The Inaugural 6633 Extreme Ultra
6633 Ultra Day 3
Martin Like / 22.03.2007
This is the day that the hardship of the last 24 hours took its toll. After taking a shorter break at James Creek, Mimi Anderson sprung a lead on Calvyn Hobday of just over an hour. Leaving the warmth of the Highway Camp at just before 3.00am Mimi headed off into the frigid cold to cover the 47 miles to Fort McPherson. The route from James Creek for the first 35 miles crosses a further range of high mountains and a high exposed plateau before descending into the MacKenzie Delta.
Many of the athletes who arrived at the James Creek checkpoint throughout the night and early morning opted to wait until daylight in the vain hope that temperatures would rise and the winds would drop, but alas such wishes were in vain. As morning broke on day 3 it was still incredibly cold and would further test the athletes to their absolute limits. Leaving at 8.00am was Welsh athlete Steve Evans whose steady consistent pace means he is likely to be a strong contender by the time the race reaches Tuktoyaktuk. Following within the hour were fellow Brits Steve Reeves and Howard Cooke. Having arrived at James Creek at 7.05am, Katherine Hay-Heddle was the last of the official runners to depart from the checkpoint at 10.37. Francis Beauvallet decided to call it a day at James Creek having had a very tough previous 24 hours over the monster “Wright Pass�. As a now non ranked runner Sue Kersley rejoined the race for the trek into Fort MacPherson.
3 hours after leaving the checkpoint, Sue Kersley succumb to the cold with mild hypothermia and was removed from the course to the local hospital in Fort MacPherson by the race medic but after a brief check-up was allowed to leave albeit a little shaken. Almost simultaneously Katherine Hay-Heddle likewise suffered the same fate and whilst not requiring medical attention removed herself from the course into the safety of the back up vehicle. See All Event Posts
