BHP Billiton Rock and Ice Ultra
Chilling Out
Rob Howard / 21.03.2008
It was a day of preparation at the BHP Billiton Rock and Ice Ultra, and probably set a record for the coldest registration, press conference and race briefing every held. All were held in the large marquee at Matrix village and even with the heaters on and a crowd in for the briefing it probably never got above -10C. The competitors were doing their last minute try outs, testing their sleds and stoves, and wondering if there was an item of gear they’d forgotten, or if they had enough food. Not that there was any chance of last minute shopping as it was Good Friday and the shops were shut.
If there was anything they’d forgotten then this was pointed out in the no-nonsense safety talk given by Mike Rarog of Arctic Response who ran though essential gear and made everyone very well aware of the potential dangers on the trail. Stories of overflow (water on the surface of the ice) and falling through the ice were the most worrying, but the safety cover on the race is exceptional so there was reassurance as well.
The race briefing and pasta supper took place in the early evening, and Race Director Scott Smith ran through the courses which had a few minor changes and are slightly shorter than last year. There are also stricter cut-offs on the one-day Cold Foot Classic, which worried a few of the teams.
Scott assured everyone the trail would be flagged the whole way and was hard to miss as “anywhere off the trail you’ll be knee deep in snow�. The route is pre-run and prepared by snowmobiles from the race team, who’ve been setting up camps and tents all around the course and Smith warned the first 6 km had blown snow and would tough. “Don’t get discouraged by the start,� he advised, “ss it gets better after that.�
Naturally much of the conversation was about the possible trail conditions. Last years K-Rock foot race winner Ewan Affleck had heard the temperature might rise and said, “That could be really bad news for us runners as we’d be breaking through the snow all the time and that’s really hard work.� He had heard it might be as high as -2C, but at present it looks like daytime temperatures will be in the -7C to -12C range through the race. There is a fair amount of snowfall however, and the evening was overcast with 2 to 3 cms of snow expected through the night and it will most likely be snowing for the start at 0900 tomorrow.See All Event Posts
