A Comox teen who recently became the youngest competitor to win a gruelling race to the top of the world got hooked on the idea of an extreme adventure after learning about a Danish man who completed the equivalent of an Ironman in Antarctica.
“I said to myself: ‘I can do that,’ ” recalled Rio Crystal, 18.
What he discovered, however, was that Anders Hofman spent close to $200,000 US to stage the February 2020 event, which included chartering a boat to get him, his crew and equipment to the subcontinent. “No student can afford that.”
Undeterred, he started researching other extreme marathons, and came upon the 6633 Arctic Ultra, a nine-day, 600-kilometre annual race in the depths of winter in the Northwest Territories — billed as the toughest, windiest, coldest ultra foot race.
At $10,000, which included the entry fee and transportation, it was something he figured that he could afford from saving his wages working part-time at a restaurant.
But, as with many events throughout the pandemic, travel restrictions in the territory meant organizers had to pivot and stage it in Yukon instead.
While the route was shortened to 400 kilometres — from Dawson City to the Arctic Circle — it was more challenging, with a total of 3,640 metres of elevation changes taking contestants through mountain passes in Tombstone National Park and the Ogilvie Mountains. If Crystal wanted to stand a chance, he’d have to train.
In addition to playing soccer, he increased his speed and endurance by running about 150 kilometres every week leading up to the race, taking a break only for his graduation from Mark Isfeld Secondary School in Courtenay.
He started his training by running 800 metres, followed by walking 1,000 metres, and progressively lengthened his running distances.
To get used to running in the cold, he spent a week training in Edmonton over the winter. He stayed in Whitehorse for a month leading up to the race to acclimatize his body to the frigid temperatures.
The average daily temperature in the Yukon at the time of the race ranged from -15 C to -52 C.
“Five degrees feels really warm now,” Crystal said.
At noon on Feb. 26, Crystal and nine other hardy souls from around the world began the 6633 Yukon Edition, towing all their food and supplies behind them in a pulk or sled.
Crystal said he walked as fast as he could without running. “You try very hard not to run. If you run, you sweat. The sweat freezes and you are going to get hypothermia.”
He estimates he was in the lead for most of the 111 hours on road, averaging six kilometres an hour in the beginning and slowing to 5.5 km/h in the second half of the race.
Four of the contestants dropped out. “One competitor, who was in the lead, had to pull out,” Crystal said. “He had three layers of gloves on and two hand warmers, but he couldn’t feel his fingers.”
Organizers gave competitors GPS locators so they could be tracked, and updated their progress daily on social media for family and friends. There were checkpoints along the route where racers could ask for assistance and there was a vehicle with a medic that would occasionally check up on participants.
Four days, 15 hours and 11 minutes after starting the race, Crystal crossed the finish line, the only teenager who finished, and the youngest winner in history. (The inaugural race was in 2007.)
The achievement has been confidence-building, he said.
“Before joining the race, I reached out to some of the professionals who had run the race for their advice,” Crystal said. “They were respectful but suggested I was too young to do it. But I knew I could do it. Winning the race has been a validation of my self-belief.
“I learned so much about myself, about drive and discipline and how I can leave my comfort zone. The money it takes to enter is meaningless compared to what you learn about yourself.”
The event also opened his eyes to the beauty of the north.
“It is the second most beautiful place I have been to,” said Crystal, who ranks B.C. in first place. “I saw the aurora borealis every night.”
His only regret is not realizing he could have used the race as a fundraising vehicle. The second-place finisher raised 500,000 euros in donations and pledges for a charity.
“Next time I will have a charity to raise money for.”
