Ultra-athletes compete at -35 C in Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra
Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra participants are now arriving in Ross River. Like the Yukon Quest, the Ultra participants are on a new route this year, following the dog trail. For the two-legged racers, it's always an extreme event.
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Toronto Sun
6 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Canadian ultramarathoner stopped to breastfeed daughter and still won
'I wanted to show her — both of us — how amazing mom runners can be' Stephanie Case, an ultramarathon runner and new mom who won the 100-kim Ultra-Trail Snowdonia in Wales on May 17, 2025. Photo by @theultrarunnergirl / Instagram Mothers know how to juggle tasks, but one mom showed how she can juggle the needs of her newborn — and win a race. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Stephanie Case, 42, a Canadian who lives in Chamonix, France, entered the 100-km Ultra-Trail Snowdonia in Eryri National Park in Wales on May 17 with 'no expectations,' so when she won, it was 'a surprise,' she wrote on Instagram. The runner had her daughter just six months ago and is still breastfeeding. She also hadn't entered a race in three years due to 'recurrent miscarriages and IVF failures,' Case shared, but wanted it to serve as a 'warmup' to another event — next month's 165-km Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Colorado. 'My goals were to enjoy myself and make sure Pepper was fed at aid stations,' she continued. Case noted that she started in the 'last wave,' giving the leaders a 30-minute head start. 'Sure, I had hundreds of runners in front of me, but I could go at my own pace in blissful ignorance of my placing,' the mom explained. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Case described it like riding a bike, and said it was a reminder that she 'hadn't lost a thing' over the past three years of not racing. The new mom got special permission to pause to breastfeed, on the one condition that she couldn't accept aid during the stops, Case told NPR . She said that her partner carried their baby to the 20-, 50- and 80-kilometre checkpoints and handed the little one over for a few minutes to feed before going back to running. Case told the outlet that she was more concerned with her fuel intake and feeding schedule than her race time. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'During the race, I was taking in about 80 to 100 grams of carbohydrates an hour,' she said. 'And I kept that up until about 65K, and then I had to pull back a bit because I was getting quite nauseous. And then I ramped it back up again and was kind of done at 95K.' She admitted: 'That's when I started getting really nauseous.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO That's also when she 'lost all bladder control,' she revealed on Instagram. Case finished the race and was quickly told the incredible news. 'I WON?!?,' she recalled in disbelief. Read More 'I didn't even know I had won until after I crossed the line.' Case credits motherhood for the win, writing that she found she 'gained way more joy and strength from this sport as a mom than I ever did before.' She added: 'I wanted to show her — both of us — how amazing mom runners can be.' Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Olympics Toronto & GTA Ontario NHL Ontario
CBC
13-02-2025
- CBC
6 racers reach finish line in this year's Yukon Arctic Ultra, 40 others dropped out
A difficult new trail, along with extreme cold conditions, made for an especially gruelling Yukon Arctic Ultra this year, with only a fraction of the competitors managing to complete the 600-kilometre race. Of the 46 competitors who set out from Teslin, Yukon, on Feb. 2 on foot, skis or bike, six crossed the finish line in Faro while the rest dropped out at various points along the way, sometimes because of frostbite. Harm Feringa of the U.S. was the overall winner, crossing the line on Saturday on a fat bike. Mathieu Blanchard from Montreal was the first to finish on foot, on Monday. Jessie Gladish of the Yukon was the first female finisher, the second on a bike and fourth overall when she reached Faro on Tuesday. The last finisher crossed the line in Faro in the early hours of Wednesday morning. This year's race followed a new route, the same as this year's Yukon Quest sled dog race. Ultra athletes made their way to Faro by way of Ross River. Racers had the choice of either a 350-kilometre distance or a 600-kilometre distance. Only those racing the 600-kilometre distance managed to finish the race. Gladish says this year's route was "very challenging." She has previously raced in the Yukon Arctic Ultra on a bike, on cross-country skis and on foot, but finishing this year felt different. "It feels a little wild to be one of six [finishers]," Galdish said. "It feels like an accomplishment, especially this year." This year's route had continuous elevation gain and loss, very different from the former route along the Yukon River, says Gladish. "We just didn't really get a break from the cold and we didn't get a break from the strenuous climbs and descents. It was very hard," Gladish said. "It can be a little soul-crushing, in a way." Despite the challenges on this year's route, Gladish says it was "beautiful." "The mountain surroundings are amazing," she said. "We had a moon that was growing over the course of the nine days I was out there and sunny, clear days every day." Now, Gladish will only have 10 days of rest before her next ultra-marathon race, the 563-kilometre (350-mile) Iditarod Trail Invitational in Alaska, which she will be completing on cross country skis. 40 athletes forced to drop out Most Yukon Arctic Ultra athletes were forced to end their races early, due to extreme cold and tough course conditions, said race organizer Robert Polhammer. "People have to go through the South Canol Road and the Dena Cho trail, that's more than what we are used to and that was very hard," Polhammer said. "Add to that temperatures of –30, –35 and sometimes –40 every night, that's a difficult mix for people." Ten racers dropped out due to frostbite, others ended their races early due to trench foot, back problems or pure exhaustion, says Polhammer. Trench foot is foot damage that results from prolonged exposure to cold and wet environments. "We were able to catch all the frostbite cases early enough so that everybody will keep their fingers and toes," Polhammer said. Some past competitors have lost digits to frostbite, and in 2018 an Italian competitor lost both his hands and his feet. Three of this year's competitors also had to be medevaced by helicopter, because of the remoteness of the race. "It's less risky to bring them out on a helicopter, because if we bring them out on a snowmobile, their frostbite would re-freeze, so that's not a risk worth taking," Polhammer said. He said the race's insurance covers the cost of helicopter rescues. Polhammer says despite the arduous conditions, he hopes that the event can return to the same route next year.
CBC
06-02-2025
- CBC
Veteran Yukon musher wins 2nd Yukon Quest in a row
Michelle Phillips and her dog team crossed the finish line in Teslin, Yukon, at 9 p.m. Wednesday, marking her second Yukon Quest 450 victory in a row. As soon as her sled stopped, the veteran musher walked down her line of dogs — giving each a cuddle. She said she's grateful for them. "It was challenging for sure, but it was good. They did really good," she said. Her husband and business partner, Ed Hopkins, was the first to greet her at the finish line. Together, they own Tagish Lake Kennels just outside Carcross. Veteran musher Michelle Phillips wins Yukon Quest He said he's proud of his wife for her work ethic. "She's trained really hard this year," said Hopkins. Hopkins said Phillips and Ben Simard, another musher, spent six weeks on the Canol Road training for the event. Annie Johnston, a member of the Teslin Tlingit Council, is another one of the winner's cheerleaders. "She's almost like a champion of ours. It makes me proud it's someone from the Yukon." Johnston said she's glad to see the race happening in her backyard. "It's just amazing that it happened here, there's quite a few people here from Teslin." Thinking of a hot meal Phillips held on to the lead for a good chunk of the race, at times leap-frogging with other competitors. Jessie Royer from Seeley Lake, Montana, came in second place and Jesse Terry from Sioux Lookout, Ontario, arrived shortly after midnight, claiming third. The route started and ended in Teslin for the first time this year. Race organizer Sarah Tomlin said she's happy the way everything turned out. "There were some times that I was like, I didn't see how it was going to come together, but the team of volunteers, when everybody starts showing up, it just flows." After three and a half days on the trail and covering more than 659 kilometres, Phillips said all she was thinking about at the end of the race was eating a hot meal. Her next race, the Iditarod, will take place in less than a month and cover twice the distance. It kicks off March 2.
