Jovica Spajic has claimed victory at the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra, in what is the world’s coldest and toughest ultra race.
Spajic, who completed the course at the third time of asking after recording a DNF in both of his previous attempts, overcame brutal, icy conditions on the 300-mile course to claim first place, with only three other participants out of the original field of 18 crossing the finish line. An issue on the course meant that the distance was shortened by 38 miles, with Spajic at the time well set to challenge the course record.
The race, which started on 4th February, is based in Yukon, northwest Canada, with temperatures dropping to as low as -40 degrees Celsius. The course starts at Shipyard’s Park in Whitehorse next to the Yukon River, with the route ending at Pelly Crossing in one of the coldest and most remote environments on the planet.
The event is made up of three races: a marathon, 100 miles, and 300 miles, which are completed either on foot, fatbike, or XC-Ski, each starting from the same point of the non-stop course. The route follows that of the 1000-mile Yukon Quest trail, the trail of the world’s toughest Sled Dog Race, which has been running for almost 40 years.
The 100-mile course was won by Scott Herron on fatbike, with Elise Zender being the fastest participant on foot, placing third overall. The marathon course was won by Adam Luciano, who finished a 1 hour 44 minutes ahead of runner-up, Leandra Brient.
Montane’s Marketing Director, Matthew Hickman, commented: “The Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra is rightly regarded as the world’s coldest and toughest ultra race, so it is a huge achievement to successfully conquer the course. From the marathon length to the full 430 miles, the brutal, almost unimaginably cold conditions truly test participants to their limits as they push themselves Further. Faster.”
The race is the sister event of the Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra (MLAU), which was introduced in 2022. It is scheduled to take place from March 3rd – 13th 2024.
More information on the results can be found here: https://trackleaders.com/yukonultra24
More information on the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra can be found here: https://montane.com/pages/montane-yukon-arctic-ultra
