Fulda Challenge
Top Three Place for UK Team on Day 1
31.01.2006
Event one: Half-marathonLocation: Carcross
The 2006 Fulda Challenge got off to a promising start for the British team as the competitors travelled south on the Klondike Highway from their base in Whitehorse. The first event of the Arctic decathlon – a gruelling half-marathon – saw the UK duo secure 16 out of a possible 20 points.
The start and finish line for the 22km race was in the town of Carcross, part of the Southern Lakes network of waterways that form the Yukon River. Over 100 years ago this area featured prominently in the Klondike Gold Rush and it is now perhaps the most photographed town in the Yukon.
Set against the backdrop of the Yukon Territory’s breathtaking scenery, the athletes negotiated a snow-covered, deserted highway before crossing the finish line in front of the town’s community centre.
Despite sub-zero temperatures (-27°C) 26-year-old Metropolitan Police Officer Kate Balchin and 38-year-old Royal Marine PTI Martin Yardley battled it out to the end against some of the world’s finest adventure racers and triathletes.
Kate showed that months of hard work in training for the event had paid off as she took a superb first place in front of the strong field. This brought a maximum ten points to the British team in the first event, with Martin taking a further six points for fifth position in the men’s race. See All Event Posts
