It was a typical winter's day in Teslin, Canada meaning temperatures were hovering around a chilling -8F at 9 a.m. when 37 intrepid adventurers took off from the starting line of what was billed as the world's "coldest and toughest" ultra. Over the next week, an unusual sight unfolded across the frozen landscape, as the runners made their way north across the territory's frozen subarctic region on foot, pulling their gear behind them in sleds for 340k, then turned around and retraced their steps.
That was the plan anyway.
Nearly 30 had dropped out at the time of writing this article due to exhaustion and cold-related injuries and we started to get vibes of Kev Leahy being branded the official winner of the 2024 Montane Arctic Spine in Sweden because he was the last remaining runner on course. But the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra has turned out a little differently – on February 10, after seven days and 22 hours of pulling a sled laden with winter camping gear, snowshoes, food and water, Mathieu Blanchard crossed the finish line in Faro.
The French-born ultra runner is the first person to complete the inaugural Montane Yukon Arctic 600k race, his victory less than four months after he came out swinging to win the Reunion Island 100-miler. How would he describe the experience?
"Pain, joy, madness, survival, achievement, fight, suffering, euphoria, fear," says Blanchard, who battled temperatures as low as -40F during his trek across one of the coldest and most remote environments on the planet.
The organizers of the brutal race, which has previously only been run in marathon, 160k and 480k distances, say Blanchard made it clear from the starting line he was in it to win.
"From the moment he left Teslin, Mathieu set a relentless pace, navigating the harsh conditions with experience, skill, and sheer determination," writes the MYAU on Instagram with a photo of Blanchard sporting a snow-covered bear.
"Though the pain in his legs threatened to slow him down, his resilience never wavered. He pushed forward, step after step, proving why he is among the world’s most formidable endurance athletes."
Incredibly, Blanchard is not alone in his victory. Since his win, at least three other runners have crossed the finish line including Frenchman Guillaume Grima, Belgian Kasper Vanherpe and American Joaquin Candel.
Since winning in La Reunion, Blanchard's Instagram has consisted mostly of footage showing his winter training in preparation for the feat. On February 2, he posted a picture of himself lying on the floor surrounded by his kit for the race, and understandably it looks as though he switched out his usual Salomon S/Lab Genesis for the new S/Lab Ultra Dust. Released in January, the Ultra Dust is built for elite runners who want to stay fast in the most rugged conditions, with an ankle-height gaiter, protective toe cap and a big stack of foam for comfort.
The Yukon Arctic is a series of foot, mountain bike and cross-country ski races that have taken place concurrently each year in early February for the past two decades. This year, in addition to the new distance, the new trail includes significantly more elevation gain. We're not expecting to see many more cross the finish line since most have either dropped or finished, but you can track the athletes here.
