The Inaugural 6633 Extreme Ultra
6633 Ultra - Day 8 report
Martin Like / 01.04.2007
Day 8……The end is near.
With 4 of the 6 entrants still in the race now firmly tucked up in bed having crossed the finish line, only Steve Evans from Guernsey and Calvyn Hobday remain out on the trail.
Steve reached the penultimate checkpoint at Swimming Point at 3.40am and once again took a sensible rest before continuing at 9.55am on the last of the course to Tuktoyaktuk.
Someway behind Calvyn is gradually making his way to Swimming Point fully aware that his current pace wont get him to the finish line by the cut off of 8.00am the following morning. As indicated in my last report, Calvyn maintains the appearance of an athlete making swift progress, but alas the odometer and time reflect a somewhat different picture.
At 15.40 Calvyn arrived at Swimming Point but with the deadline approaching could only afford a very short rest and was back on the final section in 45 minutes, leaving at 16.25.
Whilst these 2 athletes battled on, back in Tuktoyaktuk the awaiting support crew together with the athletes, who had finished or withdrawn, enjoyed a fantastic evening with the local inhabitants of Tuk who entertained us with traditional Drum Dancing and a display of Arctic Sports.
In the early hours of the morning Steve Evans finally reached the outskirts of the Hamlet. Accompanied by a cavalcade of vehicles and accompanied on foot over the last 2 kilometers by his close friends, Steve Reeves and Cookie, Steve finally crossed the finish line on the banks of the Arctic Ocean at 5.27am giving him 2nd place in this most extreme of extreme marathons.
Back on the ice, Calvyn continues to progress towards the Tuktoyaktuk, albeit it is very apparent that he wont make the finish before the official cutoff of 8.00am. However, having endured 350 miles of incredibly tough conditions fittingly the Diane Patrick, the medic accompanying the event, generously offered to wait for him to finish whilst unfortunately everyone else had to depart Tuk at 8.00am in accordance with a very tight schedule. At approximately 20km out from the hamlet, Calvyn received the good wishes and support as everyone departed for a 650 mile journey towards Dawson city.
Calvyn eventually crossed the finish line 12.15 thus making him the 3rd and final foot competitor in the inaugural 6633 Ultra.
After a long tiring drive back along the Dempster, including the route of the race, it was time to party in Dawson City, home of the Gold Rush. All athletes and support crew enjoyed their Sourtoe Cocktail (type it into google if you don’t know what this is) and for some a late night of drinking and fun.
In a few days time I will write a post race report, I just need this time to reflect and collect my thoughts.
However, in very brief summary, the inaugural 6633 Ultra has been an overwhelming success. The race has been blessed with an absolutely cracking support crew and with a superb roster of athletes. Before the race commenced I knew it was going to be tough but my expectations were exceeded – it was “brutal� as one competitor described it mid way through the event, but it is very doable as the 6 finishers have proven. This event is only suitable for strongest of athletes (both physically and mentally) and in future years will have a restricted entry to those that can prove they have attributes to participate. This doesn’t mean that only racing snakes may apply – to the contrary – many a racing snake would fail as speed is not the principal factor required to reach the Arctic Ocean. To finish this race a competitor needs to display that they can hack it when the going gets tough and can react quickly when circumstances dictate. At its conception this race wasn’t looking for any titles – it was purely intended to be a hard event in a stunningly beautiful environment – however, I have little doubt that the 6633 has in its first year established itself as definitely the coldest and windiest ultra out there, and quite possibly the toughest of all ultras in any environment.
Cheers
Martin Like
(Race Director and shattered)
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