The first few steps of the Yukon Arctic Ultra 100 mile

After competing at the Rock and Ice Ultra in Yellowknife in 2008 and 2009, I have had a burning desire to run the Yukon Arctic Ultra. Rock and Ice gave me a taste of what is required to run a northern race, and I was able to use much of this experience with YAU100.

Training had gone about as well as I could have expected. I felt that everything I did in the 12 weeks leading up to the race was about as specific as I could get. Even though we didn’t have much snow in Yarker, I gained great strength from running while dragging a tire, running consistently high mileage, and getting in some good long runs. I feel that I got pretty lucky with being able to get some specific training sessions in while dragging the pulk in what snow we had and even lucked out with a 6 hour long run on snow during the coldest stretch of weather we had with it dipping to -23C one night.

The week leading up to the race was a bit hectic, with flight changes and travel. I went into the race feeling a little tired physically, but felt that mentally I was as strong as I could be and would take strength out on the trail from thoughts of family, among other things.

Thursday, February 2
I arrived in Whitehorse, after a quick overnight visit with my sister Deb and her husband Jack in Vancouver. I was tired upon arriving, but happy to be here. A few trips to Coast Mountain Sports helped me put the final touches on my gear requirements. I also picked up the pulk that I was going to be using from Greg and Denise McHale. I was disappointed that I would miss seeing them, but happy to be using Greg’s much talked about pulk. It’s sleek design was very impressive. After a short run to test out the pulk, I was feeling comfortable with my gear choices.

Friday, February 3
It was now time to really start thinking about the race. The day flew by with a pre-race trail briefing, gear check and pasta dinner. I enjoyed another short shake-out run. It was great to have David and Kim Bohn at the race as well, with David running the marathon. Being able to hang out with them, and draw off of their excitement and positive attitude helped me feel in a good place.

The pulk

Saturday, February 4
Race day arrived and we walked the 15 minutes from our hotel to the starting line. I remember saying it seemed like a long walk while pulling a pulk, then realized how silly this statement was since I was soon going to be starting to run 100 miles with it.

Lining up at the start line helped to put my mind at ease. I was interviewed briefly by CBC Radio North, and then had a quick chat with the brother of a clients friend. Even though I’d never met Brett before, he was very helpful with information leading up to the race and it meant a lot to see him there at the start. I found the people of Whitehorse to be very hospitable and proud of their city and the Yukon in general. The laid back approach to the start certainly added to this feeling as well.

My biggest two fears going into the race were overflows and the cold. From the weather forecast, it sounded like it wasn’t going to be too cold. We were told it might approach -20C, which seemed reasonable and very doable coming from Eastern Ontario. As for the overflows, we were treated to a nice one barely a mile into the race. I was running in 4th place with Justin Wallace when we saw the two early race leaders go through the overflow and both went down. They got up quick, but were a bit wet. Justin and I were able to avoid this by going around it. I had purchased Neos Adventurer Overshoes from Coast Mountain Sports the day before, just in case, but felt comfortable with just going with my La Sportiva Crossover Goretex trail running shoes, and would never need the overshoes.

The remainder of the run going into the first checkpoint was on the river and fairly uneventful. It was great hitting CP#1 and knowing that the race was now firmly underway. It was also exciting seeing David had run so well to finish second in the marathon, even though he’s been fighting a bad cold. Nice job!

One of the big things about winter ultra racing is that you want to avoid sweating. Overheating can be very dangerous. I had started off with too much clothing, but used the CP to strip down a bit while trying to get some extra calories in me too.

Justin was having a very solid race. I let him go in the earlier miles as he was running faster than I was prepared to at that point. I was hoping that I might be able to reel him in a bit in the later miles if things went well. After leaving CP#1, I felt recharged and full of energy. The trail continued along the river, with the views getting better and better. It was at about 50km, that I started to feel like pushing the pace to see if I could cut into Justin’s lead a bit. This might come back to haunt me, but I figured that I was taking care of nutrition and still running within myself. During this stretch I even put some music on and was rocking to the Dropkick Murphy’s, Headstones and assortment of other punk.

When we switched off the lake and onto the trail, I kept finding myself saying things out loud like ‘wow’ or ‘holy f#&% it’s beautiful here’. Things just kept getting increasingly remote and I was smitten. Winding through the trails, there were spruce on both sides, water below and mountains on both sides as well. Just before it got dark, I was treated to the sight of a wolf scampering off in the distance below the trail.

Checkpoint #1

It was starting to get dark, so I grabbed my headlamp. The funny thing though was that I didn’t need it. The moon was shining so brightly that I was able to run without it turned on for a large portion of the night time running. I only turned it on when there were shadows from the trees affecting my depth perception.

From 50-100km, I pushed fairly hard and came into CP#2 tired. CP#2 was at a remote spot on the course that had no road access. Everything was snowmobiled in. It consisted of a tent heated by a barrel wood stove. It was also starting to get quite cold, so I knew that I really needed to take care of myself, since it was going to be about another 60km to the end and there were no further checkpoints for the remainder of the race. I was cold, and my stomach had stopped being able to handle my gel-blok-granola bar rotation. I underestimated the need for real food and specifically protein. I had a bit of soup and cheese sandwich, but had to deal with a ham sandwich and beef stew at CP#2. This was probably not the best thing for this vegetarian stomach, but you do what you have to do.

After some hot food and adding a few layers of clothing, I got back on the trail again and was running well again. I had a small thermometer with me and it read -30C. The tough part is that I was slowing down now and not able to run as hard, which in turn would help to generate heat. I slid a couple of instant hand warmers inside the built in gator of my Crossover GTX and that seemed to help. Any time I tried to eat something, my fingers would get terribly cold though. I finally resorted to pulling out Ray Zahab’s South Pole mitts that I borrowed for the race and they were a blessing.

The trail at this point was spectacular. The frost was dancing and sparkling off of the trees. I kept thinking that it was other runners or that I was coming into a town, but neither was the case. I heard after of other runners talking about wild hallucinations at this point too. To further add to the magic of the run, we were treated to a display of the northern lights. It wasn’t as bright as what Sara and I saw in Yellowknife, but was still very special to see in this environment.

I saw many wildlife tracks on the trail. Some I assumed were Elk or Moose, some wolves, but the one that spooked me the most was what I thought must be cougar tracks. After CP#2, I figured that Justin was maybe 30mins ahead of me. I had been able to see his footprints the whole time. The really eerie thing though was seeing a cougar footprint overtop of his. I’m sure that the cougar knew where we were, but we didn’t see it, though I did hear some rustling in the trees a few times.

Soup time

This part of the race was now getting difficult. I was very tired, not fueling with what I needed at this point and just in survival mode. Somehow though, in a very strange way, I was enjoying this. In a race like this, and at this point, things get quite raw. As strange as it sounds, the most important thing you need to look at doing is surviving. I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s 25-35 miles between checkpoints, and you just need to look after yourself and do all the little things that will help you keep moving forward. This is also when your brain starts misfiring too. For hydration, I was wearing a hydration pack under my jacket. The warmth of my body and remembering to blow out the water from the hose after each sip would keep it from freezing. A couple of times I forgot though and had to deal with trying to unthaw my water. I was lucky to be able to do so.

If things had gotten bad, I had the equipment to bivy down for a nap or until I felt like I could move again. I just really didn’t want to do this though. The goal was to finish as fast as possible.

When morning came, I had a new sense of hope. I was still moving forward, even though slowly, but I knew that I was going to finish. Going into the race, I was thinking that depending on the conditions, 28 hours would be a strong effort. I now knew that both Justin and I were running solid times for the course. I let myself start thinking about 24-25 hours and I knew I would be very pleased with that. Then I started thinking it would be very cool if I broke 24 hours to complete the race within a full day of running. I snuck a peek at the map for the first time and thought this might still be a possibility.

The final section through the tall evergreens went on forever. I knew that once we hit Braeburn Lake, I only had another 30 minutes of running to the finish. Braeburn Lake just seemed to take forever to come though. Every corner I kept thinking that it must be around the next one. This went on for what seemed like hours. Finally with what was bordering on joy and the ultimate in relief, I saw the lake. A short painful drop onto the lake, and I was running hard to get to the other side. I had forgot that I still had a nasty little hill to climb off of the lake before finishing. The best part of the final few miles was when a happy dog joined me and showed me the way to the finish. The dog’s person was cheering from the lake and the dog seemed to feel it was his duty to usher me home.

Seeing Braeburn Lodge after running 100 miles while pulling a pulk was a very welcome sight. I crossed the finish line in 2nd place in 23 hours and 15 minutes. This was much better than I had expected going into the race. Good and fast conditions of course, but I was very pleased. A huge congratulations to Justin Wallace for nailing it and getting a new course record in 22:19.

River

Post Race
We had to wait at the lodge for a while before getting shuttled back into Whitehorse. Braeburn Lodge has big eats! I have never seen portions so large. Unfortunately, I couldn’t eat much at that point and preferred to curl up with my friend the siberian husky in front of the woodstove.

Memories
This race and the Yukon has really spoken to me. I loved everything about it. The event, the rugged wilderness, the people, the test. The scenery that I experienced in that setting is by far more beautiful than anything I have ever seen. The next day I found myself teary when thinking about it, and even when walking around Whitehorse. The people of Whitehorse seemed larger than life. The lifestyle seems plain and pure with no fluff. From Sam the shuttle driver, to the hotel staff, to a momentary friend I met at the grocery store, everything seemed so Yukon.

Race Strategy:
As mentioned, I missed on the fueling a bit. I was great up to 12-15hrs with my race fueling plan, but I needed more protein and fat. I guess I thought there might have been peanut butter sandwiches at the aid stations, but it was my fault for not bringing some in a wrap. As for effort, as mentioned, I may have pushed a little hard for the middle 50km, but I don’t think it really affected my race much.

Gear:
I think I did well in this department. My layering system worked well, and after a small adjustment early on, I don’t think I could have improved on this.

Shoes – La Sportiva Crossover GTX
Socks – Wigwam Merino wool knee high sock (added Sugoi wool sock at CP#2)
Lower body – GoLite 1/2 tights + OR Vert pant (added winter weight tights under pants at CP#2)
Upper body – Start to CP1: Mountain Hardware LS Hoodie, MH Jacket. CP1-CP2: GoLite Wisp Jacket, MH Hoodie, CP2-Finish: IceBreaker SS zip, MH hoodie, Sugoi Heavy Wool 1/2 zip, MH Jacket.
Mitts: Varying combinations of Icebreaker gloves, Icebreaker mitts, Stonehaven string mitts, Ray Zahab/Richard Weber perforated mitt and breathable mitt.
Hats: Start to CP2: Buff. CP2-Finish: Balaclava, PolarBuff
Headlamp: Petzl Tikka XP

Starting to get into some more remote places now. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any more photos because of darkness.

Fuel:
Clif Shots
Clif Bloks
Honey Chews
Honey Waffles
Granola Bars
Aid Station food
~ Started off alternating every 30 mins with shot, blok and nola bar, but then switched to every 20mins. Was good to 12+hrs.

Hydration:
2 litre Nathan pack under coat
2 x HydroFlask bottles
Filled up at each CP & drank a lot there

Electrolytes:
S-Caps – 1 cap x 1.5-2hrs

Traction:
Hobnails – brought, but didn’t wear due to overflow concern.
MicroSpikes – in bag, didn’t wear
Dion 121 Snowshoes w/Deep Cleats – brought, but didn’t wear.

Remainder was mandatory gear from list mostly.

Thank you very much to race director Robert Polihammer and his crew for putting on an amazing, well organized event that everyone will remember for a long time. Hope to return again very soon.

Dawg tired. Sharing a nap with a friend shortly after finishing.

For more information on Dions, or to order in Canada, please visit HealthandAdventure.com

Start video…

Also, check out Stephan’s photo gallery for more great photos from the race…

Click image to view Stephan Meyer's photo gallery from the race

Start of the Dion Frontenac Snowshoe Race

Conditions could not have been better and the competition was fierce at the Dion Frontenac Snowshoe Race. This is the first race in the Dion Eastern Ontario Snowshoe Running Series. This was also a qualifying race for the World Snowshoe Running Championships being held in Quebec in March. The top 3 males and top 3 females in today’s race earned a berth to Worlds.

Defending World Snowshoe Champion

Sweet snowy single track

David Le Porho of Montreal put on a snowshoe running clinic by blazing through the 6.7 km course in a time of 27:28. Derrick St John of Ottawa finished second in 29:36 and Gareth Davies, also of Ottawa, was third in 31:38.

The woman’s race was equally exciting with Elizabeth Primrose of Huntsville winning in a fast time of 34:58. Natasha Elliot of Ottawa finished second in 35:28, followed by Monika Owczarek of Toronto in third in 38:08.

Conditions were ideal for the 62 participants who took park on the rolling backcountry trails of Frontenac Provincial Park.

The next race in the Dion Eastern Ontario Snowshoe Running Series will be the Frozen Ass Snowshoe Race held on February 5 at the Batawa Ski Hill in Batawa, Ontario.

Please visit our Facebook page for photos. Get Out There Magazine has also posted a Video Report of the race.

Snow flies!

Results

Thanks again for joining us and we hope to see you at the rest of the races in the Dion Eastern Ontario Snowshoe Running Series.

SPONSORS:

Running with the Pulk on our property

The Napanee Guide and Kingston Whig Standard did an article on my upcoming race at the Yukon Arctic Ultra.

It was kind of funny how it came about as Meghan the reporter called me and asked about doing a story on the upcoming race. Turns out she was asking about dogsled races as she heard that we have huskies (all retired from racing), while I thought she was asking about the Yukon race. We had a laugh over that, but then got our facts straight for the interview.

I had a further chuckle later when reading the article and seeing it referring to me as possibly not being of sound mind. Questionable, I guess. Ha!

The article can be found on the Napanee Guide and Kingston Whig Standard websites.

Race day is fast approaching (Saturday, January 21, 2012) and we just wanted to let you know about a few things that will make things easier for everyone on race morning.

Race Updates:
For the latest updates before and after the race, please check our Facebook page .

Directions/Map:
Frontenac Provincial Park, Sydenham, ON (directions)

Kit Pickup:
Saturday, January 21 from 8:30-9:45am at Frontenac Provincial Park Trail Office. Online registration closes at midnight tonight.

Parking/Permits:
Limited parking is available at the race site, so please car pool when possible. All cars must have a park pass while at race site. If you have an Ontario Provincial Park pass, please bring it with you. If you need a park pass, please request at registration. Please note: One pass per car.

Washroom Facilities:
Available in the Trail Office and near parking area. No shower facilities.

Start:
10:00am sharp. Near entrance to Frontenac Provincial Park (approx. 200 meters from Trail Office). Please be at start line by 9:55am. Do not put on snowshoes until you get to start line (you’ll be walking on the road to get there and could damage snowshoes).

Course Description:
0-2km: Wide mostly downhill trail that is suitable for easy passing.
2-3.5km: Sharp left onto single track trail including a downhill, uphill and another downhill to the long narrow wooden bridge.
3.5-4.5km: View of Big Salmon Lake, then mostly wide trail suitable for passing. Rolling with a predominantly uphill climb.
4.5-6.5km: Sharp left, then sharp right onto rolling single track that should be some of fastest runnable sections. Narrow, but passable.
6.5-6.7km: Sharp right, then sharp left onto wide trail and sprint to the finish line.

Safety:
- Run alert. For the safety of yourself and others, NO HEADPHONES PLEASE!
- When passing on single track trail, notify runner in front that you’re planning to pass.
- This is a backcountry race, so there are hazards on the course. Please be aware of rocks, branches, stumps and bridges and use caution.
- There are no aid stations on the course. If you think you’ll need water, please bring your own hydration pack or bottle.
- Once you start, please make every possible effort to finish as there is no way to get off the course early. If you encounter someone who is injured, please assist when possible and notify (or have someone else notify) course marshal or finish line officials asap.

Finish Line:
Please make sure that your RACE NUMBER IS WORN ON YOUR FRONT AND VISIBLE before you cross the finish line. Do not permit anyone without a race number to cross the finish line with you. Once you have crossed the finish line, do not cross again with friends or family (as this makes things very challenging for timing).

Awards:
The awards ceremony, food and beverages will be held in the Frontenac Provincial Park Trail Office following the completion of the race. Please note that ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE NOT PERMITTED at Frontenac Provincial Park within the Trail Office, parking areas and trails. Please bring your own mug/cup/water-bottle to limit waste. You must be present for draw prizes.

Results:
Timing is being done manually and will be posted online at HealthandAdventure.com on race day.

Sponsors:
Please make a point of supporting the following sponsors for making this race possible:
Spafford Health and Adventure – Coaching and Canadian Sales of Dion Snowshoes
Dion Snowshoes – Customized, Modular Systems. The Best Running Snowshoes on the market!
Impossible to Possible - Youth Expeditions and Experiential Learning Programs
Stonehaven – Handmade fleece socks from Switzerville, Ontario
Trailhead Kingston - Gear and Guidance for Adventurous Individuals.
Novelis - Novelis Kingston

We look forward to seeing everyone on race day!

Derrick Spafford
Race Director
Dion Frontenac Snowshoe Race
www.HealthandAdventure.com

Dion Frontenac Snowshoe Race - Course Map and Elevation Profile

Final tire run of the year before getting more snow and switching to the pulk

It’s been a while since I’ve posted about my preparations for the Yukon Arctic Ultra 100 mile. Truth is, between training and work, I haven’t had much of a chance to update. With today being a recovery day, I’m sitting here with my feet up after a very solid training day on Sunday that included a hard 6 hours of running while dragging the pulk behind me.

Training has gone very well as of late. Over the past 10 weeks I have averaged 2 hours of running per day and I’ve kept things very specific towards YAU. This training period started with a lot of runs while dragging a tire. I got some funny looks from people, but without any snow on the ground in November and most of December, that was the best I could do.

Dragging a tire in training is about as fun as it sounds. The novelty wears off quick. I felt it was a necessary evil though and increased to the point where I was running 90 minutes with tire in tow. My volume has been consistently high as my goal has been to stack longer and harder runs together before recovering and starting again. My standard routine before the snow fell was to build mileage through the weekdays and include a hard tire pull on one day, followed by a fairly intense tempo run the next at the end of the mini cycle. I really liked the feeling of doing this, as I felt that running at a faster pace on tired legs was going to be very helpful to build strength and speed. I felt my fitness really starting to come around after a month of this.

One of the first pulk runs of the season. Felt so good to get rid of the tire.

My long runs during the past few months have increased nicely and I’ve found myself feeling stronger at the end of each one. I’ve also been making a conscious effort to finish most long runs at a faster than average pace. Feeling good doing this has been good for my confidence that my fitness is improving.

Now that we’re into the new year, crunch time is on. In just over 2 weeks time I’ll be leaving for Whitehorse, so I don’t have that many more training days before starting to cut back. This is now the fine tuning stage with gear and just getting more comfortable with the pulk.

I’ve been very fortunate to get on some good snow for the past few weeks. While we didn’t have a lot around home a couple of weeks ago, I was still able to get some great training by driving only 15 minutes north of Yarker to do my pulk runs. The Enterprise/Tamworth area seems to be in a bit of a snowbelt region as they have snow when many other places don’t. I was shocked to see how much snow they had on the ground considering we had none. Puzzle Lake is very rugged terrain as well which makes training very interesting. I was even able to persuade Keith to join me for his first pulk run one day too.

Long pulk run at Frontenac Park in great conditions. Cold and plenty of snow

I’m now spending as much time as possible running with my pulk as we now have very good conditions in Yarker. On Sunday  I had the opportunity to do a very specific workout for YAU, while allowing me to test out my gear in as close to race conditions as we may see around here. Here is a link to my workout details. I felt that the run went very well and gave me a great deal of confidence since the weather was quite cold.

I’m feeling that my training is at the point where there isn’t a whole lot more that I can do to improve my fitness, but just a matter of a couple of more good sessions that will be more about tinkering with gear and being comfortable with things than anything else. In fact, it’s looking like I may be borrowing a pulk from Greg and Denise McHale when I get to Whitehorse instead of transporting my own (sorry Bubba!).

With the hectic weekend ahead including organizing the Dion Frontenac Snowshoe Race, I’m looking forward to a few light days of training with a different focus. I’m then planning to join Ray Zahab in Chelsea for a run on his trails next week, which I’m really looking forward to. Getting tips from a guy who has run to the South Pole dragging a pulk is invaluable.

With each day getting closer to race day I’m now past the point where I wish I had more time to train. All things considered, I’m feeling very good going into the final couple of weeks of training, and excited about just getting underway on race day. The only thing that still has me lying awake some nights while in a warm bed is thinking about potentially how cold it could get. I just saw that it was -40 in Whitehorse recently. While I’m sure that I will be able to handle it with proper gear, I think my preference would be a little closer to -20C or so.

2011 Year End Totals
Total Number of Minutes – 589 hours 21 minutes &  50 seconds
Total Number of Runs – 491
Running Streak –  8,041 days in a row
2011 Training Log

Testing gear and having a nap. Not much snow on this day, but fairly cold

First cold day of the winter and a hard long run at Puzzle Lake

Bubba the Pulk enjoying the snow

Rugged and snowy trails made for hard running with a pulk in Frontenac Park

Little Clear Lake at sunset in Frontenac Park. Lots of animal tracks, but pure peace and quiet. Bliss!

Hoping I don't need this in the Yukon, or at least if I do that there's some cherry brandy in there!

Tip of Norway Lake. Really want to bushwhack around this while it's frozen and explore the rocky cliffs on the other side

The Puzzle Lake Trails consist of a proposed provincial park/crown land area that is simply gorgeous. I remember going there cross country skiing as a kid and this place just seemed so remote and wild then. Nothing has really changed. We don’t tend to run there that often as it’s about a 15 minute drive north east of  Tamworth, which adds up to a good 45mins plus drive from our place. When we do, it’s always an adventure though.

These trails were actually the first trails that Sara and I fastpacked overnight on. We’ve also dogsledded and snowshoe run there as well. In fact, pretty much every time that we run there during the summer, we tend to see a bear. Guess they were in hibernation mode on Sunday as we saw no sign of any.

Norway Lake Skating Rink. Looking forward to coming back for a lake run or skate

The trails are used heavily by ATVs and snowmobiles. While they are fairly well established and obvious, there are no trail markers. You are left to explore on your own terms and check out the many different options. Due to the heavy ATV use, some of the main trails are badly damaged with deep ruts and you need to be very careful negotiating around certain sections.

We started our run at the end of the road going into Norway Lake. Even though this is a recognized provincial park, there has been no development of the trails, so it might be a little confusing finding your way around if not familiar with the area. The main trail heads into Norway Lake, which is one of the most picturesque lakes I have seen while trail running. One of my favourite trail runs over the past few years was when we ran into Norway Lake two winters ago and found the lake was a perfect skating rink. We didn’t have our skates, but armed with hobnails on our trail shoes, we had an awesome lake run, running out to one of the islands. While Norway Lake was frozen over yesterday, we weren’t quite ready to test the ice yet at this point.

Tempting Playground so close, but will require a longer day to get there.

We included a little more remote side trail into our run on the day as we headed into Cranberry Lake to enjoy a little narrower pine needle trails and get a few good climbs in. Both Sara and I (and Siku) left thinking that we wished that we had more time and a longer run planned to explore more of the trails and maybe do a little bushwhacking, as the rugged rocky cliffs are so appealing. Guess it will have to wait for another day.

The winter, or at least when the water (trails and lakes) is frozen, is the best time of the year to enjoy Puzzle Lake. It seems like the trails have been getting a little more use recently, and with it being crown land, you can camp for free. Someone has even been quite creative and built a toilet with a 360 degree view near a prime camping spot. All the comforts of home!

More enticing land to explore over there!

Don't want to head home yet!

Siku's not ready to go home yet either

Bathroom with a view

Snowshoe Racing:

Dion Eastern Ontario Snowshoe Running Series: Each racers top two finishes will count towards the series with the lowest point total being declared the winner. The first place male and female winner of the Dion Eastern Ontario Snowshoe Running Series will each win a pair of top-of-the-line Dion running snowshoes at the conclusion of the series. We will also be doing random draws for snowshoes and other prizes.

Dion Eastern Ontario Snowshoe Running Series – Race Dates:
· January 21, 2012: Frontenac Snowshoe Race – Frontenac Provincial Park, Sydenham, ON
· February 5, 2012: Frozen Ass Snowshoe Race – Batawa Ski Hill, Batawa, ON
· February 18, 2011: Switzerville Red Barn Snowshoe Race – Napanee, ON

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Trail Racing:

May 12, 2012: Kingston 5 Peaks Trail Race, Kingston, ON

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October 14, 2012: Sydenham Fall Trail Run, Sydenham, ON