6633 Extreme Ultra Marathon 2007
The 6633 Extreme Ultra was my first venture into the cold! And what a shock it was too, temperatures averaging –40 and on one of the days going as low as –75 with the wind chill factor!
This race was a real challenge and test of my physical and mental abilities, I knew that I could race in the heat, but how would I cope with the cold?
The highlights of the race for me were the Northern lights, a spectacular display each night. They are like funnels of green smoke that fly around the sky, touching the ground only to be bounced off again into another shape. They are so bright they lit my way. One of the evenings I was convinced I had a car behind me they were so bright. The most amusing moment was being spotted by my son as I danced along the ice road to my music, apparently not a good look!! The scenery was stunning, the first section of the race was extremely undulating with lots of pine trees, the further north I went the landscape became more and more barren and the trees became smaller and smaller! Wrights Pass, (the border between the Yukon and the North West Territories) affectionately known as Hurricane Alley was so windy I struggled to stay upright on occasions!
I had the most extraordinary hallucinations coming up to Caribou Creek, I saw an elephant, hundreds of men on skidoos about to attack me, men carrying guns standing near parked cars – I even closed my eyes and counted to ten knowing that none of this was real, on opening my eyes they were still there and had moved!!! It was rather like being in a movie! On arrival at Caribou Creek (CP4) I was told by the medic that I had to stay for at least 6 hours due to tiredness or I could be withdrawn from the race.
The one part of my body I found very difficult to keep warm once cold were my hands. In order to eat or get something out of my sled, I had to take my overmits off, this meant that in a matter of 30 seconds my fingers tips felt like blocks of ice – they would take 15 minutes to defrost!!! The last section of the race was on the “ice road” which is actually the Mackenzie River and during the winter months it is turned into a road. The colours of the ice were stunning, blues, yellows and greens – I was slightly concerned with the amount of cracks I could see, but decided not to panic as the lorries weighed more than me so I should be OK!!! This section was one of the most enjoyable for me, I had people stopping their cars taking photos (they must have thought it very strange seeing someone pulling a sled in the middle of nowhere!!!). They would chat and ask questions – which is MARVELLOUS when you have spent the last 8 hours on your own! At about 7.30pm I was trying very hard to open up a pepperoni sausage which had become frozen, to the rescue came three young men in a van, asked me what I was doing and then very kindly gave me a ham and cheese sandwich – I could have kissed them! The sandwich was the most delicious I think I have ever tasted; sadly it had to be eaten quickly as it too was freezing!! It put a smile on my face and a new lease of energy. With only about 20 miles to go until the end of the race, I reached the highest point of the river from where I had the most wonderful views for miles around. The sunset that evening was quite spectacular, turning the sky pink. Feeling a bit naughty at this stage I wrote MARVELLOUS in the snow with a huge smiley! – Silly I know but it just had to be done!!! I finally arrived at the outskirts of Tuktoyaktuk to be met by the crew and my son (who had also been crewing during the race) only to be told I still had 7 miles to go – I can’t even begin to describe how devastated I felt at that stage, especially as I thought I was nearly there!!! This was my lowest point of the race. Thankfully Ruaraidh (my son) came and ran the last section with me. My body was now becoming extremely cold and I was unable to regulate my temperature, I was FREEZING, nothing I did could warm me up, eventually one of the crew gave me their large down jacket and another hat – what a difference. So looking rather like a Michelin man I headed off towards the finish on the Arctic Ocean.
Coming towards the finish I was greeted by a lot of locals in their cars and skidoos all flashing their lights and shouting encouragement, absolutely fantastic! Finally the finish line came into view in between two igloos – such a wonderful sight, I had done it, WINNING the 6633 Extreme Ultra in 143 hrs 23 minutes, just under 6 days and 24 hours in front of the next runner.
Without the support of my extraordinary and wonderful family I couldn’t possibly achieve everything that I do so I would like to thank them for their encouragement, faith and love in me. During the race sadly my father died, so winning was even more important and I know he was there with me.
