Competitors depart in one of the toughest foot-races of the world
Courtesy: 6633 Ultra (Facebook)
Saturday, March 21, 2015, 6:26 PM - Starting at Eagle Plain, Yukon and finishing almost 600 km away in Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., "6633 Ultra" is one of the most difficult foot-races in the world.
On Friday, nineteen racers from various countries started a race that is not expected to be done until Saturday March 28, 2015,
Between the powerful winds and the grueling cold temperatures, 6633 Ultra is a demanding challenge for anyone that chooses to participate. Since 2007 when the race first started only ten people have been able to complete it.
"Only 12 per cent of people who start this race actually finish it," founder Martin Like told the CBC. "I think this is one of the few races where there's no shame in not finishing. The conditions up there can be very extreme. The cold and wind are what takes out a lot of people."
The first rule of the race is simple: no outside assistance is allowed, except assistance from the official support crew. Racers are also expected to carry all the gear and equipment they may require including face masks, goggles, sleeping bags, emergency food, compass and a first aid kid.
So why do it?
For participant Than Jung, the reason is easy to explain.
"I want to challenge myself and I am running for charity," Jung told CBC News. "I am planning to build a library for an orphanage house in Thailand. I have something like 300 people subscribing for donations.
Others have more complex reasons.
"Universally, the energies are right. The vibrations are right," Daithí Ó Murchú said to CBC. "I felt very deeply within myself and felt this was the time to honour Mother Earth."
The first big challenge
Shortly after the race started, the organizers of 6633 Ultra updated that strong gusts were forcing a reroute.
"Extreme high winds a little further north mean that the road is closed going into the Northwest Territories. When we say "extreme high winds," I can guarantee you it means exactly what it says," the race organizers said on their Facebook page. For now, racers are travelling back and forth between Eagle Plains and the Arctic Circle. "Whatever distance the athletes have covered during the contingency plan, they will ultimately be transported up the trail the same distance to compensate."
MUST-SEE: 7 must see videos from Nova Scotia
