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robert

robert
In NEWS ENGLISH

Daniel Benhammou wins The Shelley Spirit of the Yukon Award 2024

Copyright: MarkKellyPhotography.ca

I am late with The Shelley Spirit of the Yukon Award Winner 2024. However, with Christmas approaching and the winter ultra season upon us, it feels like a fitting moment to reflect on what truly matters to us and to remind ourselves of the reasons behind our passion for these “crazy” ultras. Each person’s motivation is of course unique. Shelley loved being out in nature and challenging herself. When racing, she pushed herself hard, yet equally cherished the connections she made with locals at the checkpoints and fellow MYAU athletes from around the globe. Her desire to help others led her to become deeply involved in the MYAU, contributing in various ways, including assisting with the training course.

The award in her name allows me to highlight what should be meaningful to all of us and to celebrate the kindheartedness of individuals like Shelley. It is with great pleasure that I announce that The Shelley Spirit of the Yukon Award 2024 goes to Daniel Benhammou from the United States. Daniel has participated in the MYAU in 2015 (300 miles), 2017 (430 miles), 2019 (DNF due to frostbite), 2022 (300 miles), and 2024 (300 miles). In the years he finished, he secured either 2nd or 3rd place, showcasing his competitive spirit. But Daniel is much more than just a competitor. Upon arriving in Whitehorse, he consistently offers help to our crew, embodying a calm demeanor that is truly admirable. While I know he strives to finish strongly, his relaxed nature during the race stands out. He remains patient, friendly, and understanding, even in challenging moments. To me, Daniel exemplifies the spirit of the Yukon. His participation in five events and his commitment to return in 2025 illustrate how he is drawn to the North, the wilderness, and the adventure – even when our ultra pushes him to his limits, somehow it revitalizes his spirit. When Daniel could not finish in 2019 due to frostbite, I feared he might feel very frustrated. However, despite the disappointment, he maintained a positive outlook, focusing on the adventure’s enriching aspects and returning in 2022.

While not everyone can be as patient and calm as Daniel — that would be a tall order — these qualities are invaluable in any ultra-adventure. Daniel represents all athletes who inspire us each year with their determination and competitive spirit while also demonstrating kindness and respect. Congratulations, Daniel. Thank you for being who you are, and we look forward to seeing you at many more editions of the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra.

If you are new to the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra and don’t know about Shelley Gellatly and the award we created in her name, you can find more information – also about other winners from past years – on our Awards page.

robert
In NEWS ENGLISH

Galileo X-Plorer broadcast goes “MYAU”

Last winter, the German Pro 7 TV station sent two reporter teams to two pretty challenging places, the Yukon Territory in winter and a remote region in Kazakhstan. On December 8th they featured the result in one of their Galileo X-Plorer broadcasts.

The Yukon part of the broadcast explains a bit about life in the cold. They show this through a visit with MYAU crew member Hendrik Weise and his family and by reporter Christoph Karrasch participating in the first 20 km of the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra. It’s a fun watch because it’s not something Christoph would normally do and you can see our adventure through his eyes. Also, viewers learn about how tough the freezing temperatures make something like filming 😉

Below link will take you to the broadcast (German only). It’s free but you may have to register with Joyn.

https://www.joyn.de/play/serien/galileo-x-plorer/2024-30-am-limit-am-limit-atombomben-und-eiseskaelte

robert
In NEWS ENGLISH

Looking forward to Teslin, Ross River and Faro

Copyright: MarkKellyPhotography.ca

The last few months have been busy with analyzing some options for our 2025 Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra. One of the challenges has been to verify if we can find some “extra” trails that would lead us to Teslin. After collecting a lot of feedback and expertise from locals, we decided to play it safe. Some of the interesting trails involve rivers and lakes. Without having tested these routes ourselves, we feel it is not fair towards our athletes to announce something that we can only test a couple of weeks before the race – with there being a good chance that it would be deemed unsafe.

So, we will stick to the initial plan of starting the MYAU 2025 on February 2nd in Teslin. We are still looking into ways to make a marathon distance possible. Hopefully, we can have a final verdict on that soon. What we do know is that our 340 km distance athletes will head to Johnson’s Crossing, go on the South Canol Road to Ross River and from there head on the Dena Cho trail to Faro. Our athletes in the 640 km race will do the same but when they get to Ross River they will add an out-and-back on the North Canol Road.

One of the results of us having our race in this beautiful part of the Yukon is that it will be more remote. The distance to the nearest highway in some areas is significant. We also have more remote checkpoints than ever before. The area will feel more alpine and there is usually more snow. Crews need to travel longer distances on snowmobile and athlete transports – if they quit in a remote location – will take longer. However, it’s exciting country and we are all looking forward to seeing it and working with the communities of Teslin, Ross River and Faro.

The Race Info page has now been update to reflect the above. Also, there was an update to the Rules – mainly regarding drop bags and meals at the remote checkpoints on the North Canol Road.

Anyone intersted in signing up, please not that the entry fees will go up after the end of July!

robert
In NEWS ENGLISH

Pelly Farm: Oasis of humanity

Copyright: MarkKellyPhotography.ca

Our sponsor Pertex just released a great story about Pelly Farm!

From the first year, Sue and Dale Bradley, who own Pelly Farm, have supported the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra. It is such a special place in many ways! So, it’s really nice to see this story.

If you check it out, you will also see many photos by our super talented race photographer Mark Kelly that had not previously been shown. A click on the below photo will take you rigth to the story on the Pertex website.

Enjoy!

Copyright: MarkKellyPhotography.ca

robert
In NEWS ENGLISH

Sternwheeler Hotel – confirmed for 2025

The Sternwheeler Hotel, our home away from home, will be the official Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra hotel again in 2025. The details on the room rates for athletes and how to book were updated in our travel section.

For those of you who don’t know, the days before the race we use the Sternwheeler Hotel as our base. It is downtown and all shops athletes may need are within walking distance. It is very convenient for our participants to just have to come downstairs for anything race related – be it picking up rental gear, handing in paperwork, attending the briefing and dinner and to give us drop bags. Last but not least, the hotel management is very patient with us and does not mind having the lobby occupied by seemingly countless pulk sleds … In short, it’s the perfect place to be before the race and we are all looking forward to our next visit.

robert
In NEWS ENGLISH

Details for MYAU 2025 training course

Copyright: MarkKellyPhotography.ca

The details for the MYAU 2025 training course have now been confirmed by course organiser Jessie Gladish. As always, the course takes place just before the race. That way, any athletes who have to or want to participate in the course, can do the MYAU right afterwards – all in one trip. The training course is also open to anyone wanting to do the MYAU another year or for people who want to do other races or no race at all. You will find all information on the training course page.

Impressions from the MYAU 2024 training course:

Copyright: MarkKellyPhotography.ca

robert
In NEWS ENGLISH

MYAU 2025 starts February 2nd

Copyright: MarkKellyPhotography.ca

The Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra 2025 will start February 2nd.

Announcing our start date was the easy part. The rest is a bit more challenging. After 20 editions on pretty much the same trails, there will likely be a significant change next year. Quite a few details still need to be confirmed. One thing that is impacted, is the distances we can offer. At this point, we can say that we will have distances of approximately 340 and 650 km. Yes, you heard right, no more “miles”. We will use this change to switch from “miles” to “km” … something we have been asked to do for quite a few years now.

We should know soon if we can offer a marathon or 50 km distance. At this point it does not look like we will have a “replacement” for our traditional 100 mile and 300 mile distances.

So, we can almost keep our max. distance of 430 miles but there will likely not be a new equivalent of our 100 mile (=160 km) and 300 mile (= 482 km) races. We plan to have our race start in Teslin, come through Ross River, then Faro and make it to Pelly Crossing and Pelly Farm.

The 650 km may still change a bit, i.e. it could be closer to 600 km or also closer to 700 km. We hope to have a better idea by end of April. The reason why we decided to make a first announcement anyway is because we get emails on a daily basis asking about MYAU 2025, from athletes eager to start planning. Now that the start date and approximate distances are out there, those of you wanting to sign up, can start planning. In case you were keen on the 100 or 300 miles, you can now decide if you want to increase your goal. If you are keen on a distance of roughly 100 or 300 miles and do not want to change, please note that we have our Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra with distance that are not far off, i.e. 185 and 500 km.

The MYAU training course, which is mandatory for athletes without prior experience in extreme cold, will be held from January 26th to 29th. The recommended arrival time in the Yukon for those who do not do the training course is January 29th. The cut-off for the 340 km will be 6 days and for the 650 km it will be 12 days.

The checkpoints, as before, will be a mixture of remote locations (wall tent setup and or cabins) and places in communities where sleeping is inside. The new trails will be going through some very wild and remote areas of the Yukon! Parts of the trail will feel more “Alpine” and there will be more positive elevation.

Our Race Info and Application pages will soon be updated to reflect these changes. By the end of this week it will also be possible to sign up. If you are interested, please email us at info[a]thegreatoutdoors.de.

We will keep updating you on details re. distances between checkpoints, checkpoint types, etc. as we get confirmations. Those of you interested in a marathon or 50 km race, please be patient with us. Once we can make an announcement on it, we will do so immediately.

robert
In NEWS ENGLISH

Alan Purdue reaches Pelly Crossing finish line

Copyright: MarkKellyPhotography.ca

As our fourth and last finisher, Alan Purdue, from Scotland reached the Pelly Crossing 300 mile finish line at 17:06 today. After a shower and two dinners he is now getting some rest.

Most of our volunteer crew are still in Pelly Crossing and tomorrow we will all go for a visit to Pelly Farm to celebrate 20 years of our race and to enjoy the great company of Sue and Dale at their farm.

In the meantime, the results table will be updated and we will post more photos in our gallery. If you want some impression right away, please check out our social media channels.

I will also write my final race report and, of course, as soon as possible announce the details for next year.

robert
In NEWS ENGLISH

Jovica Spajic from Serbia wins 300 mile race

Copyright: MarkKellyPhotography.ca

Jovica Spajic from Serbia wins the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra 2024 300 mile race from Whitehorse to Pelly Crossing. Avoiding the dangerous trail just before McCabe meant shortening the distance by 38 miles. So, we can’t compare Jovica’s time to previous winners. However, it’s fair to say that Jovica would have been a strong contender to set a new record time. His speed was very impressive and he clearly learned some lessons from his previous two attempts during which he could not reach the finish line.

After a good night’s sleep and a much deserved shower, Jovica got a ride back to Whitehorse where has a few days left to relax before he flies home.

Copyright: MarkKellyPhotography.ca

The next 300 mile athletes to finish were Daniel Benhammou and John Nakel. Both US and both MYAU veterans. They finished together but due to the fact that Daniel had arrived in Carmacks before John, in the official ranking, Daniel ranks 2nd and John 3rd. Although I am pretty sure they do not care. They are not so much here for the “ranking” and more for the adventure and to enjoy Yukon’s nature and the atmosphere created by the crew – both out on the trails and at the checkpoints. Like Jovica, they got a ride back to Whitehorse and I am almost certain we will see them again.

Alan Purdue is now the last athletes we are waiting for. He arrived at Pelly Farm this evening. Now he has to make his way back to Whitehorse and we hope to welcome him in tomorrow night. We are all very impressed with him. Alan is always in a good mood and super relaxed.

Alan Purdue is now the last athletes we are waiting for. He arrived at Pelly Farm this evening. Now he has to make his way back to Whitehorse and we hope to welcome him in tomorrow night. We are all very impressed with him. Alan is always in a good mood and super relaxed.

Copyright: Callum Jolliffe