The third annual Reckless Raven 50 Mile Ultra and Relay was June 30 on the trails around Whitehorse.
With temperatures soaring to 31 C on race day and air quality deteriorating due to wildfires, runners had plenty to deal with beyond the physical demands of an 80-kilometre race with countless elevation changes.
The race started at the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club, headed to the McIntyre wetland, up Haeckel Hill, along Sumanik Ridge, down to Jackson Lake, on to Fish Creek, further along to Fish Lake, up Mount McIntyre to Copper Haul Road and finally back to the finish at the ski club.
All together, 39 solo runners and 48 teams started the race, with 17 solo runners and one team withdrawing before the finish.
This year’s overall winner and solo men’s winner was David Eikelboom with a time of eight hours, 30 minutes and four seconds.
Eikelboom finished nearly 45 minutes ahead of second place finisher Ian Weir, who crossed the finish line in nine hours, 13 minutes and 11 seconds.
Weir was the overall winner in both 2017 and 2018, while Eikelboom’s previous best solo finish was third in 2017.
Third place in the solo men’s open category was Mayo’s Matt Hosford with a time of nine hours, 23 minutes and 30 seconds.
The fastest solo open woman was Kelsey Knoll from Revelstoke, B.C., who finished in 11 hours, 27 minutes and 23 seconds.
Second place went to Hannah McDonald with a time of 11 hours, 33 minutes and 53 seconds, and third place belonged to Emily Bennett of Prince George, B.C., who finished in 12 hours, 30 minutes and seven seconds.
This year’s race included a total of nine masters category finishers.
The fastest solo men’s masters runner was Darren Clyde of Edmonton who finished in 10 hours, 47 minutes and 49 seconds.
In second place was Marcin Vasina from Squamish, B.C., with a time of 12 hours, 11 minutes and 50 seconds. Stuart Ashman of North Vancouver, B.C., finished third in 12 hours, 32 minutes and 19 seconds.
Denise McHale was the fastest solo masters woman and fastest overall woman with a time of 10 hours, 26 minutes and 32 seconds.
Second place in the solo women’s masters category went to Natalie Thivierge, who finished in 13 hours, 45 minutes and 32 seconds, and third place went to Michelle Bousquet with a time of 15 hours, 26 minutes and 20 seconds.
The fastest men’s relay team and fastest team overall was Paternal Intuition — made up of Ray Sabo and Rodney Hulstein — with a time of nine hours, 17 minutes and 16 seconds.
Next to finish was the team of Kevin Embacher and Petr Polivka with a time of 10 hours, four minutes and 17 seconds. In third place was Team Duplex with a time of 10 hours, 30 minutes and seven seconds.
The fastest women’s relay team and second-fastest team overall was Sass and Swass, composed of Haley Digel and Jane Hollenberg, who finished in 10 hours, one minute and 18 seconds.
In second place was Difecta with a time of 11 hours, 16 minutes and 42 seconds, and Trail 4 Trekkers were third with a time of 12 hours and 30 seconds.
The duo of Stuart Toop and Natasha Papachristoforou were the fastest mixed relay team, finishing in 10 hours, 26 minutes and 47 seconds.
Sullivan Duo was second with a time of 10 hours, 42 minutes and 25 seconds, and Chicken Legs was third with a time of 11 hours, three minutes and 44 seconds.
Contact John Hopkins-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com
2019 Reckless Raven results
Men’s 80 kilometre
1 David Eikelboom 8:30:04
2 Ian Weir 9:13:11
3 Matt Hosford 9:23:30
4 Justin Wallace 10:02:27
5 David Bowman 12:55:05
6 James Cleary 13:51:09
7 Ben Hancock 14:28:57
Women’s 80 kilometre
1 Kelsey Knoll 11:27:23
2 Hannah McDonald 11:33:53
3 Emily Bennett 12:30:07
4 Laura McDonald 13:04:59
5 Hope Spargo 13:10:13
6 Dana Eisinger 13:52:07
7 Mary Dickinson 14:16:22
8 Jacquelyn Janzen 14:44:54
9 Julia Poetschke 14:50:30
Men’s masters 80 kilometre
1 Darren Clyde 10:47:49
2 Marcin Vasina 12:11:50
3 Stuart Ashman 12:32:19
4 Marc Champagne 13:19:31
5 Brent Krahn 14:15:03
6 James Paterson 14:26:48
Women’s masters 80 kilometre
1 Denise McHale 10:26:32
2 Natalie Thivierge 13:45:32
3 Michelle Bousquet 15:26:20
Mixed relay 80 kilometre
1 Natasha + Stuart 10:26:47
2 Sullivan Duo 10:42:25
3 Chicken Legs 11:03:44
4 Makin’ Whoopie 11:26:20
5 Good at Going Down 11:42:15
6 33 11:50:16
7 Carcross Cheetahs 11:55:24
8 Merry Lakers 12:35:21
9 Gabrielle + Terry 13:14:24
10 The Wolf Duo 13:18:24
11 Sole mates 14:49:48
Women’s relay 80 kilometre
1 Sass + Swass 10:01:18
2 Difecta 11:16:42
3 Trail 4 Trekkers 12:00:30
4 GGM 12:07:01
5 Undecided 12:11:43
6 Friendly Neighbours 12:16:35
7 Blond Ambition 12:21:14
8 In It to Finish 12:29:46
9 Spi-Sti 12:35:53
10 Burley Johnson 12:38:09
11 Em Dash 12:41:38
12 Hashtag Blessed 12:46:15
13 Summit + Peak 12:47:06
14 The Little Ravens That Could 12:50:11
15 Dizzy Sexy Cools 13:03:28
16 Hazy Sexy Fools 13:03:29
17 Maechel 13:33:06
18 Chafing the Dream 14:01:01
19 Team Greenski 14:06:06
20 Monarch Mountain Maniacs 14:32:07
21 Christina square 14:48:27
21 Bird Chislett Squad 14:48:27
Men’s relay 80 kilometre
1 Paternal Intuition 9:17:16
2 Polivka Embacher 10:04:17
3 Team Duplex 10:30:07
4 Team Next Year 10:40:52
5 The Wolverine Whisperers 10:52:26
6 Hermanos de la Muerte 11:15:32
7 Rangifer Rangers 11:55:39
8 Swing Bullies 12:05:31
9 Bicicletta B+B 12:42:09
10 Tim + Michael 12:46:26
11 Reckless Runners 14:08:52
