BHP Billiton Rock and Ice Ultra
A Long First Day
Rob Howard / 21.03.2009
I’m sure Race Director Scott Smith said yesterday that the weather for this race would be good ... maybe he’d read the same misleading weather forecast I did this morning! It said there would be no wind but as dawn broke over Yellowknife with the temperature at -25C the Canadian flags on top of the city centre buildings were snapping in a strong breeze. The skies were overcast as racers gathered at Matrix Village, staying in the tents as long as they could to keep out of the biting wind chill and making a dash for the start gantry just before the 09.00 start. There was quite a crowd there to see them off and the competitors were just keen to get moving, to relieve their pent up nerves and adrenalin, and to warm up.
With a cheer they were off, circling around the race marquee and passing the house boat community, still frozen in place by the grip of winter, The route then went past the Air Tindi airstrip – which they racers had been warned to keep off of. Very quickly they were strung out across the ice of Yellowknife Bay, getting into their stride and feeling the pull of their sleds.
The course took them north to first checkpoint at Dettah Crossing and then inland to Hay Lake and northward via a string of small lakes and portages to cross the Ingraham Trail road and reach CP2 at Cassidy Point. (There are maps on the Rock and Ice Ultra website.) As you might expect the top K-Rock skiers set the pace, but right with them was 6 day racer Jason Terauchi-Loutitt, setting an amazing pace on foot while towing his sled. It was the smallest sled in the race though, a compact box of folded and duct taped cardboard with no runners, but it was working well and Jason was setting a pace none of the other runners could live with. He is one of Canada’s top mountain and marathon runners and as he raced across the ice with a high leg lift similar to that of a sprinter, he spurned snow shoes where other runners wore them, and was lightly equipped.
In the bitter headwind his exposed face, protected only by duct tape on his nose and across his cheeks, quickly iced up and as he progressed across Prosperous and Prelude Lakes in the afternoon his condition deteriorated and his pace slowed. Safety marshals reported he had frostbite but was continuing and he was passed by Greg McHale who commented, “He was in a mess but I didn’t stop to talk to him.� When Race Director Scott Smith reached him he was having trouble seeing, speaking and was wandering off course – his race was over and he was quickly taken into the first camp for treatment, then to Yellowknife for medical attention. See All Event Posts
