NEWS ENGLISH

Finishing just behind Daniel, Victor Hugo Barros do Carmo arrived into Faro to complete his 350km race, welcomed in the very best way – by fellow Swiss athlete and close friend Patrick Sumi, who was forced to retire earlier this year at Brooks Brook.

As with Michaela before him, Victor Hugo was greeted with a silver 350 balloon, cheers, applause, and a crowd that knew exactly how much this moment mattered.

True to form, Victor Hugo brought with him the warmth, humour, and unmistakable energy that surrounds Team Out’Cha and their friends. Tired bodies, smiling faces, laughter cutting through the cold – the whole checkpoint felt it.

Now reunited with Michaela Senft and Patrick Sumi, the Swiss contingent waits together for the arrival of their final compatriot, 309 Hervé Acosta, sharing stories, warmth, and the quiet satisfaction that comes from seeing the job done.

Well done Victor Hugo, a finish filled with grit, good humour, and genuine heart.

There are athletes who race the Yukon Arctic Ultra, and there are those whose presence quietly shapes it. Daniel Benhammou belongs firmly in the latter.

With something like seven YAU finishes to his name, Daniel is a true veteran – calm, mild-mannered, endlessly good-humoured, and always glass-half-full. He has a way of lifting the people around him, crew and athletes alike, simply by being himself. His impact reaches far beyond his own race.

Year after year, Daniel arrives at the finish line looking cool, collected, and unflustered – much like fellow YAU stalwart Jessie Gladish, the only woman ever to complete the long distance in all three disciplines. This time, though, the Dena Cho Trail finally coaxed the first hint of a sweat from him, proving itself a worthy challenge even for the most seasoned.

We’re grateful, as always, to have Daniel as part of this race. We look forward to staying in touch as the year goes on – and, knowing Daniel, to seeing him back out on the trail again before too long.

This afternoon, Gerald Zechner arrived into Faro to complete his 350km race, securing third place and closing out a hard-earned podium alongside Alex Hoerniss and Michaela Senft.

Quiet. Focused. Fuelled by fire. Gerald crossed the line with an Austrian flag scarf, then let out a guttural roar that felt older than the trail itself – the kind that echoes far beyond the finish and wakes a few ancestors along the way.

A composed race, run with intent from start to finish. No fuss. No theatrics. Just deep effort, discipline, and resolve carried all the way to Faro.

We wish Gerald well as he begins the journey back to Whitehorse alongside fellow athletes – race complete, pulk finally down, and time now to let the experience settle.

Congratulations Gerald. A podium place, well earned.

At 07:13 this morning, Michaela Senft arrived into Faro to finish second overall in the 350km race – and first (and only) female finisher. A superb performance, delivered with patience, resolve, and quiet strength.

Michaela is no stranger to Arctic racing. In 2022 she won the 185km Lapland Arctic Ultra, and once again she has shown exactly what disciplined systems, experience, and self-belief can achieve over long distances in unforgiving conditions.
She was welcomed at the finish by scratched athlete 310 Patrick Sumi, balloons in hand and voice fully deployed, helping mark a moment that deserves celebration.

Now, the pulk is down, the boots are off, and Michaela is doing what matters most in the hours after an Arctic finish – resting, recovering, and letting her feet finally dry out.

Congratulations Michaela. A remarkable race, raced beautifully.

After an extraordinary few years at the Yukon Arctic Ultra, 605 Guillaume Grima has made the difficult decision to withdraw from this year’s 645km race.

Guillaume first came to the YAU in 2023 for the 100-mile race, finishing 5th. He returned in 2025 for the 600km, placing second after a closely fought race with Matthieu Blanchard – a rivalry and respect that left a lasting mark on the trail. This year, Guillaume returned once more and dominated the race from the very beginning, holding the lead deep into the course.

After reaching Ross River with discomfort, Guillaume took time to reflect and, following discussions with Race Director Robert Pollhammer, and his family, chose to step away from the race. It was not an easy decision, but it was a sensible one – prioritising long-term health and the ability to return again.

We thank Guillaume for his courage, energy, and relentless determination. His presence shaped this race, and his journey this year deserves great respect.

The race now continues, with 611 Paul Clement and 604 Maxime Bachelot pressing on toward the finish.

At 19:14 on Feb. 6th, 316 Alexander Hoerniss (GER) arrived into Faro – and didn’t just arrive, he ran it in.

After 350km of winter trail, long nights, heavy decisions, and everything the Yukon chooses to throw back at those who enter it, Alexander crossed the line with strength still in his legs and clarity still in his eyes. A rare sight, and a testament to discipline, judgment, and resilience applied day after day.

Welcomed at the finish by Race Director Robert Pollhammer, Alexander took his medal with a smile, then headed inside – food waiting, warmth returning, and finally the chance to stop moving without consequence.
Now to sit, breathe, and reflect on what’s been done, and what’s been endured.

Finishing an Arctic ultra doesn’t always announce itself loudly. Often it arrives quietly, carrying weight that takes time to fully register. Tonight, Alexander has earned that space.

Congratulations, Alexander – a superb race, run with intent from start to finish.

The Yukon Arctic Ultra 2026 started as planned on February 1st in Teslin. We had a slight delay but it was great to finally see everyone on their way.

Copyright: markkellyphoto.com

We knew it would be a tough beginning because of recent snowfalls and the very warm temperatures. For the athletes it’s of course one thing to hear about a soft trail and then actually experiencing it. Athletes on foot had to use snowshoes pretty much all the time and our fatbikers – often the faster of our three categories – suffered. Unfortunately, no skiers this year. They would have coped well with the conditions this year!

Copyright: markkellyphoto.com

In the meantime, the athletes in our new 235km race also started their race but they “skipped” Teslin Lake and started right from the beginning of the South Canol Road.

All athletes in the 350 and 645km distances reached Brooks Brook, our first checkpoint. It was a long day and night with many arrivals after midnight and one participant, Jeff Bond, arriving at 08:00am on Feb. 2nd, after taking a longer rest on Teslin Lake.

Not all did continue. Stefan Zahlten (645km/Foot/Germany) and Patrick Sumi (345km/Foot/Switzerland) decided not to continue. For Stefan who is a very seasoned winter ultra athlete and YAU veteran it just was not his year and Patrick felt sick and out of energy.

Copyright: Callum Jolliffe

On the South Canol Road, things became even more challenging. While the trails have been slightly firmer, temperatures of around – 5° to 0° Celsius meant that the trails still stayed soft. On top of that, we got fresh snow. AND elevation …

Birgit Langmann, an experienced fatbiker from Alaska, decided to turn around and scratch shortly after heading out. Everyone else gave it a go.

Copyright: Callum Jolliffe

Alsmost all remaining athletes made it to our next checkpoint, Evelyn Creek. But, again, not all continued from here on. Just Jeff Bond (345km/Foot/Canada), a finisher of our former 100mile race to Braeburn, asked to be picked up from the trail and came back to Brooks Brook. He was just not making the progress he needed to.

Thierry Corbarieu (645km/Foot/France) who is a winner of our 430mile race to Dawson City and generally unstoppable, had stomach problems and withdrew. Maximimo Martin Escribano (350km/Foot/Spain), also race veteran, hurt his knee. Seasoned ultra athlete Mark Caldwell (345km/Foot/Scotland). Sébastien Mosconi (645km/Foot/France) had a similar problem to Thierry. Stomach problems and consequently no energy. So, he had to quit. Brian Bell (235km/Foot/Ireland) knew it may get difficult because he had hurt his back. Which is why he had changed from the 345 to the 235km pre-race. But it did not work out and his back went from bad to worse. For Teri Polesky (235km/Foot/Canada), Dave Colley (235km/Foot/Canada), Alex de Sain (235km/Foot/Netherlands) and Vincent Turgeon (235km/Foot/Canada) – all with experience in the Yukon Arctic Ultra – had to scratch in Evelyn Creek.

Copyright: Callum Jolliffe

In the meantime, I crews at Quiet Lake and Lapie Lake were digging their way through tons of snow and getting reading for the first athletes. In the lead we have seen a tight race between Guillaume Grima (645km/Foot/France) and Paul Clement (645km/Foot/France). Maxime Bachelot (645km/Foot/France), currently taking 3rd place also looks very strong.

In the 345km distance, German Alexander Hoerniss has done really well and is hoping to finish 1st. He was held at Ross River longer than he wanted due to a very wet sleeping bag but still has got quite a big distance between himself and the next 345km athlete which is Michaela Senft from Switzerland.

But I am getting ahead of myself. On the way to Ross River and beyond, more snowfall caused some frustration. It’s not just that it made the trails tough. It was also very wet. At one point there was even some light rainfall … And when it’s wet – even tough it’s warm – it can be challenging not to get cold. So, it requires a lot of layer management on the trail and kit management at checkpoints.

Copyright: Callum Jolliffe

So far, all remaining athletes have stayed in the race. The only exception is Ashutosh Prakash (645km/Foot) from India who twisted an ankle last night and had to be brought to our Lapie Lake checkpoint. Up until then Ashutosh had done well. Maybe a bit on the slow side but his focus was safety – as it should be – and it was great to see him getting more and more comfortable with the conditions. With the gained experience from this year, maybe he will give it another go in the future.

Copyright: Callum Jolliffe

In general, all athletes now are finding their rhythm. I have seen Jan Rohrberg (645km/Foot/Germany) and Yasmin Stoderegger (645km/Foot/Austria) in Ross River. Magdalena Paschke (645km/Foot/Germany) also is here now, currently sleeping. All are doing a great job. I also salute our only remaining fatbiker, Thomas Miller, from Edmonton/Canada. He takes it as it is, pushing his bike when there is no other way and enjoying the downhills as they come up.

A good number of 345km athletes are on their way to Ross River. Daniel Benhammou (Foot/USA), Gerald Zechner (Foot/Switzerland), Victor Hugo Barros do Carmo (Foot/Switzerland), Gary Marvin (Foot/England), Alexander Davydov (Foot/Germany), Matt Smith (Foot/Canada) and Hervé Acosta (Foot/Switzerland) are all going strong.

When you’re deep in the Yukon winter wilderness – far from any road and facing extreme temperatures – you need equipment you can depend on. That applies not only to our athletes, but also to our trail crew and those out there breaking and grooming trails long before race day. Yukon Expedition Sleds makes exactly that kind of gear.

Ryan MacGillivray founded the company in Whitehorse in 2014. What began as a hobby, as he says himself, “quickly turned into an obsession”. His goal was to build the most dependable UHMW sleds on the market. While the material itself wasn’t new and UHMW sleds had existed for some time, Ryan saw clear potential for improvement. After 10 years of hard work and more than 15,000 hours of research and development, his products have earned recognition from winter outdoor enthusiasts around the world.

Yukon Expedition Sled skimmers aren’t cheap, but they’re built to last. They feature the best possible hitch system, excellent storage solutions, and now even an optional cover. Ryan offers different sizes and feature sets, depending on what the sled is needed for.

He also builds what he calls “Man Powered Pulks,” which are ideal for races like the YAU. A unique feature of these pulks is the central runner on the bottom, which helps them track much better, even on side hills.

Ryan has got information about all of the above and more on his website. You can order any Y.E.S. product online: yukonsleds.com – check it out!

I’ll be using the YES Responder skimmer while breaking trail, along with the Bigfoot Trail Groomer, and I’ll report back soon on how it goes.

Thank you, Ryan, for the support.