Hi everyone,
I can’t believe that I wrote my last newsletter more than 4 months ago! So much happening … Especially my online shop Racelite is keeping me busy as more customers all over the world mean more enquiries, need for better stock management, plenty of time spent doing accounting (great fun!), etc. It is exciting to help all these people get the right gear and seeing how the business develops. However, I promise my next newsletter won’t take that long!
Fisse made it all the way
All those of you who followed Joachim Rintsch’s (aka Fisse) progress earlier this year will know it already. The German YAU veteran has made it all the way from Fairbanks to Whitehorse on foot and on his own. I just thought I’d mention it as I realized my last news updates on his “journey” ended when he was approaching Carmacks.
Fisse had already successfully participated in the YAU several times when he decided to be one of the first – if not THE first – to do the entire Yukon Quest trail on his own, on foot. Those of you who have already been out there will know what an amazing achievement this is. And those of you who will participate in the YAU for the first time next year will wonder how he did it 😉 So, once again congratulations, Fisse!
Many new entries
Welcome to all athletes who signed up since my last newsletter! 32 athletes are on the race roster already and it’s a great mix of veterans and new faces.
We have two German marathon entrants. Jürgen Heilbock who is new to the YAU and Richard Malz-Heyne. I have lost count how many times Richard has already done the marathon distance. And I am quite sure last time he said he won’t come back as he has been to the Yukon so many times he now needs to see other parts of the world. Well, he seems to have this Yukon virus. Beware!
Three more Germans have signed up for the 100 miles, Jens Fritzsch, Marco Möller and Thomas Werner. Louis May is the first woman to sign up for the distance to Braeburn. Also, we have Manfred Steiner from Austria and Gavin McChesney from the USA. For all of them it will be the first YAU.
Tomeu Llompart Pérez is the seventh athlete from Spain doing the 300 miles. Then there are Mike Thomas, Pat Cooke-Rogers, Marianne Heading and Jez Kearney from the UK who all have been to the YAU already. Same goes for Folker Schulz from Germany who is joined by Mario Oehme who is almost a neighbor of mine and can’t wait to face the challenge.
Last but not least, the 430 miles. Matt Wellbourne has got quite a bit of company by now. There is Peter Jansen (Germany), David Berridge (UK), Mark Hines (UK), Johne Quinn (UK) and Enrico Ghidoni (Italy). All with previous YAU experience. Enrico is our 2009 winner of the 430 miles in the foot category. 2011 he will give it a try on xc-skis. He will be challenged by Joe Hogan (UK) and it will be interesting to see them compete as they represent two different generations. Paul Liebenberg is the first Australian to sign up for the race to Dawson.
New Book
Out now: “The Yukon Arctic Ultra: Ultra Marathon Adventure Racing Across Canada’s Frozen North”, by Mark Hines
As of this week Mark’s book about the Yukon Arctic Ultra is available. Mark finished the YAU 430 mile race in 2009 and like he did with the Marathon des Sables and Jungle Marathon he wrote a book about his experience.
I have not read it, yet but I am sure it will be of great help for anybody who signed up for the first time and fun for those who already participated. So, thank you Mark for sharing your views with others and success for this one and all your future books!
Diane Patrick back to volunteer for the medical team
Like many other volunteers Diane Patrick has become a very important part of the YAU team. Either on her own and the past couple of editions with Eric Kocher (who hopefully will be back, too), she has formed the medical team. Therefore, she knows the YAU and its medical challenges very well. A race without Diane’s support would be very strange and I am really glad that once more she will be back to help the athletes in 2011.
It is a good occasion to also make new athletes aware of the fact that regarding medical support the YAU is very different from races like the Marathon des Sables or the Jungle Marathon. There is no crew waiting at the checkpoints to deal with all sorts of aches and sores. Of course Diane and the rest of the medical team will help in any way they can. But since the YAU is a non-stop race rather than a stage race, it is impossible to have medical support at all checkpoints. We do have wilderness first aid trained people at the remote checkpoints. And we will of course bring medical volunteers to a checkpoint if we know there is or will be a problem. But we can’t guarantee to have somebody there always to take care of blisters, chafing, etc.
At the YAU a lot of the responsibility to deal with minor problems is with the athletes. That is why prevention is so important! Athletes should research cold injury prevention and also have a plan what to do if an emergency occurs in the middle of nowhere. Because depending on weather conditions it can take hours or days until we get there.
YAU 2011 film project
I am currently investigating options to help financing our filming project and I am positive we will find a way to get the support we need in order to a have a crew filming the entire race.
To get support we need to secure TV coverage. Which in turn will depend on the stories we have to tell. So, if you think your story is somehow unique or if you know that your local, regional or national TV will want to feature your adventure, let me know. Send me an email or give me a call. Then I can talk to the production company if we can include this in the concept and how we can best provide the coverage requested, etc.
Gear packages powered by Montane
Montane have suggested to offer YAU athletes special deals on gear. This will either be in the form of packages with a special price or a discount. If you are about to buy some clothing for the race it will be worth it to wait a bit until I can announce what exactly will be available. It won’t take long (hopefully within the next week or so when I have all the information or you).
Using SPOT
I am currently negotiating with SPOT regarding their support for the next YAU. It is unlikely that I will get free units again to give away. As soon as I have any more information I will include this in a newsletter and news update on our website.
Entry fees
Please note that the early entry fee is valid until 31st of August. After that entry fees go up. So, if you know for sure you want to participate it makes sense to send us your Application & Waiver by that date.
Best regards,
Robert Pollhammer
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