Jessie Gladish is off to a great start in the 2023 Montagne Yukon Arctic Ultra. The Ultra started from Shipyards Park in Whitehorse Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

This year, the Ultra follows the Yukon Quest trail and consists of a marathon, a 100 mile race to Braeburn, a 300 mile race to Pelly Farm and a 430 mile race to Dawson City.

The Star was at the start and spoke with some of the athletes.

Tommy Chen, 36, from Taipei, Taiwan, was there to compete in the 430 mile race.

“I’m an ultra marathon athlete … in 2008 cross country skied the North Pole and South Pole and many ultra marathon races and I think the Yukon Arctic is my favourite – longer, solo, longer dark.

“Ten years ago, I finished the 430 (in) 10 days, 15 hours, 11 minutes but I was PTSD and I cry every day, I couldn’t feel anything. 10 years after, I wanted to (go) back again and think about what I’m doing and chasing my dream and maybe I find some life answer in my soul. I don’t know what is it but I just try (to) enjoy all the memories, think about my dad and mom, (go) back to nature, that will teach us a lot.”

When asked how long he expects to take to get to Dawson, Chen replied “Maybe nine to 11 days. Try each day pushing 70 kilometres, sleep four hours, maybe sometimes no sleep, try (to) push, push, push.

“Just try to follow my schedule and the body condition.”

As for his goal for the race, Chen said “I think I will cry and just find myself at peace with Mother Nature.”

Gillian Smith, 39, of Whitehorse is competing in the 430 on a mountain bike.

“I’m feeling positive. The weather looks good and the trail looks good.”

Smith finished the trek to Dawson on foot in 2019, coming in 15th. This is her first time tackling the Ultra on a fat bike.

She won’t be riding with defending champ Jessie Gladish, who’s also riding a fat bike.

“I expect Jessie to be much faster than me.”

Greg Newby, 57, of Lake Laberge was running the marathon.

“I wanted to do the longer distance. I made an attempt last year but finances and training didn’t work out, so I’m doing the shorter distance.”

As for his expectations, Newby said “I expect to finish.”

Newby didn’t expect to finish first, however.

“No, not for me. That was not really my ambition … getting out there is its own reward.”

Pat Cooke-Rogers, 66, of Hemington, England was also riding a fat bike.

“Its been a complete rush,” she related. “My suitcases and my bag got lost on the aircraft. I didn’t get my bag until yesterday morning but … people have been fantastic in getting the bike sorted, getting me sorted and it’s been wonderful, so I’m looking forward to it. After the first couple of days, it should be all right.”

As for why she’s doing it, Cooke-Rogers said “I love this place … and God told me to.”

Race organizer Robert Pollhammer said “I’m excited. Weather-wise, we’re quite happy. It’s also nice if it’s not -30, -40 at the start. That helps us, that helps the athletes … trail conditions look pretty good. Yukon River’s always tricky because of the changes in water level, ice cracks, open water, but it’s passable. We checked it again this morning.

“Everybody’s happy. Now it’s day one, we’ll have the marathoners going to Muktuk adventures, that’s where they finish. We have the first checkpoint for all the guys going beyond that and I hope as many as possible make it through that first night. That’s always a critical point in the race. At Muktuk, everyone still feels awesome and then that first night comes. It doesn’t matter how cold it is … we have a few people dropping out, but hope that number is really low this year.”

Pollhammer said the ultra has fewer competitors this year.

“We’ve got 48 athletes, which is a number that’s lower than we would normally have, so I think it’s fair to say that the global situation at the moment, the economy, there are less people who are willing to spend the money that is needed for an adventure like this. It is an investment; you’ve got an entry fee, flights, a lot of gear that you need, so I understand it that some people are maybe postponing an entry. And I can say that certainly for Europe, we’ll organize another race … so the 48 is actually a pretty good turnout. Other races in Europe have been cancelled because of the issues at the moment.”

When asked if he was concerned about the Ultra overlapping with the Yukon Quest (due to the Quest moving up a week), Pollhammer replied “No, I’m very happy about the relationship we have established with the Yukon Quest. We communicate, that’s key, right? You need to talk and then you can work everything out. We started that early on as soon as it was obvious we would meet somehow on the trail. We have checkpoints like Scroggie Creek, one of the last places toward Dawson, where we share the checkpoint. Our checkpoint manager, Robert Siefke, is responsible for us and the Quest. And then we’re also sharing the information centre in Dawson City and looking forward to it. We have a few mushers who may catch up to our athletes. We briefed the athletes. We’ll keep updating them on where the mushers are so they’re aware because of course, passing each other on the trail can be tricky in certain areas, but I’m sure we’ll be able to handle it.

Pollhammer added “I’m just excited to be back. It’s good to be in the Yukon again and looking forward to the experience.”

As of this morning, Gladish was riding in first at mile 144.9 into the race. Matt Weighman is second at mile 112.1

Chad Barber won the 100 mile race to Braeburn, reaching the checkpoint Sunday at 12:45 p.m.