Raid Ukatak
It’s a Wrap!
Rob / 25.01.2003
Ukatak 2003 ended on the 5th day with competitors getting a ride over the line, pulled by dog teams into the ski resort of Monts Grand Fond. The outstanding team of the race were the winners High Coast 600 from Sweden, but all the teams coped incredibly well with the worst conditions ever experienced in the history of adventure racing. With the race suspended for a rescue and again due to weather so bad it was deemed unsafe to walk along a road it looked like Raid Ukatak might be called off at one point. Both the organisers and the teams performed heroics to keep going and to bring it to a safe and successful conclusion.The first team over the line were all female team ChiroTag.com who finished the ‘short course’ in the early hours of Friday morning and were closely followed by the other two teams on this course, Eider VT and Rage. Not far behind them were the 3 remaining members of the unranked Team Passion.
The winners, captained by Mikael Nordström, came over the line at 9.26am to complete the ‘Extreme’ course (including PC’s 16-19). They had also completed one of the highest and hardest sections of the route, subsequently closed to everyone else, in the very worst weather. Conditions were so appalling it was almost impossible to stand in the strong wind at times and the wind chill was so great frost bite was an ever present danger. Many competitors were forced to retire due to frost nip and in a very understated assessment Nordström said his team had to remain “very focused� to get round the course. Their win maintains the Scandinavian dominance of the race after two wins by Finnish teams in the previous races.
In second place were Team Auberge du Ravage/Commençal Supervélo, who were the only other team to complete the ‘’Extreme course’. Ad Opt Technologies/Le Yeti/Novadry and Olympia Cycle, who were last over the line, both completed the ‘Long course’ (i.e. missing the extreme section). So in the end 4 teams completed the intended route and 3 a much shortened course. The new disciplines of ski scootering and para-skiing were lost too, but it was a race about survival, not a time for trying new sports.
It was also a controversial race and will unfortunately be remembered more for the search and rescue operation for team BCG-ING Quebec than for the outstanding performance of High Coast 600. Thanks to the team’s fitness and the fact they were well equipped the outcome was a good one, but the emergency suspended and severely disrupted the race, and attracted massive media attention, much of it sensational and critical. Hopefully, the fact all the teams remained safe and the race was able to continue in the worst possibly conditions will refute some of these criticisms, but sponsors and local authorities may be wary next year and the press will be watchful.
[NB. Our coverage isn\'t over - the best is yet to come! Fredrik Olmqvist was in Quebec following the race and will be writing an exclusive report for SleepMonsters.com very shortly. Don\'t miss it!
You can also see the race in pictures through our galleries (links on the left) and read about Mikael Nordström in the profiles section.]See All Event Posts
