BHP Billiton Rock and Ice Ultra
Race to the Finish
Rob Howard / 26.03.2009
The final day began in bright sunshine at Trout Rock Lodge, but it was cold and the wind was blowing strongly into the faces of the racers as they lined up by the start flags on the lake. Michael Argue and Phil Villeneuve were the first racers to position their sleds, setting them on the front of the start line, both looking determined and concentrating on the competition ahead. Behind them was Greg McHale, looking more relaxed, and he briefly sat on Villeneuve’s sled and yelled, “OK. I’m ready when you are!� That broke the tension a little and Argue turned and said, “Is anyone else here racing?� It was clear no one else was (barring some technical failure the other race positions were all but decided), and he laughed and said, “Bastards�, to everyone’s amusement. Seconds later the race was underway and any conversation and joking stopped as the two elite skiers began racing for the prize of an Ekati diamond. In the early stages of the day the wind was hitting the racers head on but fortunately the route turned back on itself so the wind was behind them and there was some shelter in the trees for much of the way. With the temperature at -20C and the wind rising to 30 km/hr the wind chill was extreme.
So was the competition and there was still nothing to separate Villeneuve and Argue until a rough portage on the outskirts of Yellowknife where the trail is exceptionally bumpy. “I tried to make a break in the rough section and maybe hope his bag would jump of as it did a couple of times before,� said Villeneuve. “He slowed a lot, and I gained 50m but it wasn’t enough. I tried to make the break but there was not enough energy in the tank and he passed me about a kilometre out from the finish.�
“I underestimated Mike’s fitness and couldn’t really train as I’d wanted to in the lead up to the race, life just got in the way. Today was the first day I knew I was in trouble. When I woke up I just hoped he felt the same as I did! We were exchanging the lead for a while but in the end I just didn’t have enough strength to win.�
Argue crossed the line to win at 12:54:25, taking less than 4 hours to cover the final 39km and posting a total time of only 24 hours 13 minutes to complete the whole 225km distance. He skated in with the tail win pushing him along and whipping up the snow cover and raised his arm in celebration as he crossed the finish line. (He couldn’t pass under the finish banner as it was too windy to put it up!)See All Event Posts
