Yukon Arctic Ultra
Encyclopedia
The Yukon Arctic Ultra is a series of non-stop multiday races
that take place concurrently beginning in Whitehorse
, Yukon
at the beginning of February each year. The marathon
, 100/300/430 mile races follow the course of the Yukon Quest
. The longer races have three disciplines: mountain bike
, xc-skis
or foot.
The race is billed as the toughest ultramarathon
in the world where the temperatures can drop to -50 degrees plus wind chill. The race was founded in 2003 and has run every year since except 2010.
Multiday races
Multiday races are ultramarathon running events which are typically either segmented into daily events of a specified distance or time, or staged so that runners can run as far as they want, at their own discretion, over a set course or over a set number of days...
that take place concurrently beginning in Whitehorse
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
, Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
at the beginning of February each year. The marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
, 100/300/430 mile races follow the course of the Yukon Quest
Yukon Quest
The Yukon Quest 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race, or simply Yukon Quest, is a sled dog race run every February between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon...
. The longer races have three disciplines: mountain bike
Mountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
, xc-skis
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
or foot.
The race is billed as the toughest ultramarathon
Ultramarathon
An ultramarathon is any sporting event involving running longer than the traditional marathon length of .There are two types of ultramarathon events: those that cover a specified distance, and events that take place during specified time...
in the world where the temperatures can drop to -50 degrees plus wind chill. The race was founded in 2003 and has run every year since except 2010.
Further reading
- Mark Hines (2010) The Yukon Arctic Ultra: Ultra Marathon Adventure Racing Across Canada's Frozen North Healthy Body Publishing (Paperback) ISBN 0-9553800-4-9