Posted: February 11, 2005

Adventure Racing: Yukon Arctic Ultra, The World’s Coldest And Toughest Human Powered Marathon And Ultra Race, Starts February 14th

Race Information:

• From Feb. 14th-22nd, 2005 the YAU will take place for the third time.
• After the first two editions in 2003 and 2004, the race has established itself as the world’s coldest and toughest marathon and ultra marathon.
• The possible distances are: Marathon, 100 and 300 miles.
• It is open for Runners, Mountain Bikers and XC-Skiers.
• The race starts in Whitehorse and takes place on the Yukon Quest Trail, the trail of the world’s toughest sled dog race.
• No athlete participates in the YAU for the money. There is no purse. The YAU is all about experiencing one’s limits and finishing. This is part of the reason why the atmosphere at this unique race is always great. Of course there is also competition but it is fair and it is fun.

News and interesting information for 2005:

• Rocky Reifenstuhl is not here to win the 300 mile race on bike again. Thomas Muhler from Germany tries to accomplish what Sven Riedesel could not do last year. He will try to finish with his Mountain Bike and chase Rocky’s record.
• As was the case in previous years, we expect rather mild temperatures for the start. This challenges the athletes as much as extremely cold temperatures since the trail surface becomes soft. The record snowfalls of the last month will make it even worse. Also, it is easier to sweat. If this is the case, already temperatures of – 15 degrees Celsius can get an athlete into trouble.
• The winner of the 300 mile foot category will receive a free entry to the Jungle Marathon 2005, held from Oct. 5th-14th in the Brazilian State of Pará´.

Race facts 2005:

30 athletes (status February 10th, 2005)
3 women
27 men
5 athletes for the marathon
9 athletes for the 100 mile race
16 athletes for the 300 mile race
28 is the age of the youngest competitor, Katherine Hay-Heddle from England
66 is the age of the oldest competitor, Peter Meyer from Germany
8 different nations are represented: 10 English, 7 German, 5 Irish, 4 Canadian, 1 Swiss, 1 US, 1 Italian, 1 Austrian

Outlook on 2006:

• In 2006 we expect quite a few Skijorers. Due to the late creation of this category no athletes could make it this year but many have expressed great interest for the 4th YAU.
• There will be another exciting addition to the YAU. For the first time we will offer a distance of 750 km/466 miles all the way to Dawson. Rumour has it we will go all the way to Fairbanks. However, it is too early to comment on these rumours …
• The high exchange rate for the Euro has made the entry rather high for North Americans. From 2006 onwards there will be country specific entry fees, making it more affordable for Canadians and US Americans to enter the YAU .

A special thanks to our great Sponsors and Supporters:

Air Canada, High Country Inn, Coast Mountain Sports, Norcan, Yukon Quest, Yukon Tourism, Eventrate.com, City of Whitehorse, Northern Athletic Experiences, InAdventure Ltd., SIR North Country Ranch, Wilderness Fishing Yukon, Great Northern Oil, Yukon Wide Adventures, Carmacks Recreation Centre, Braeburn Lodge, Selkirk First Nations, The Kruse Family, Pelly Farms, Scuttlebutt Lodge.

Schedule YAU 2005:

Feb. 12th - 13th Official YAU Training Course Day
This training course is mandatory for all athletes without prior cold weather experience. After a day of theory on safety and survival in the Arctic, the athletes actually go out at night for a long hike. There they have the opportunity to test their gear and learn some additional lessons, e.g. how to build a wood fire or to start the stove in cold temperatures.

Feb. 13th, 05:00 PM Official YAU Pre-Race Meeting
05:00 – 05:20 PM Welcome
05:20 – 05:30 PM Introduction of the YAU Organisational Team
05:30 – 06:00 PM Rules & Regulations
06:00 – 06:30 PM Safety
06:30 – 07:00 PM Trail update and Q&A
07:00 – 08:00 PM Materials/Info
08:00 – 09:30 PM Buffet style dinner with plenty of carbohydrates

Feb. 14th, 10:30 AM Start YAU 2005
Estimated times of athletes at Checkpoints (first in/last out)
SIR North Country Ranch/Finish Marathon: 14th, 12:00 until 14th, 23:00
Dog Grave Lake: 14th, 23:00 until 16th, 06:30
Braeburn/Finish 100 Miles: 15th, 09:40 until 17th, 04:30
Ken Lake: 16th, 01:40 until 18th, 08:00
Carmacks: 16th, 16:20 until 19th, 07:20
McCabe: 17th, 12:00 until 20th, 09:00
Pelly Crossing: 18th, 02:00 until 21st, 04:15
Pelly Farms: 18th, 09:40 until 21st, 21:10
Pelly Crossing/Finish 300 Miles: 18th, 16:30 until 22nd, 10:30
News updates and rankings will be posted daily on www.arcticultra.de.