Yukon Arctic Ultra 2008 opens for registration
Media release
Next year will see the 6th edition of the world’s coldest and toughest ultra. 206 athletes from 21 nations have taken on the challenge so far. It is a race that has become a real jewel because of the great and family like atmosphere and its unique and beautiful race course on the Yukon Quest trail. Many athletes have come to the conclusion that it really is the toughest race – although of course this is a very individual thing. At some point in this year’s race temperatures went down to – 51 degrees Celsius (without wind chill). And it does not get much colder than that. Greg Lindsey from Canada who participated in the 300 mile race 2007 summed it up quite nicely when he said the following after the race:
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“… I mean really, you call it the toughest ultra in the world, but so does every other race director with respect to their races. As a result, I have blocked this claim out whenever I do a race. This was a HUGE mistake with your race - it really is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hard ...”
The remote trails and the non-stop mode make it different from a lot of stage races. Athletes are out at night a lot. Much time to think about life and fear. Sleeping outside is also something that all athletes experience. At Checkpoint 1 there is a mandatory stop of 4 hours. No one can come inside. Here the organisers have a close look at the athletes to see how they coped with the first 26 miles. Then at Checkpoint 2 (Dog Grave Lake) and Checkpoint 4 (Ken Lake) athletes have to sleep outside again.
Participants have all gear necessary for survival with them and most use a so called pulk sled in order to transport this gear. The latter is another aspect which makes this race different from many other ultras. It almost feels like going on an Arctic expedition. While running is possible for those who travel light most athletes opt for a steady pace with little sleep.
90% of the athlets go for the foot discipline. Altough it has been proven that xc-skiing, mountain biking and skijoring works, too. Whatever discipline you opt for, make sure you train right and prepare well. The website has plenty of information and there is a forum, too. Any questions you may of course also contact EventRate.com or the organiser Robert Pollhammer (info@thegreatoutdoors.de) any time.
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