The amazing race: Yellowknife's Rock and Ice Ultra
For the third straight year, as 44-year-old Shawne Kokelj reaches the finish line of the Rock and Ice Ultra, she is embraced by her supporters. This year, the hydrologist from Yellowknife was in a neck-and-neck battle for first place and is utterly spent, having left all her energy out on the 135-kilometre course. After three days of racing, she skied across the line not knowing if she had given enough to claim victory.
Rock and Ice is an extreme winter endurance event that takes place each March in the vast wilderness surrounding Yellowknife. Racers choose from a menu of options: They can race on foot or by ski for the duration of either a one-, three- or six-day course. Each day consists of up to 45 kilometres through challenging backcountry snow conditions, as the trail winds across countless lakes and portages. At the end of each day, the athletes check into remote stage camps—sleeping in tents heated by oil stoves—until their race resumes the following morning.
Day 1
Strong winds drop the wind chill to -38 degrees. By afternoon, whiteout conditions make it difficult to see the lakeshores and, at times, even the next trail marker. Kokelj's plan is to ski near the front, before the snow gets too chopped up by the foot racers' snowshoes. She is pleasantly surprised when her strategy pays off, finishing the day as the leader in her category.
Racing in the three-day ski event along with Kokelj are Bev Wilson and Barb Campbell. Wilson, an anesthesiologist, moved to Yellowknife 12 years ago for work, but it's the outdoor activities that have kept the 51-year-old here. She thrives on a lifestyle that allows her to commute to her job by ski. Campbell, an IT consultant and freelance writer in Palgrave, Ont., never considered herself particularly athletic until shortly after turning 40. At 48, she has been doing adventure racing for about six years. She's made up for lost time by competing in dozens of endurance events.
Day 2
Wilson's second day begins with panic when she discovers a frozen ski binding two minutes before the race commences. She manages to thaw it out, but misses the mass start. She gets going on her own a few minutes later and, as it turns out, appreciates the solitude, which allows her to find her groove.
The day becomes blindingly bright as sunshine bounces off the blanket of winter white. The lakes are bordered with rocky outcrops and pine forest, which barely dent the gigantic northern sky. The pristine landscape is interrupted only by a stream of athletes and the narrow track they leave behind.
Campbell is grateful for the sunshine, but says, "I'm glad we got to experience the storm yesterday. We survived something tough." She adds, "It's exactly what I signed up for—so different from skiing in Ontario." Her positive energy carries her along and overflows at the occasional checkpoints. She knows it's a long day for the volunteers and goes out of her way to lift everyone's spirits. "I'm just going to be a little bubblier than I feel because it will help everybody." Two friends from home have baked Campbell special winter-grade, freeze-proof brownies and cookies, and she keeps them handy in a pocket over her heart. "Whenever I take a bite I think of my friends, warm and cozy at home!"
