about 30 cm deep wherever no snow machine has been. Even where the snow machines had done trail work the snow was still somewhat soft and it continued to snow almost all day.
Yukon Quest Trail near Whitehorse - Copyright Yukon Arctic Ultra
More ski-doos will go over that trail in the following days and as temperatures hopefully drop things should be fine. If temperatures don’t drop it will be a difficult first stage. Good conditions for the xc-skiers, though. I saw some xc-skiers and they were making great progress. They were moving in the classic style. No Skating.
As soon as I talk to Stephen Reynolds from the Quest office – which I will try to do today – I should have a better idea on trails outside of the Whitehorse area.
I am still overweight … maybe I should start training to run the YAU next year. I know quite a few people who would like to see me suffer ;-)
February 1st, 2007
Schedule for YAU 2007
Feb. 8th 17:00 - 18:00 Hand-out of rental gear, High Country Inn, Annex
Feb. 9th 13:30 - 16:00 Indoor part of the official YAU Training Course, High Country Inn, Annex 17:00 - 23:00 Outdoor part of the official YAU Training Course, trails near Whitehorse
Feb. 10th 08:00 - 09:00 De-brief of the official YAU Training Course, High Country Inn, Room B 09:00 - 10:30 Official Trail Briefing for all athletes, High Country Inn, Room B from 11:00 Start of the Yukon Quest 11:30 - 12:30 Gear check, High Country Inn, Library 12:00 - 16:00 Handing in and filling out missing paper work, High Country Inn, Library 17:00 - 22:00 Pre-Race Banquet, High Country Inn, Ballroom
January 31st, 2007
News updates during the race
Once again we will try to update you on the race progress as frequently as possible. This time I will have expert help with it, too. Jessica Simon who has been volunteering for the YAU since 2004 happens to be a professional writer. After she returns from the Dog Grave Lake Checkpoint you will be able to read her reports online.
During the first three days I will try to update you as often as possible. Later on in the race the frequency of reports and the level of detail will depend on how much information I can get through to Jessica. However, since we all call in to report the status to Jessica on a daily basis there should also be one report per day.
Another place where you can follow our progress is the results table which you find on the "Welcome" page bottom right. At the moment you will find the tables for past races. In time for the start you will find a new table for 2007.
Pictures I will upload whenever I have access to internet myself. This may not be as frequent.
Email messages for athletes
If you want you can send athletes email messages during the race. Please note that emails prior to Feb. 11th will not be printed and forwarded. Prior to the race I encourage you to send your messages direct to the athletes. Most hotels have internet access and experience has shown that all participants frequently check their emails before the race.
Once the race is on please email info[at]thegreatoutdoors.de. I will distribute the emails as often as possible. However, please forgive me if not all emails make it to their destination.
January 30th, 2007
Medical Kit
As part of Race Rule #6 YAU athletes have to carry a personal first aid kit. After consulting with the medical team, the following medical kit is mandatory:
Blister dressings
Space blanket
Hot shots
Anti-nausea pills
Anti-diarrhoea pills
Vaseline or similar
Anti-bacterial agent (to stop or prevent infections)
Dressings for cuts
Apart from the above medical kit our medical team also recommends taking along sun glasses, duct tape and electrolyte mix.
It is important for athletes to know that there is plenty of vital gear not listed as mandatory gear, e.g. we leave it up to the participants to decide which clothes to wear and how much spare clothes to take along.
January 20th, 2007
Yukon Quest Raffle
Once again the Yukon Quest is putting on a raffle to raise money for the race. You can win
a 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 QuadCab 4x4 Diesel (see photograph below)
a 12 day Cruise Package with airfare for 2 + $1,000 Spending Money
a full-day Dogsledding Adventure Package for 4 people
Over $70,000 in prizes. Only 1,500 tickets printed. Tickets are $100. You can purchase tickets once you are in Whithorse at the Yukon Quest Office, Metro Chrysler, White Horse General Store and Duffy's.
Yukon Quest Start Banquet
The Yukon Quest 2007 Start Banquet is a great opportunity to meet mushers and plenty of locals. It's a great place for some trail talking. The banquet will take place in Whitehorse on Thursday, February 8th. For a $50 ticket you will get a full-course meal with entertainment, silent auction, "tails from the trail" and an evening full of Yukon Quest lore and excitement. The Banquet starts at 5 p.m. at the Yukon Convention Centre. Tickets are available from the Yukon Quest office or by calling +1 867 668-4711. Don't delay - tickets are almost gone.
Yukon Quest Merchandise
If you are interested in Yukon Quest Merchandise please check out www.yukonqueststore.com. These products are sold be the Whitehorse General Store which you will find on 205 Main Street, Whitehorse.
January 18th, 2007
The checkpoints of the YAU 2007
Over the last weeks Shelley has been very busy organising our non-remote checkpoints and making changes where necessary. I will now update you on the status.
CP 1 – Takhini Hotsprings
After 4 years of staying at Ingrid’s and Rolf’s SIR North Country Ranch we will have a different CP 1 this year. It was always great at the ranch and I would like to say thank you to Ingrid and Rolf for being such great hosts.
This time we will stay at the Takhini Hotsprings. The race course will stay the same until we take a turn off the Takhini River. The overall distance to the CP 1 will not be affected. However, the distance from CP 1 back to the trail may increase by a couple of kilometres.
There will still be a mandatory stop of 4 hours (except for the 460 mile athletes) and athletes will still eat and drink outside. The marathon participants have of course the possibility to get changed and eat inside and enjoy the hotsprings.
CP 2 – Dog Grave Lake
Business as usual at Dog Grave. Once again Jessica, Mike and Pete will prepare this remote checkpoint. And, yes, there really is a dog’s grave.
As was the case in 2006 again everyone will sleep outside. The only real change is concerning the food. We will provide you with a double serving of travellunch expedition food.
CP 3 – Braeburn
Andy Heading arriving at Braeburn, YAU 2005
At Braeburn we will have the same set-up as every year, too. You can sleep inside and eat a meal of your choice from the menu.
CP 4 – Ken Lake
Like Dog Grave Lake this CP is very remote. Again, everyone will sleep outside and it will be another checkpoint where we will serve travellunch expedition food.
CP 5 – Carmacks
The CP in Carmacks will be in a different place this year. We had to change it because there is too much happening at the recreation centre when we are there. We are using a property that is right close to the trail. There will be a wall tent for sleeping and the possibility to dry gear and clothing. No more internet I am afraid.
Peter, the owner of the property also told us that there are free roaming dogs around the house. However, they are used to tourists and don’t eat humans unless these are really tired and weak …
CP 6 – McCabe Creek
Outside view of McCabe Creek
Nothing will change at McCabe Creek. It is still the shop, the same place which the Yukon Quest uses for the mushers. It is very simple but warm – that is if we don’t forget to put wood into the furnace every now and then.
CP 7 – Pelly Crossing
In Pelly Crossing we will use the old recreation centre which is the place we used in 2005 for those of you who participated in that year’s YAU.
CP 8 – Pelly Farms
In Pelly Farms we may heat up the farm house that is in the back of the house where Sue, Dale and the kids are living. Thus the 460 mile athletes have more space to rest and it won’t get as crowded inside. However, this will also depend on how far spread out the field is at this point in time.
Finish 300 Miles – Pelly Crossing
Same as above.
As has always been the case we will try to go back to Whitehorse with full cars, i.e. if you finish and later on a couple more athletes will get to Pelly, we will wait. If you arrive in the late afternoon or in the evening we will also very likely wait until the next day before heading back to Yukon’s capital.
CP 9 – Scroggie Creek
Mike will set up and run this checkpoint with Pete. They will make it as comfortable as possible for you there.
Finish 460 Miles – Dawson City
We have a meeting room there where we can sleep. If any of you want to sleep in a hotel room you can of course do so at your cost. It is very difficult to be sure as to when everyone will arrive. At this point I am thinking that you all will be faster than what I planned for. Should this be the case we will decide together if we head towards Whitehorse earlier. However, it will be very busy there by then because of the Canada Winter Games. We will see. If you are slower, we will wait until the early morning hours of Feb. 25th and then drive back together.
All checkpoints have coffee, tea, hot chocolate and hot water to drink.
In order to do something for the environment we have decided not to buy styrofoam cups and plates and plastic spoons any more. Instead we ask you to bring your own. And you don’t need an extra plate. It is fine with us if you use the pot you have to heat water. You decide. So, apart from that, please bring your own cups and spoons.
Change to timing of Training Course and checking of gear on Feb 10th
Mark Allen who just signed up for the 300 miles (Welcome Mark!) made me aware of a timing issue. So far our schedule on Feb. 10th for the training course would have made it difficult for you to witness the start of this year’s Yukon Quest. That of course needs to be changed. For our timing on that day it means that will now have the following:
8:00 – 9:00 (it was 9:00 – 10:00) Reconvene at the High Country Inn to debrief and review the worst fears and whether all had been answered.
9:00 – 10:30 for all athletes (it was 10:00 - 11:30)
Review trail in details with maps
Protocol for checkpoints
Questions & Answers
The checking of mandatory gear will then be from 12:00 – 13:30
With this new timing you can go see the start of the Quest teams which commences at 11:00 AM.
January 4th, 2007
Race Roster Update
We now have three more athletes for the marathon! Providing snow conditions are good Danielle Daffe will try it on MTB. She would be the first one trying this distance on two wheels. Tunde Fulop will stick to running. She finished the 100 miles in 2004 and has helped as a volunteer many times. New to the YAU experience is Sylvia Anderson! All three atletes are from Whitehorse.
Welcome!
Ahtlete Sponsorship Presentation
I have created a sub-section called Athlete Sponsorship. Here athletes who are intersted in participating in the YAU 2008 will find a pdf-file with basic information and impressions from the race. I hope it will be helpful for all those of you who are looking for sponsors.
December 22nd, 2006
Race Roster Update
New on the 100 mile race roster is Heike Pawzik from Germany. Heike is an experienced athlete who has run an incredible 156 ultras and 67 marathons so far! The cold will be new to her, though.
Frank Janssens from Vancouver is back to have a go at the 300 miles. In 2006 he had to quit due to injury.
Pearse Allen is the latest addition to a great field of athletes. Pearse is from Dublin and already finished the 300 miles in 2005. Well, actually he had signed up for the 100 miles at the time. However, he enjoyed it so much that he decided to continue. Now he is back to take on the challenge of our 460 mile distance.
Welcome to you all to the YAU 2007!
Changes to the YAU training course
After talking to Shelley I have decided to make some changes to the YAU training course which takes place in Whitehorse Feb. 9th to 10th.
The most important changes are:
On Feb. 9th we will start after lunch (and not in the morning).
As part of the gear testing out on the trail we will also do the gear check (for participants of the training course only), i.e. no more gear check at Checkpoint 1.
On Feb. 10th from 10:00 to 11:30 there will be a detailed trail briefing for ALL athletes (also those who do not have to participate in the training course as such).
The cost of the training course will be reduced to CAN$ 90 / EUR 60.
All athletes who will participate in the training course and have not confirmed this with us should please do so within the next couple of weeks.
Change to mandatory gear for 460 miles
Due to quality problems of Globalstar we have decided to take sat phones off the mandatory gear list for the 460 miles. Coverage where we are is so bad that this means of communication is not reliable. That is what we were told by the store we usually rent from. And it was confirmed by other people as well.
We have not tested Iridum sat phones, yet. It may be an alternative. However, if I can't test it myself I do not want to make it mandatory gear. In any case, we still recommend taking a sat phone along for the ultimate YAU distance. It may not be reliable but could still help athletes getting in touch with us as quickly as possilbe in case of an emergency.
Gear Check
As written above, the gear check for participants of the training course will take place on Feb. 9th as part of the course. All other athletes will get their gear checked immediately after the trail briefing on Feb. 10th, i.e. from 11:30 to approx. 12:30. We will check the following:
Your stove and if you can light it
Means of lighting a fire
Sleeping system
Head torch
It is the athlete's responsibility to take along the gear presented to us and any other mandatory and/or necessary gear to the race. We reserve ourselves the right to make random checks any time. Missing mandatory gear will result in disqualification. The excuse that "you lost mandatory gear" does not count.
An interesting link
For all those of you who want to find out more about some of the communities we will pass through I found an interesting link. Check out www.yukoncommunities.yk.ca.
Visits to arcticultra.de
In 2006 arcticultra.de has had more than 80.000 visits! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!
November 15th, 2006
Race Roster Update
Since my last update the race roster has increased quite a bit. First of all I want to welcome all the marathon athletes, Richard Malz-Heyne, Sue Mackinnon-Dunn, Keith Thaxter, Tammy Reis and Cheryl Wishart!
New on the 100 mile race roster are local Claude Chabot who will xc-ski. That will be interesting to see! And there are Thomas Wiget from Switzerland and Sarah Hreczkun from Germany.
Stefano Miglietti is back in YAU action on the 300 mile race roster. He is joined by his Italian friend Enrico Ghidoni. Together they are Team TERRAZ. Simon Howell is back, too. And, yes, he will try to xc-ski it again! Are you sure you want to do that, Simon?. Last but not least, there is Greg Lindsey from Calgary who probably is used to some cold weather already.
Guess who is back to do the inaugural 460 mile race? Yes, they kept their promises. Klaus Schweinberger, Tom Wolter-Roessler and Joachim Rintsch (aka Fisse). They will all have a go at the ultimate YAU distance. I should also mention that Joachim is participating for the 4th time in a row! He already finished the 300 miles three times. For Klaus and Tom it will be their third YAU. Currently number 8 on the 460 mile race roster is Andy Heading. He already finished the 300 miles in 2005 coming second after Stefano.
To all of you good luck and fun for your training and preparations.
Organising team YAU 2007
I strongly believe that one of the main reasons why the Yukon Arctic Ultra has a very good reputation is its strong local staff. And I am very happy to be able to say that once again Shelley Gellatly, Jessica and Mike Simon and Gary Rusnak will be part of the organising team.
As most of you know Shelley already very successfully ran the 100 and 300 mile distance. In 2007 she will be running the 460 miles. So, most of the work she has been doing already or will do it over the next few months, e.g. organising the checkpoints and our food. Her (YAU) running experience, job and the fact that she is local make Shelley a true cold weather running expert. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask her.
Jessica and Mike will again be responsible for the remote checkpoints, i.e. Dog Grave Lake, Ken Lake and (new) Scroggy Creek. Also, Jessica will help co-ordinate media information and updating the standings on the Website. In other words, she will be our race headquarter. It is a vital task and very important to have a base where all information is gathered. Mike will actually be helping full time next year. A big part of his job will be Scroggy Creek. He already went on the trail from Pelly Farms to Dawson City and wrote a great trail report. Now there won’t be any surprises for him and his crew. Apart from that I am sure you will see a lot of him out on the trails.
Gary has been with the Yukon Arctic Ultra right from the beginning. He is responsible for and co-ordinates our snow mobile guides. That is one tough job and he and his team have always done it perfectly. He works very hard to make sure we always know where everybody is and how all the athletes are doing. And even tough he is motorized it is hard on the back – especially if you travel at the speed of light …
Snowmobile out on the trail - photographed by Harald Eisenberger
Safety out on the trail
Talking about "the speed of light", I want to tell you about some things that are very important for athlete safety out on the Yukon Quest trail:
In the dark you need to be visible - for our guides, other snow mobiles and mushers. Ideally, both your sled and your back have something that is reflective. Also, your head torch should be switched on at all times.
If you hear a snow mobile coming (day or night), make sure it can pass by. If necessary step of the trail a bit.
If you come across a musher and his dogs, please step out of the way asap. If you get tangled up in a dog team the consequences for the musher may be very serious. The dogs may start to fight amongst themselves and get injured.
If you sleep between checkpoints NEVER sleep on the trail. You may be run over! Step of the trail and make it visible to our crew that you are sleeping there. That way we don’t loose count.
The trail is marked with wooden Quest markers. These have a bit of reflective material on the top. If you are on a trail where you don’t see any markers for a long distance you may have gone the wrong way. Stop, rest and think. Then decide. The YAU 2006 had quite a few places where marking was difficult due to lack of snow. Often the markings had to be done on rock hard river ice. In some places we used spray paint which worked fine during daytime but was hard to pick up at night. We will be better prepared this time.
Be careful when you get to overflow. You will hear more about what to do at the pre-race banquet.
Please help each other. We have had some cases where athletes were in trouble and other athletes did not hesitate to help, e.g. by building a wood fire to help somebody get warm again. There are scenarios, e.g. in a serious snow storm, where we can’t help.
High speed on four legs - photographed by Harald Eisenberger
Mandatory camp-out at Checkpoint 1
As was the case in 2006 only the marathon athletes will be allowed to stay inside a warm place at CP 1. Everyone else will not be allowed inside. For us this first checkpoint is the place where we can see how the participants handle the cold in a potentially dangerous situation, i.e. even though we warn every year, we notice that a lot of athletes arrive sweating like crazy. If athletes sweat in the arctic wilderness somewhere between checkpoints, there will be no place to warm up when the temperature suddenly drops.
There will still be hot drinks (tea, coffee and chocolate), one hot meal and a big fire outside.
NEW in 2007 may be that we make our gear check already in Whitehorse and not at CP 1. I will make a posting on the forum and everybody who wants to give me an opinion on this issue is welcome to do so. Then I will decide.
The 460 mile athletes will NOT have to stop for a mandatory 4 hours at CP 1. These athletes are very experienced and we want to spread out the field in order to have it less busy at CP 2. All other athletes will still stop for 4 hours.
YAU training in Austria
In January 2006 for the first time I offered a training course in the Alps of Austria. Since I got great feedback from all participants I want to offer the training course again. I will open a thread on the forum where you can ask questions if you are interested. Of course you can also send me an email.
Testing gear at the YAU training course 2006 in Austria
The focus will be on testing gear and endurance. Of course it is also a great opportunity to get to know other athletes and to exchange learnings. It does not replace the training course that will take place in the Yukon from Feb. 9th-10th where the focus will be more on survival, the race course and other important issues. However, athletes who come to Austria will get a 50% discount on the cost of the training course in the Yukon.
The rough schedule is as follows:
Thursday, Jan. 4th: Arrival at Munich Airport approx. 10:00 AM. For those of you coming from London Innsbruck Airport Austria may be a cheap alternative. Transfer by shuttle bus to Leutasch, Tyrol (2 hours from Munich and 1 hour from Innsbruck) Walk/snowshoe tour to our base camp (approx. 2 hours) During the rest of the day we will talk about all kinds of things and go through kit, etc. At night everyone will sleep outside and build a snow shelter. If it gets really cold we will do some testing regarding building a fire and lighting the stove.
Friday, Jan. 5th: We will look for the coldest possible place that is within reach and go there for the night. You will also do several hours of walking (without the pulk sled). The night will be spent in that place. Testing gear.
Saturday, Jan. 6th: You will be able to warm up at our base camp. Little tour around the area. Maybe Sauna. After lunch we get going for the big tour: 12 hours non-stop with the pulk sled behind (for those who have it). Then 4 hour break in the wilderness and another 4 hours of walking.
Sunday Feb. 7th: You will get some sleep in the base camp. At lunch time we will talk about the learnings. We pack our things and leave for the airport. Flights out approx. 20:00.
Cost per person: EUR 300,-
The cost for the training course includes:
all transfers
accommodation in base camp
guiding by professional mountain guide Saturday to Sunday
YAU shop and rental gear
I will put in a new order for the Kathoola crampons (KTS) next week. The KTS are a flexible traction system designed to be used with any common footwear from trail running shoes or hiking boots to snow boots. Kathoola's 10-point gripping system is made from the strongest aluminum alloy and weighs only 19 ounces (540 g) per pair, making it the lightest 10-point system available. Straps and quick-release buckles make it easy to put the Kahtoola Traction System on any shoe. It is the ideal crampon for the 460 mile athletes. If you want to have a pair, please let me know.
Also, later this month my online shop Racelite.com will be available in English. There you will find all the gear you need for the Yukon Arctic Ultra. Shipment for Yukon Arctic Ultra athletes (within the European Union) will be free of charge until the end of December 2006!
November 4th, 2006
Back from the jungle
After 2 months in the Brazilian jungle I arrived in Germany one week ago. Once again the Jungle Marathon was a great challenge and an awesome adventure.
A typical "meeting" in the jungle
Now the second phase of preparations for the Yukon Arctic Ultra is starting. In the weeks and months to follow there will be plenty of news updates and newsletters. And it will be easier to get a hold of me again.
For those of you who may still sign up for the YAU 2007, please make sure you check flight prices and hotel accommodation as soon as possible. The closer we get to February the more expensive flights will get.
August 26th, 2006
Yukon Gold Ultra and adidas Natventure Trophy had a great start
As most of you will know, Shelley Gellatly organised a summer sister race of the YAU just recently. It was not an easy thing to do. Every first race is a challenge for an organiser. However, Shelley did a great job and the athletes enjoyed the experience and adventure of 50 and 100 miles on Yukon summer trails.
If you want to find out more please check out www.goldultra.com. Shelley will organise the race again for 2007. It may be slightly earlier in the year and we will put together some exciting packages for athletes who want to combine their participation with an adventure holiday.
For several years now I have been involved in establishing Adventure Racing in the German speaking countries. For this year I had decided to organise an Adventure Race in the Alps, the adidas Natventure Trophy. It was a lot of work and fun. Up to 111 km and 4.000 metres of positive elevation gain had to be accomplished in max. 24 hours. The premiere last weekend was great with 70 adventure racers from 7 different countries who enjoyed a challenging race course with many disciplines.
Copyright Mauritius Images / Photograph by Nikky Maier
Next year there will be an English website for the race, too. And it will be even more challenging regarding distance and elevation gain. Great training for running ultras …
Activity on the race roster
There have been many new entries on the race roster. For the 300 miles Sean Brown from England will give it a third try. That’s determination and I wish Sean all the best. Then there are two experienced athletes from Denmark, Torben Birch and Palle Andersen, who will join Sean and the others on the way to Pelly Crossing. Last but not least there are Brett Cavanagh and Patricia Clune from Canada. Patricia already had a great 100 mile race at the YAU in 2004. Now she wants to see how she manages on the longer distance.
On the stages to Baeburn Patricia will enjoy the company of her friends Elizabeth McIlroy, Christine Lundvall and Susan McDowell who signed up for the 100 miles.
The race roster for the 460 miles has grown, too. With Andrew McLean a very experienced Canadian ultra runner will test his limits on the run to Dawson City.
Welcome to you all and have fun preparing and training!
PLEASE NOTE: For those of you who know for sure that you want participate, entry fees will go up after the end of August. Anyone who emails me before by August 31st and makes an immediate payment of the deposit can still secure him-/herself an early entry.
More YAU 2006 race photos
Andy Carr who tried the 300 miles this year and will return in 2007, sent me a photo CD quite some time ago. Because of all my other work I had not been able to post these photos in the gallery, yet. Now these photos are finally online. You will find them in the gallery named "Andy Carr".
Gear for the YAU and other adventures
Since January 2006 I have an online-shop specialising in lightweight and innovative gear for runners, ultra runners, adventure racers and trekking. As of November 06 this shop will also be available in English. The shop will offer anything that YAU athletes need. In November I will also mail out a gear list with recommendations and prices. If you already want to know what will be available and what the prices are, send me an email. I will answer as soon as I get a chance.
Some of the brands I have: Petzl, RailRiders, RaidLight, Macpac, Ajungilak, Exped, Therm-a-Rest, CamelBak, SealSkinz, Profeet, Kahtoola, Montane, Paramo, Care PLUS, iRULE, Orikaso, Fuel Belt, MSR, Bodyglide, OMM.
Flights and accommodation for YAU 2007
Just to remind you, in 2007 the Yukon will host the Canadian Winter Games. Please book your flights and accommodation as soon as possible. The Games will begin pretty much when our 300 mile race is over but I am sure there will be plenty of people travelling to Whitehorse before the big event. For the 460 miles we have possibilities to deal with the accommodation shortage. However, flights we can’t influence.
Junlge Marathon
This Sunday I will fly to Brazil where I will once more help Shirley Thompson to organise the Jungle Marathon. I will stay in the area of Santarém (State of Pará) for about 2 months. The race itself takes place from Oct. 6th – 15th. I will check my emails as often as possible. There may be delays but I will respond.
July 18th, 2006
Change to race categories
So far a team that wanted to participate in the YAU officially had to have 3 members. However, it seems there have been more teams of 2 athletes and teams of more than 3 athletes in past years. Since there is no purse and the athletes of teams automatically participate in the individual category, this did not matter really. And we will keep it that way. The only thing that changes is that from now on teams of 2 athletes can participate as a team, too. What we won't do is to make separate categories for teams of 2, 3, 4, etc. So, all teams no matter how many members compete in one and the same category.
Update to Race Rule #7
Up to now Race Rule #7 stated: "The racers must carry all their gear the whole distance." We have now added "Non-mandatory gear can be deposited in drop bags." This was a question that has come up every year and the answer has always been: Yes, athletes who do not need certain gear any more can deposit it in drop bags.
July 10th, 2006
Matt is back!
Matthew Pain had a go at the 300 mile race in 2005. Back then he could not finish as he lost too much time on the first 100 miles. He helped another athlete who was in trouble. Which is something that I can only hope anybody would do - even if it means not being able to finish your own distance.
Matt already wanted to come back in 2006. However, an injury made him postpone his plans. Welcome back and good luck for next year!
New horizons
August 19th will see the start of two exiting new races. Nr. 1 will be the Yukon Gold Ultra organised by Shelley Gellatly. It's the YAU's summer sister race and Shelley has put a lot of work and determination into the project. You will find more info on www.goldultra.com. If you like ultras and have always wanted to experience the Yukon in the summer GO FOR IT!!! This is the reason to travel to this province combine a great race with an adventure holiday.
Nr. 2 is the first Adventure Race organised by my company. The name of it is adidas NatventureTrophy and it will take place in the beautiful Bavarian and Tyrolean Alps. Athletes will deal with 111 km distance and 4.000 metres of positive elevation gain in 24 hours. Disciplines are running, mountain biking, canyoning, swimming, rope activities and inline skating. Unfortunately, for this year I have no English website. That will change for 2007, though. Then I hope to see many ultra runners trying a very challenging race.
May 28th, 2006
YAU 2006 DVD documentary
It took a while but it was worth the wait. Our YAU 2006 DVD documentary has arrived. Joachim de Smedt and Werner Walcher have co-operated for the filming. Joachim then did the editing and put together a great and creative documentary. I will start mailing out the DVD along with the finisher certificates to YAU 2006 competitors next week.
Athletes who want to purchse the DVD to get an impression of the race before signing up can of course do so. And you should because you will
see a lot of the trail and
how it is marked,
what the nature in general is like,
what our checkpoints and
the race atmosphere are like.
The DVD is EUR 25 including shipment. To order it please send an email to info@thegreatoutdoors.de or phone me directly at +49 (0)8823-937842.
More unfinished business
With Mark Melville-Taylor another athlete has signed up for the YAU who wants to finish unfinished business in 2007. The 42 year old runner from Harlow, England, was not able to complete the 300 miles this February. With the gained experience and I am sure plenty of motivation Mark will have another go at it. Good luck, Mark!
YAU Forum
The YAU Forum (last button on the menu left side) is already busy and a great source of information. I can only encourage everyone to check it out every now and then.
Unfortunately, there is software on the market that companies use to post websites in the member's list and in the message area. To prevent SPAM messages I now restricted the forum, i.e. you need to sign up and I will then give you the permission. The SPAM members I erase whenever I have got the chance. Please ignore these if you have a look at the member's list.
May 1st, 2006
New YAU 2006 Race Report online
Mark Cockbain has sent me his report on the YAU 06. It is very interesting to read. You can download the word file in the section "Race Reports" (sub menu of "Race Info").
Shelley has got company for the 460 miles already
Sam Taylor and Jim Groark are friends. Together they will try to master the 460 miles. And they decided to opt for xc-skis. Sam is really experienced. He was 8 years with the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue-Scotland and is a survival expert. Sam was also a member of the RAF Biathlon team and spent 4 months in the Antarctica. Jim has participated in races like the Everest Marathon, MdS and is an experienced mountaineer. Both are good xc-skiers. So, it will be interesting to see how they will be doing. Welcome to the YAU!
April 16th, 2006
More photographs of YAU 06 online
Klaus Schweinberger who finished the 300 mile race this year contributed his photos to the Gallery. Check it out!
Unfinished business
Paul Byard and Andy Carr who were with Team Tent 67 this year just signed up for the YAU 07. They were not able to finish at the YAU 06 and will come back to deal with the "unfinished" business. Good luck guys!
