March 26, 2007 (Yellowknife, NWT) – Frigid temperatures spurred the starting field of the inaugural Rock and Ice Ultra into action at 9 am across frozen Frame Lake in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, on Saturday, March 17. Racers competed for valuable Ekati diamonds on either foot or ski in one of three events ranging from one to six days.

Hearty Yellowknife locals and a contingent of runners from Taiwan took part in the family-oriented Frozen Toe Trail Break 2K and 5K events, which acted as a prelude to the more difficult Cold Foot Classic 80K, a supported one-day event, the challenging three-day K-Rock 160, and premier Diamond 300, a completely self-supported expedition in which racers tow a pulk, or sled, carrying all their food, cooking equipment and sleeping bag for six days.

Stage 1 saw a drop-out rate of almost two-thirds, as those unaccustomed to this subarctic region’s penetrating cold succumed to mild hypothermia, frostbite and dehydration.

Deep grainy snow made the footing tough for snowshoers, particularly as they crossed an endless number of wind-swept frozen lakes. Their only reprieve were the short “portages” or land crossings, where their cleated Kahtoola neoprene boots or running shoes managed to gain traction in the shallower snow. For the most part, the skiers moved more swiftly over the lakes, following snowmobile tracks and along the well-flagged course from checkpoint to checkpoint.

Under clear blue skies and -30 degree C temperatures, athletes stomped and glided their way across Yellowknife Bay and then along Great Slave Lake’s frozen shoreline. Upon reaching Checkpoint 3 at the 40-kilometer mark, many Cold Foot 80K racers called it a day after battling frozen hydration hoses and relentless headwinds. By day’s end, only six solo cross country skiers completed the full distance, led by Yellowknife, NWT, resident, Doug Townson in a time of 12 hours, 55 minutes. Twenty-five minutes later, another local, Marc Casas, crossed the finish line well ahead of third-place finisher Alex Lothian who finished in 15 hours, 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, 160K and 300K athletes ended stage one after travelling 50 kilometers to remote Prelude East Camp. The first skiers to arrive, who covered the distance in 7 hours 40 minutes, were Edmonton, Alberta, resident Philip Mees and Yellowknifer Damien Panayi. In the foot/snowshoe category, local snowshoer Ewan Affleck arrived first, followed closely by Golite-sponsored adventure racer Dave Mackey, from Boulder, Colorado, who cruised into camp, having run 90% of the time without snowshoes.

As the sun set, shimmering northern lights and howling wolves became the backdrop to the close of the Rock and Ice Ultra’s first stage. Skiers and snowshoers with frost-encrusted faces continued to arrive well into the night, collapsing exhaustedly into warm tipis after almost 16 hours on the trail. With another two or five days of racing ahead of them, weary winter athletes welcomed the opportunity to refuel and catch a comfortable night’s sleep before facing then next day’s gruelling stage.