Hello everyone,
most of you who will follow this year’s Yukon Arctic Ultra and certainly those of you who run, xc-ski or mountain bike it will have frequently checked the website these last few weeks. Then you are up to date. But just in case I am sending the last News Updates also as a newsletter.
Also, from now until right after the race check the websites for News Updates as I will likely not send out any newsletters until Feb. 25th. However, the website will be updated frequently (see also information below).
Best regards,
Robert
Trail Update
I made it to the Yukon and since I am starting to be overweight I decided to go check out the trail. It was quite cloudy yesterday and it actually snowed with temperatures around ? 10 degrees Celsius. Whilst snow as such is good news I quickly found out that for the trail it can also cause problems.I met Quest Musher William Kleedehn near the start line and he told me they had put the trail in near Whitehorse with three snowmobiles a couple of days before. And it is good they did that because the new snow is like powder and about 30 cm deep wherever no snow machine has been. Even where the snow machines had done trail work the snow was still somewhat soft and it continued to snow almost all day.
More ski-doos will go over that trail in the following days and as temperatures hopefully drop things should be fine. If temperatures don’t drop it will be a difficult first stage. Good conditions for the xc-skiers, though. I saw some xc-skiers and they were making great progress. They were moving in the classic style. No Skating.
As soon as I talk to Stephen Reynolds from the Quest office (which I will try to do today) I should have a better idea on trails outside of the Whitehorse area.
I am still overweight – maybe I should start training to run the YAU next year. I know quite a few people who would like to see me suffer 😉
Feb. 8th
17:00 – 18:00 Hand-out of rental gear, High Country Inn, Annex
Feb. 9th
13:30 – 16:00 Indoor part of the official YAU Training Course, High Country Inn, Annex
17:00 – 23:00 Outdoor part of the official YAU Training Course, trails near Whitehorse
Feb. 10th
08:00 – 09:00 De-brief of the official YAU Training Course, High Country Inn, Room B
09:00 – 10:30 Official Trail Briefing for all athletes, High Country Inn, Room B
from 11:00 Start of the Yukon Quest
11:30 – 12:30 Gear check, High Country Inn, Library
12:00 – 16:00 Handing in and filling out missing paper work, High Country Inn, Library
17:00 – 22:00 Pre-Race Banquet, High Country Inn, Ballroom
News updates during the race
Once again we will try to update you on the race progress as frequently as possible. This time I will have expert help with it, too. Jessica Simon who has been volunteering for the YAU since 2004 happens to be a professional writer. After she returns from the Dog Grave Lake Checkpoint you will be able to read her reports online.
During the first three days I will try to update you as often as possible. Later on in the race the frequency of reports and the level of detail will depend on how much information I can get through to Jessica. However, since we all call in to report the status to Jessica on a daily basis there should also be one report per day.
Another place where you can follow our progress is the results table which you find on the “Welcome” page bottom right. At the moment you will find the tables for past races. In time for the start you will find a new table for 2007.
Other website that will feature reports are www.sleepmonsters.co.uk and www.eventrate.com.
Pictures I will upload whenever I have access to internet myself. This may not be as frequent.
Email messages for athletes
If you want you can send athletes email messages during the race. Please note that emails prior to Feb. 11th will not be printed and forwarded. Prior to the race I encourage you to send your messages direct to the athletes. Most hotels have internet access and experience has shown that all participants frequently check their emails before the race.
Once the race is on please email [email protected]. I will distribute the emails as often as possible. However, please forgive me if not all emails make it to their destination.
Medical Kit
As part of Race Rule #6 YAU athletes have to carry a personal first aid kit. After consulting with the medical team, the following medical kit is mandatory:
Blister dressings
Space blanket
Hot shots
Anti-nausea pills
Anti-diarrhoea pills
Vaseline or similar
Anti-bacterial agent (to stop or prevent infections)
Dressings for cuts
Apart from the above medical kit our medical team also recommends taking along sun glasses, duct tape and electrolyte mix.
It is important for athletes to know that there is plenty of vital gear not listed as mandatory gear, e.g. we leave it up to the participants to decide which clothes to wear and how much spare clothes to take along.
Yukon Quest Raffle
Once again the Yukon Quest is putting on a raffle to raise money for the race. You can win:
* a 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 QuadCab 4×4 Diesel (see photograph below)
* a 12 day Cruise Package with airfare for 2 + $1,000 Spending Money
* a full-day Dogsledding Adventure Package for 4 people
Over $70,000 in prizes. Only 1,500 tickets printed. Tickets are $100. You can purchase tickets once you are in Whithorse at the Yukon Quest Office, Metro Chrysler, White Horse General Store and Duffy’s.
Yukon Quest Start Banquet
The Yukon Quest 2007 Start Banquet is a great opportunity to meet mushers and plenty of locals. It’s a great place for some trail talking. The banquet will take place in Whitehorse on Thursday, February 8th. For a $50 ticket you will get a full-course meal with entertainment, silent auction, “tails from the trail” and an evening full of Yukon Quest lore and excitement. The Banquet starts at 5 p.m. at the Yukon Convention Centre. Tickets are available from the Yukon Quest office or by calling +1 867 668-4711. Don’t delay – tickets are almost gone.
Yukon Quest Merchandise
If you are interested in Yukon Quest Merchandise please check out www.yukonqueststore.com. These products are sold be the Whitehorse General Store which you will find on 205 Main Street, Whitehorse.
is this race where you walk jog or ski. I am trying to look for the site where you go from Whitehors to Dawson City. send me some information.
Carol Collins
Fort Resolution, NT lookin to join.