One runner finishes Yukon Arctic Ultra 300-Miler

One finisher managed to complete the 300-mile race of the Yukon Arctic Ultra. According to Yukon-based writer Eva Holland, 21 people began the distance and the number of people in the mix to finish dwindled as temperatures dipped to -45 C, which temporarily halted the race. Speaking about the frigid conditions, a Feb. 6 post on the race website stated that “like on all the other days, we have seen temperatures down to -40 C during the day. In all 14 previous races we have not had anything like that.” One participant, Italy’s Roberto Zanda, was one of three remaining athletes on course in the late stages of the 300-miler. Days later, he’s fighting to save his extremities. Before he was able to reach the next checkpoint, named McCabe, he “got into trouble about half way,” according to the race. According to the cbc, race officials found Zanda’s sled (and tracking device), with the runner nowhere to be found, during a routine morning check on Feb. 7. Rescuers found him later that day and he was airlifted to Whitehorse General Hospital. Zanda told the cbc through a translator that he ditched the sled in hopes of finding help as hypothermia set in.