Kiwi welcomes call of the wild in Yukon’s freezing test of endurance
Marcelo Vanzuita admits the personal insights he gains from his Arctic challenge might come at the cost of his toenails.
The Wellington IT engineer is competing in what is billed as the toughest ultramarathon in the world – the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra race in Whitehorse, Canada.
He’ll be living on dried potatoes for two weeks as he treks 700 kilometres in sub-zero conditions on a quest to find his better self.
‘‘I really want to find my limits. Physically, I know I’ve trained enough. But emotionally and mentally, those challenges are out there.’’
Thirty-four others will start the race with him. But only two or three are expected to finish.
The course follows the Yukon Quest Trail, the same route as the world’s toughest dog sled race.
For 13 days, in temperatures anywhere between -5 degrees Celsius and -30C, Vanzuita will carry up to 40kg on his back, including an ice pick that doubles as a spade, eight thermals, roughly 40 energy bars, eight litres of water and all his food.
He’ll strap the water, and batteries, close to his body. Otherwise they’ll freeze.
Vanzuita expects he’ll come back with bleeding feet and no toenails.
‘‘But for me it’s a massive reset button on life’s priorities.
‘‘You see how unimportant your car is and you see there’s such a massive beautiful world out there,’’ he said.
Canada’s wildlife is one of the things he’s most excited to see up close, just not too close.
One item he’s yet to add to his pack is bear spray.
‘‘Bears, wolves, bison, elks – those are the things you need to watch out for.’’
Before the race starts, on February 5, he must complete five days of survival training, where his training will include how to not surprise a mother bear. ‘‘We might be carrying little bells with us.’’
A GPS device will keep race officials informed of his status.
‘‘Green means ‘I’m good,’ orange means ‘I’m hurt,’ and red means ‘I’m dying’.’’
The Wellington IT engineer has been training by running to and from work each day – a round trip of 40km – and educating himself on the conditions through Netflix shows such as Frozen Planet.
He’s no stranger to endurance events, having taken part in the 250km Gobi Desert race and the 155km Taupo Lake run in recent years.
‘‘I feel healthier now than when I was in my 20s,’’ said Vanzuita, who’s now about twice that age.
He’ll be tracked in real time on the race website through the course.