Rock and Ice Ultra

The Rock and Ice Ultra takes place in Yellowknife, NWT in Canada’s north beginning March 22, 2008.

As soon as I heard about Rock and Ice, I knew that it was the type of event that I really wanted to do. I am thrilled that I will now have that opportunity very soon as I will be competing in the 3 day/135km division. Racers will run 45km per day and sleep on the trail in tents. The race is partially supported meaning that we will have to carry the gear we need during the day (ie. food, clothing, snowshoes, emergency supplies), but will have our overnight camping equipment shuttled to the stage checkpoint each evening.

Rock and Ice seems like it is the type of race I was meant to run. It features all the things that I love in a race and draws from my experience and strengths from past races including trail, mountain, ultra, dogsled racing and fastpacking. I have been training single mindedly for this race since November and during that time have managed to put in the highest amount of mileage I have ever run.

Last year the temperatures dipped down to a very chilly -42C, however it’s looking like there may be a bit of a warming trend coming for this weekend (whew!).

For more information about Rock and Ice, please visit http://www.rockandiceultra.com

About the author

Sara Montgomery and Derrick Spafford

Derrick and Sara are trail runners from Eastern Ontario who discovered that running on snowshoes in the winter months is a great way to enjoy their favorite trails year-round. They competed in their first snowshoe series (The Mad Trapper Series in Low, Quebec) in 2005, each finishing 2nd in their respective divisions. Plans for 2006 are to return to the Mad Trapper, to take in some races in New York and Vermont, and hopefully cap their season with the U.S. Snowshoe Championships in March, as Canadian guests. Derrick runs a company, Spafford Health and Adventure (http://www.healthandadventure.com), which specializes in coaching and event promotion. He is currently planning an annual snowshoe race to be held in the Kingston area, starting this winter.

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