Two Canadian cross-country skiers, Phil Villeneuve and Mike Argue, are about to go head to head 6 days from now in the 2009 Rock and Ice Ultra - www.rockandiceultra.com!
What is it? It’s a self supported 225km trek taking place over the course of 6-days in Yellowknife, NWT.
What’s at stake? Mike and I are both competing in the solo category, hoping to take home a 0.7 carat diamond worth over $6,000!
Race Details... The race is a typical ‘stage race’ format where every day is a mass start event, and time is cumulative over the course of the 6 days. Each stage varies in length between 25 and 45km. Participants are required to carry all of their supplies (food, tools, clothes, sleeping material, etc…) in a pulk (sled) which is towed behind them. The track will be packed by snowmobiles but not groomed…
In an effort to put a little more on the line, I thought it would be fun to pump up the dual between Mike and I – hence the attached doc.
Mike Argue still trains competitively as one of Canada’s top development skiers, but more notably, is amongst the fastest men in the sprint event, having won numerous National level sprint events in Canada! Mike’s speed may not be a factor over the 6-day event, but his high level of fitness and regular training habits most certainly will.
Phil Villeneuve on the other hand has been retired since 2001, but has maintained good fitness to focus on long distance Nordic events – His most recent accomplishment includes a 3rd place finish in Canada’s most popular ski event, the 53km Gatineau Loppet in Gatineau, QC. Although Phil’s training habits may not be as honed as Mike’s, his experience in marathon events (such as the TransRockies Run) will undoubtedly help in this test of endurance.
The Rabbit VS the Turtle battle is on... Mix in some cool Arctic weather and we’ve got ourselves a exciting matchup!
The race will be covered by www.sleepmonster.com or you can follow along on my blog at: http://x-cphil.blogspot.com/. Thanks for reading!
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