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Revised - The 2022 Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra endurance race is off and running.

The race started at approximately 10:40 a.m. Thursday from Shipyards Park in Whitehorse.

The event featured a marathon to Muktuk Adventures, just off the Takhini River, a 100-mile race to Braeburn, and a 300-mile race to Mandanna Lake and back to Whitehorse. The 300 is scheduled to run until Feb. 11.

Forty athletes started the race, most of them on foot, and two on fat bikes.

The race features an international field.

Jim Ryall, 60, from Andover, England, is doing the 100-mile race on foot. This is Ryall鈥檚 first time in Canada, and in the Yukon, and he is, as he put it, 鈥済oing into the deep end.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been so long coming,鈥� stated Ryall.

鈥淎nd with COVID it鈥檚 been 鈥� not on and off, but questionable. And to actually be here is something.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a long way and it鈥檚 very cold. I haven鈥檛 done anything like this cold, so we鈥檒l see.

鈥淏ut I think it鈥檚 going to be a case of go gently, look after yourself, just chew away the miles, and just let one mile turn into five, into 10, 20 and get there.鈥�

Ryall isn鈥檛 in a hurry to finish the race.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got 72 hours ... it鈥檒l take how long it takes, frankly. I鈥檓 not clock-watching. I鈥檓 not racing.

鈥淚鈥檓 doing it with a friend of mine, Keith Thompson, and we鈥檝e known each other about 40 years. We鈥檙e gonna do it together, and we鈥檒l finish together, and when we get there, we鈥檒l get there,鈥� he stated.

As for his goal, 鈥淔inish. And enjoy it. I don鈥檛 want it to be 72 hours of misery. That would just be 鈥榳hat鈥檚 the point? I don鈥檛 have to do that.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檇 like to have fun ... and I鈥檇 like to have time to look around as well. Just looking down at my shoes for three days is going to be miserable.鈥�

Asked if he鈥檚 concerned about overflow, Ryall replied, 鈥淵eah. I don鈥檛 have a bridge with me!

鈥淭ake it as it comes. And if we can鈥檛 cross over ... I鈥檝e got my boots, if it鈥檚 over them, I鈥檓 not going to cross over. Just sit around until somebody on a snowmobile comes and sorts it.

鈥淏ut I鈥檓 sure I鈥檓 not going to plow through knee-deep water just to get to the other side. That鈥檚 madness.鈥�

Brian James is from Calgary, and is racing in his first Ultra. He鈥檚 doing the 100-mile on foot.

He鈥檚 done mostly warm races, mostly running ultras, and Ironman triathlons. Nothing like this, though.

鈥淭his is my first time pulling a sled through the countryside, so that鈥檚 new. It鈥檚 a new experience.鈥�

James said he is feeling good going into the race.

鈥淩eally good. I think the weather鈥檚 going to be good ... I think I鈥檓 as ready as I鈥檓 gonna be.鈥�

His goal is finishing, but 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to do around 50 hours,鈥� he stated.

Kevin Leahy, 36, is from Killarney, Ireland.

鈥淭his is my second time back, so just here to have a big long adventure,鈥� stated Leahy.

鈥淚 did the 100-mile two years ago. Today I鈥檓 doing the 300-mile.鈥�

He said he is feeling good.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited. Happy to finally be here. Supposed to be here last year for the 430; that never went ahead, so just great to be here now and kind of realizing these dreams.鈥�

Leahy thinks weather will be a factor.

鈥淭hat changes things a little bit. Probably does make things a little more difficult, but these are always part of the challenges we knew we could be facing.

鈥淭he weather seems to be quite changeable anyways, so it鈥檚 just more change. It just means I put my snowshoes from my drop bag into my main bag. Ready for whatever comes.鈥�

His goal is simply to 鈥渇inish and enjoy it.鈥�

PJ Toh, 46, came all the way from Singapore. He鈥檚 racing in the 300-mile on foot.

鈥淪o this is it!鈥� he exclaimed.

Toh explained what brings him all the way to the Yukon.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know. I guess I would like to do something crazy. I haven鈥檛 done that many winter races. I鈥檝e done YAU before, in 2011, I鈥檝e also done 633 on two occasions, so this is probably my fourth time in Yukon.

鈥淚 like the cold because it鈥檚 different from Singapore 鈥� it鈥檚 like plus 35C there now, and here it鈥檚 like -20C. But I guess the difference in climate is something that excites me. That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 here.鈥�

As for how he鈥檚 feeling: 鈥淓xcited. But the last time I did it in 2011, I could not finish, because the snow came, I have no snowshoes, I was miserable and I was slow and I gave up. But hopefully this time I鈥檒l be more prepared.

鈥淚 hope the weather holds up for us and doesn鈥檛 get too cold.鈥�

Like many others, Toh鈥檚 goal is simple.

鈥淚 think I just want to finish, and go home happy.鈥�

For live tracking of the race, including the latest results, go to