Twenty-eight athletes, 40 some-odd volunteers, four
languages, and almost 400 kilometers of
trails later, the inaugural Ukatak Raid International
is but a memory.
TeamPeak.com crossed the finish line around noon on
Friday, and barely had time to shower before it joined
the more rested members of the other five teams to
complete the race for an award ceremony that was as
much about trail tales as it was about prizes.
The evening included snowshoe horror stories, sleep
deprivation tales and a contest to find the athlete
who most exemplified the spirit of adventure racing.
At the behest of TeamPeak.com's Adrian Crane, a
veteran expedition racer, that award went to rookie
racer Luc Baril of Team Le Yeti.
"I had problems on one section when one of my poles
broke," recounted Crane. "Luc helped me fix it as best
he could, then off I went to sleep, knowing I would
have to make more repairs before I could use it. When
I woke up, there was my pole, upright in the snow,
taped up and as good as new."
If there had been an award for the athlete who had the
most equipment mishaps, it should perhaps have gone to
PlaneteAventures' Loic Goharel. The French captain
managed to make the most of each of his repair kits.
His bike chain broke, his ski binding cracked (several
times), he flipped upside down on the rappel, and
wherever there was a crevasse to be found on the
snowshoe section, Goharel was bound to plant a shoe in
it.
"The only section he had no problems with was the ice
canoeing at the start," laughed teammate David Besson.
"Good thing he did not fall in the water."
Still, good humor prevailed at this pioneering winter
race and it was Goharel who laughed hardest when
video footage showed his expression following a
25-kilometer section of cross-country skiing
which he had in fact walked. He was not a happy
camper.
There were no big cash prizes this year, which perhaps
made the race all the more rewarding. Instead, Team
Finland was awarded an original oil painting done by a
local artist (who also happened to be a race
volunteer). The team was also presented with four
airline tickets (Helsinki to Quebec City) in order to
attend the 2nd edition of the Ukatak Raid
International — that's one way to make sure they come
back next year.
The Ukatak Raid International may have been the first-ever winter expedition race, but it most likely will
not be the last. Experienced racers such as Team
Finland's Iiro Kakko and TeamPeak.com's Adrian Crane
agree this race was one of the most challenging either
had ever faced.
Crane, one of the very few athletes to have
completed all the Eco-Challenges, went further in his
praise of the race: "We've all been to so many races
claiming to be the toughest in the world, but there is
nothing to compare with Ukatak."
Except, maybe, next year's Ukatak?
– Susan McKenzie, Ukatak Raid International Correspondent
