Words
Adam John
The Yukon Arctic Ultra is the coldest and toughest ultra event on Earth. The route spans 300 gruelling miles (480 km) of snow and ice along the Yukon Quest trail with temperatures reaching as low as -50°C. Given the time of year, days are dark for too long. Judgement becomes clouded. The mind flickers between razor sharp and oozing. Simple tasks mutate into the insurmountable. Solitude carries a different weight in the vast and unforgiving wilderness.
Only during this kind of event does endurance become much less a demonstration of superior biomechanics as it does a supreme display in the art of survival. Every aspect of the body must be monitored with distinct care and every piece of equipment meticulously considered. A single broken link can throw the entire chain into perilous disrepair.
Following two previous scratches (DNFs) at this race, norda 665 athlete Jovica Spajic was able to overcome the hostile conditions and win this year’s Yukon Arctic Ultra. He wore a single pair of norda 001 G+® Spike for the entire duration of the race.
To quote the race director Callum Joliffe: “At the front of the foot discipline since the start of the race, never stopping for long, and always with a look of determination on his face, Jovica set out to achieve this race for his loved ones and for his country - We think he did them all proud, and with incredible speed!”
Congratulations to Jovica Spajic. You personify what we run for.
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