Pat arrived in Dawson yesterday at 16:30. She now ranks 6th overall and 4th in the overall bike category. She is first in the women’s MTB category and the first ever women to finish the 430 on bike. She is also the first woman from Europe to get here. So far only Diane van Deren from the US managed to arrive in the city of the gold rush. And Diane was on foot. The entire team has been very inspired by Pat’s achievement. Congratulations! Rumor has it she may come back to do the 100 miles on foot with her husband Mike. Has she told you already, Mike? 🙂

At 10:30 this morning Joel crossed the finish line of the 430 mile race in Dawson. He placed 2nd in the foot category and 5th overall. It also makes him the first Spaniard to ever accomplish this.

Joel is fine. He just had lunch with Hanno and Enrico. Now he will enjoy that hot shower and get some rest.

Our ski-doo guides are on the trails checking on the rest of the athletes and they took some of our crew with them to get a bit of time out in this beautiful nature.

Lucy and I are here in Dawson waiting for Pat. She had a long rest as she wanted to get here in daytime. If will be great to see her!

Tonight we saw the arrival of Hanno Heiss winner of the 430 mile foot race who completed the race in 9 days 8 hours and 55 minutes. Congratualtions Hanno, an awesome effort and well deserved.

We also welcomed in Peter Felten of Germany, third place in the mountain bike discipline who insisted on waiting until Hanno had caught up with him before he crossed the finish line at Dawson City today. Congratulations to all these superb athletes who have been through extreme temperatures, endless miles of tree lined, snow covered trails, long expanses of frozen lake and frightening patches of river with exposed overflow. But they have reached their goal and can go home happy and proud of their amazing achievement.

But what of the others, let us not forget that there is still four and half days to go and 9 athletes still to finish. So who are they? The next one we expect to come cruising into to town is Spaniard Joel Jaile Casademont who may well be in, in the early hours of tomorrow morning or possibly later tomorrow.

Then we have Pat Cooke Rogers who will be the first woman to complete the 430 miles on a bike.

Sean Brown has been here before, completing the 300 miles in 2007, he’s one determined athlete keeping on returning so we are rooting for him to complete the race this year J.

Mathieu Bonnier, awesome Frenchman who is no stranger to epic journeys having rowed the Atlantic and the North West Passage – this is just a walk in the park …

Our Swedish skiers, David Erixon and Niclas Bentzer who, having skied from the bottom of Norway to the top are taking on one of the most difficult ski trails in the world (I know, I speak from experience, so I will be hugely proud of them when they cross the finish line.).

Bernhard Hasenbalg has also been here before, he had to scratch from the 430 miles at Pelly Farm in 2013 but has come back doubly strong and is still looking good. He’s currently resting up at Scroggie with Sean ready to take on the world again tomorrow morning.

And then we have our ladies … Jessie Thomson-Gladish, local Yukoner, full of determination and drive. We also have Julie Pritchard British resident of Italy who last year completed the Marathon des Sables – talk about extremes – the desert to the arctic in one fell swoop! Go girls!

So lets see what develops over the next couple of days as the race progresses. Once they are through Scroggie its all down hill from there (well actually not really as there is the really fun bit of Titans Dome to climb but don’t tell them that! 😉

by Lucy Tanner – Volunteer Support Crew

Diane, Jo and Lucy set off on a trip up the trail late last night in search of the elusive Northern Lights. Departing Dawson to the James Bond theme tune they ventured along the Bonanza Creek Road feeling invincible in their SUV as opposed to out on foot, skis or on a bike where they would have felt a tad more vulnerable. Got to hand it to those athletes once more.

Stopping briefly to take a few moody shots of empty buildings and the dredger the team of Support Crew Angels looked longingly skyward for a hint of the beauty that is the Aurora Borealis. It never happened before it was time to head back to Dawson to prepare for the imminent arrival of Derek Crowe, the local lad, on his bike.

At 0150, with Lucy struck down by a cold, Diane, Jo and a member of the Japanese film crew greeted Derek across the line. It was a fairly muted celebration for fear of upsetting the town folk with too much rowdiness at that time of night.

Derek has performed consistently throughout the race and arrived in good shape having awaited the coldness of the night to harden the ground before whizzing his way down from the top of the dome. Brilliant effort and his reward…a warm bed for the night at the Downtown Hotel. Disappointingly he was just a bit too late to make it to the bar for a beer.

This morning at breakfast Enrico looked great as he planned his tour of the town and Derek looked fresh and ready to go again. Gary and Josh are heading back to Indian River to await the arrival of our first foot racer Hanno. Gerard is in town and will be going out shortly to relieve Gary and Josh as the rest of the athletes come through.

It is with sadness, as always, when we have to announce the retirement of another racer. Marianne Heading scratched at Pelly Farm and will be transported back to Pelly Crossing by Robert for onward passage back to Whitehorse later today. Everyone else is trudging onwards and ever northwards with our full support! Dawson awaits those who conquer the dome.

15th February 2015 16:50

Enrico Ghidoni crosses the finish line to become the winner of the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra 2015. He has achieved a hatrick having won this event in all three disciplines. Congratulations Enrico, you have proved to be an awesome athlete. Multi complimenti signore Ghidoni!

So having established our new office in a room at the Downtown Hotel, we have been watching Enrico’s progress with bated breath. We are all rooting for him…. did you know….Enrico Ghidoni will the first competitor to win all three disciplines…

2009 he was the first person to complete the 430 miles and won the foot race

2013 he was the first athlete to complete the 430 miles on skis and won the race

2015…. well lets not jinx him just hours before he comes in. J

In other news….

We have the winner of the 300 mile foot race – Neil Thubron the UK, completed in 6 days, 19 hours. Congratulations Neil, hats off to you. You have earned a pint or two!

We are expecting Hanno Heiss of Germany to win the foot race; he is going strong, powering his way along the trail. He is also taking part in Mateus’s scientific study into the affects of the race on the human body so has been wearing a sleep monitor and heart monitor, should produce some interesting results. We are cheering Hanno on as he approaches Scroggie Creek today.

We have sad news on the people who have scratched – Mal Smith, Ollie Lutte and Tim Sommers have all made very sensible decisions that to carry on would cause further injury to some already strained and abused parts of the body. But no disrespect to these brave soldiers who have had an amazing race and am sure they will back me up by saying that their experience of the race has been fantastic.

The weather continues to remain mild and easy, what a contrast to the -45 degrees C we were experiencing only 8 days ago! It just goes to show how mad the environment can be and how we can never underestimate the power of Mother Nature. As an ocean rower and sailor I have an enormous respect for Her and this respect is being constantly reinforced by experiences like this up here in the frozen North.

Speaking of ocean rowing I was pleasantly surprised to discover that at least two other of our competitors this year are fellow ocean rowers – Tim Wilks has rowed across the Atlantic and also Mathieu Bonnier has not only rowed the Atlantic but has also rowed the Northwest Passage – what a fantastic achievement – I believe he is the only person to have rowed to the North Pole solo.

Meanwhile, the support team here in Dawson have been investigating the delights of one the of the furthest outreaches of civilization, last night we experienced Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall. We would recommend to anyone planning to visit this wonderful gamblers den to acquire a degree in the use of modern slot machines before entering. No longer the simple matching up of a line strawberries, oranges and cherries, nowadays its all touch screen and far too complicated to even bother with $5 worth of bets! Our visit was shortlived due to confusion and general ineptitude!

All for now, we’ll keep you all posted as soon as we have news of our winner!

by Dr. Mathas Steinach, Center for Space Medicine and Extreme Environments Berlin, Germany

Humans are homeothermic mammals, which means that a stable internal temperature (the body core) is maintained regardless of fluctuations in external temperature. This evolutionary step was an advantage to animals which relied on external heat sources to warm up, e.g. reptiles. However, a constant body core temperature necessitates adequate heat production and thus may lead to high energy demands.

Exposure to environments, such as the deep cold of this year’s Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra (MYAU) with temperatures as low as -40°C or °F (and even lower), present a very enormous physiological challenge to the organism, as the maintenance of a stable internal temperature may become increasingly difficult during exposure to cold ambient temperatures without proper counter-measures.

As the MYAU participants exercise continuously along the trail, a great amount of heat is being produced this way. It should be noted that only about 20 to 30 per cent of the internal energy can be transformed into mechanical work – hence walking, hiking, bicycling etc. This “inefficiency” is an obvious advantage during the MYAU as the released heat supports the body to maintain its body-core-temperature of around 37°C (98°F). At the same time of course the participant’s energy demand increases manifold – due to the exercise itself and in order to maintain body-core-temperature in the deep-cold environment. The energy demands may even exceed the energy supply through food intake, which eventually leads to loss in body mass. That is why studying the changes in body mass, body composition, energy expenditure as well as hormones associated with energy metabolism are of such great interest regarding the MYAU.

Problems regarding thermoregulation during events such as the MYAU can arise when more heat is lost as it is being produced, the risk for which increases of course the lower the ambient temperatures become. The time-frame for tolerances become much smaller when the temperatures approach -40 or even -50 and below. Even more so when a participant has over-exerted himself and has sweat through several layers of clothing. Wrong decisions, such as taking of a glove at the wrong time, may quickly lead to frostbite – local hypothermia to the degree of frozen tissue that starts at the fingers, toes and nose which may result in the loss of these body parts when they become necrotic – as well as general hypothermia where the body core temperature decreases leading to heavy shivering (as a countermeasure to produce heat), confusion and irrational behavior, and finally decreased respiration, blood pressure and eventually fatal heart failure. Even when a hypothermic person has been rescued, arrhythmic events of the heart may still occur as an electrolyte-dysbalance might develop due to blood and lyphatic fluid flowing back from re-heated body parts towards the center of the body. So great care has to be taken when handling such a patient.

Amongst other media we have with us a Canadian production team from Al Jazeera’s worldwide English channel. Below you will find two very nice features that were already broadcast:

All athletes are accounted for and have left Ken Lake checkpoint. Unfortunately, we had an athlete scratching there. And it’s an unexpected one. Nicole Dörr from Germany could not continue and is being brought out on ski-doo to Carmacks. It should not have been the cold. So, I suspect it’s some kind of sports inury.

For some of the athletes there is now a race against time. And it’s not the deadline for the finish they will worry about. They have to reach Carmacks by 22:30 tonight. That is our cut-off. We will monitor them closely and keep our fingers crossed all of them make it.

Congratulations to all 100 mile finishers

The first few days required us to be 100% focused on what was happening on the trail. That is why I am late in congratulating all 100 mile finishers for a great job done! My apologies for not doing this any earlier. All finishing times are in the race roster and I will do the rankings shortly. I just will finish this general update first.

Only 4 athletes remaining in the 300 mile race

Out of 18 athletes who started in the 300 mile race, only 4 are still on their way. In the lead is Neil Thubron from England. He is on his way to McCabe right now and looked excellent when I saw him here at Carmacks. Next is Daniel Benhammou from the US, who like so many others really enjoyed that shower in the Carmacks Rec Centre, updated friends and family and left as I am posting this. Ryan Shaw and Mal Smith, both from England, are on their way to Carmacks and should be able to make it if they don’t slow down. Although it will be very tight for Mal. I also should add that Mal Smith and Alfredo Dimeo have shown us all the true spirit of the North and helped our Mexican 100 mile competitor Alberto Carlos through a very rough first night. There is a good chance that without their help Alberto would have suffered severe frostbite. So, thank you guys for thinking about others first! Unfortunately, Alfredo also had problems with frostbite and thus could not continue running with his friend Mal.

First 430 milers to reach Pelly Crossing today

I guess in the 430 mile distance we now do have a bit of a race going on between Derek Crowe and Enrico Ghidoni. That is if Derek is actually in race mode. As he is another great example of sportsmanship. When Enrico had problems with his bike in Braeburn he stayed there to help and he then stayed a long time. Of course also to wait for it to warm up. But I am sure that if he wanted to, he could have gone a lot earlier. So, we will see. I would not be surprised if they kind of stay together. Or I am wrong and it will now be a competition between them. I also should say that basically from Dog Grave Lake to Carmacks Enrico pushed his bike rather than riding it. But he pushed his bike as fast as others run … Leaves me speechless, really. So, yesterday thanks to the help of Jonah from Icycle Sport in Whitehorse we got him a new wheel. As you can imagine, he was VERY happy about that. In the bike category Pat Cooke Rogers (England), Tim Sommers (Australia) and Peter Felten (Germany) are still in the race. Both Pat and Tim I saw in Carmacks and they were in great spirits. Tim always is. I guess that’s just the Australian way. Pat is a miracle to me. I am told when she came into Dog Grave Lake she was wondering why so many people had problems. And indeed further back Peter did have technical problems with his bike due to the cold. But he never gave up. He is one tough cookie (I think that’s how you guys say it) and if he makes good speed now, he should make it to Carmacks before the cut-off.

Meanwhile in the foot category, Hanno Heiss from Italy who was in the lead by far had arrived in Carmacks with some problems. His calves were very swollen and he was in quite some pain. Luckily we not only have our medical team here helping but also Doctor Steinach from the Berlin Center for Space Medicine who is conducting a study with some of our 430 milers. He was happy to jump in and take care of Hanno. The Italian left the checkpoint already and hopefully things get better for him. Joel from Spain of course has now been able to catch up to Hanno and I am sure he will try to eventually overtake him. Since Joel does not have any major problems he is in a good position to achieve that.

Next up is Marianne Heading from England. She is still resting and enjoying the company of her partner Mike Thomas who is with us as a volunteer.

Jan Francke from the Czech Republic is the only other 430 mile competitor who has made it to Carmacks so far. He is tire but had a good rest and like so many successful MYAU athletes he always keeps his good mood. Even when very tired.

The rest of the 430 mile field of entrants is now on the way to Carmacks and the support team is here to welcome them. McCabe checkpoint is operational since yesterday and this morning Diane Patrick headed up to Pelly Crossing to open the checkpoint there. Sue and Dale from Pelly Farm, warm up that Lasagne, we are on our way!!!

Our race headquarter at Scuttlebutt Lodge where Jo Davies is still based will be moved to Carmacks later today and then tomorrow move to Pelly Crossing. Thank you Don for being such a great and caring host!

Well, it has certainly been an interesting couple of action packed days. Not just for the athletes of this, the World’s Toughest and Coldest Ultra Marathon but for the support crew as well. I think we can definitely claim that title this year. With temperatures plummeting to 48 below zero on many parts of the race trail the athletes have faced one of the toughest and coldest starts to the race since it began 12 years ago. Conditions have been brutal, putting the competitors through some of the biggest challenges of their lives. And sadly the cold conditions have taken their toll on many; frostbite and cold exhaustion have been rife but luckily anything more serious has thus far been averted. Many of the athletes have recovered to fight another day and today with the warmer temperatures of around -25 degrees C have been spurred on by determination and strength to continue.

Day 1 saw 85 athletes start and head out to Takhini Bridge; some 16 taking part in the 26-mile marathon and the rest either going for 100 miles, 300 miles or 430 miles. The first checkpoint, Rivendell Farm was a welcome rest for everyone and a chance to get a hot meal and warm their frozen toes by the fire. Moving swiftly on, most racers don’t stop too long at Rivendell, wanting to put some miles under their belts before nightfall and the subsequent temperature drop.

Day 2 dawned with very, very low temperatures but stunningly bright sunshine. It was an incredibly beautiful day but seriously cold. Overnight many athletes had suffered some minor frost nip and in a couple of cases quite serious frostbite so as the day progressed there were a few calls for assistance and quite a few people making the decision to scratch the race and very wise too. As the sun dipped below the horizon, temperatures dropped even more and anxious support crews and family members waited by the phone eager to hear news of the athletes and how they had been getting through the cold.

The next CP – Dog Grave Lake, is 59 miles into the trail and inaccessible by road so a camp had been set up there to allow the athletes another chance of a hot meal and toasty warm wall tent with log burner in case of an emergency. Due to the very cold temperatures DGL became a safe haven for everyone stopped there last night and a lot of very sensible people made the decision to stay there the whole night rather than risk failure and worse than go out into -45 degrees C.

Day 3 and temperatures soar to -26! Practically tropical, but it did allow the competitors to get into their stride a bit more and we have had a fast day with many people happily reaching Braeburn in good time. Braeburn Lodge has been very busy with everyone desperate to get to sample one of Steve’s famous burgers, which are literally the size of a small country or even a cinnamon bun, which again could be mistaken for Belgium. For us at Race HQ, based on the shores of Braeburn Lake, just a little way down the trail from the Lodge there has been a lot to do, receiving updates and reports from the check points and snowmobile guides along the trail, coordinating evacuations of the athletes who needed to scratch and then ensuring that the website and Facebook pages are updated with the correct information about the competitors. And so, as night closes in our thoughts are on those out on the trail and those getting ready to set out for a night of hard slog in the cold, we can only salute these brave (but completely mad) people who take on one of the world’s coldest challenges.