Yukon Artic Ultra
430 miles / 700 km in the Yukon Territory at down to –50° C / –58° F
Till Gottbrath / 04.02.2015
The aim: Enjoy and arrive in good health!
Beginning of February 2015, Nicole Doerr from Huben - a small settlement of 35 inhabitants in the Bavarian Alps - sets off to an extreme adventure: She participates in the "Yukon Arctic Ultra". The YAU takes place in the Yukon Territory (Northern Canada). Due to its length and temperatures as low as –50° Celsius (–58° Fahrenheit) it is often called "the toughest ultra race in the world". In 2013 the 46-year-old competed in the 300 miles race and reached the finish line as one of only two finishers. In 2015 she takes the challenge of the 430 miles race - almost 700 kilometres - and has a time limit of 13 days maximum for the non-stop course.
The approximately 80 participants can choose between four distances: Marathon, 100, 300 or 430 miles. They can either run, mountain bike or cross country ski. As she did in 2013, Nicole Doerr will run. Back then, she reached the finish line as the first woman and the second racer in the overall standings. It has to be said however, that in the 300 mile race only two participants even reached the finish line: Othmar Flepp from Switzerland and Nicole.
Nicole is not interested in her ranking. She says: "I actually think that I reached the finish line in 2013 because I did not look at the YAU as a race. If you are too ambitious, you make mistakes that can quickly kick you out of the race. I consider the YAU as a great outdoor adventure. Experiencing nature, remoteness and exploring your own limits - that’s it what makes the YAU so unique."
Nicole Doerr has little fear of the enormous distance or the extreme cold: "From participating in 2013 and doing several winter trips in northern Scandinavia and Greenland, I have plenty of experience. I have excellent equipment and I know how to use it. Of course, 430 miles seems unbelievably long. But only after you have tried, will you know if it is too long. Two years ago my biggest concern was sleep deprivation. I need a lot of sleep. But with around 5 hours of sleep per day it went surprisingly well." When it comes to meeting wild animals on the trail, Nicole has mixed emotions: "Bears hopefully hibernate. And one of my biggest dreams is seeing a wolf. Maybe not a whole pack and maybe not in the middle of the night..."
Following the tracks of the Yukon Quest
The route of the YAU follows the Yukon Quest from Whitehorse to Dawson. The legendary sled dog race through the remoteness of the northern winter will start exactly one day before the YAU. Thanks to the dogs and the snowmobiles the trail becomes relatively solid - as long as it is not covered by fresh snow or snow drift, or if it gets softer due to warm temperatures. Every 26 to 100 miles the participants have to check in at a checkpoint. Here they get hot water and a warm meal.
Regardless of the checkpoints, each athlete is required to haul enough equipment to survive for at least 48 hours: tent, sleeping bag, stove and food. The athletes pull a pulk, a tub-like sled, weighing 20 to 25 kg. Mandatory equipment also includes a Spot, a small transmitter that sends the GPS position of the athlete via satellite every 10 minutes. For the organizer this means a big plus in safety and it enables the live tracking for everybody at home sitting in front of the computer (http://www.arcticultra.de/en/).
Pulling a tractor wheel for training
In addition to having solid experience with cold climates, Nicole Doerr is an accomplished athlete. She not only finished the YAU 2013 but has also competed in the Transalpine Run four times (a stage race traversing the Alps in eight days), the Trans Rockies Run and local 100 km races in the Bavarian Alps. In her everyday life, she shows a lot of courage as well. Recently, Nicole quit her job in purchasing for a Swedish sports brand and is now living her dream. In October she started studying atmospheric sciences in Innsbruck.
For the YAU she has added some special training: "Our neighbour gave me an old front wheel from his tractor. I pulled it for training. But I must confess that I feel kind of silly pulling a tractor tire through the woods. I prefer to do that at night, as chances of encountering other people who think I am crazy are lower. Luckily, we got some snow recently. Now we can pull our sledges up a mountain to one of the mountain huts in our area. That is a lot more fun - especially the downhill."
Well prepared and full of anticipation Doerr will set off to Canada on February 4th, 2015. She summarizes: "I love nature and I love endurance sports. And I am so fascinated to try something where I have no idea if I can make it." Her big aim is: Enjoying the adventure and arriving at the finish line healthy and in good spirits.
The Yukon Arctic Ultra 2015 starts on February 8th 2015 at 10:30 a.m. local time Whitehorse (= 19.30 CET). More information and live tracking on www.arcticultra.de.
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