Ruminations

Compelled to Extreme Challenges

"Any mistake you make can be really dangerous, so your mind is constantly busy. You also spend a lot of time doing body checks: knees, feet, hips -- there isn't a piece of your body that doesn't hurt."
"The pain moves around the body. It's when it stays there for a long time that it becomes a problem."
"If you second-guess your training and ability, you fail. A lot of people show up [to the race] thinking that the cold is the problem, but it's the sweat that gets them in the end."
"[Crossing the finish line] is all mental [for the well-prepared and trained]. No one is super-fast in these races, so it's not exhaustion that causes people to quit."
"It's rare that you get that much quality time with absolutely no responsibilities [during an ultra physical endurance event]. That's the pleasure for me."
Cynthia Fish, 59, Montreal ultra-marathoner

The 6633 Arctic Ultra is a self-supported race – the athletes carry their supplies for the entire race in their pulk sleds (the wheels can come off and the sled like a toboggan). At checkpoints, dotted along the route 70-80 kilometres apart, they can only get hot water. Cynthia Fish of Canada takes a break on her way into Fort McPherson.

WERONIKA MURRAY/The Globe and Mail

"While previous research has suggested that individual athletes should more adequately prepare sleep strategies in order to enhance their performance, this study provides evidence that strategies improving mental toughness may be more pertinent, particularly as there are performance advantages with spending less time sleeping if it can be handled effectively."
Research team

Didier Da Costa is photographed under the Northern Lights on the Peel River ice road in the Northwest Territories.

WERONIKA MURRAY/The Globe and Mail

The 6633 Arctic Ultra taking place through the Yukon is a 193-kilometre three-day race. Those who aspire to make the finish line and possibly come in first to finish using a sled as they cross the Arctic Circle in sub-zero temperatures with deathly winds, haul along with them for the duration of the race, their food, clothing, sleeping bag and all supplies they will require, while heading for the finish line.

A team of Scottish and American researchers set out to explore the physiological and psychological determination of ultra-marathoners and began by gathering information with the aid of a dozen competitors, both men and women (9 and 3 respectively), to gather the data they sought. The researchers documented injuries, sleep habits and the mood of ultra-marathoners, to determine the degree of mental and physical toughness required to compete in such a gruelling event.

Montrealer Cynthia Fish had amassed personal experience on the drive and resolve it takes to attain a goal in achieving huge distances, challenged by weather and terrain. She has no fewer than twenty ultra-marathon events in her past, including the 6633 Arctic Ultra, described as "the world's most extreme ultra-marathon", which she committed herself to on two occasions. Exerting herself, plying mind over excruciating body complaints to an extent that few are capable of enduring.

Yet her experience is typical for ultra-marathoners in pressing herself to overcome pain and minor disability to achieve the desired goal. Ten of the dozen Arctic race participants in the study monitored by the researchers were injured; eight reported multiple injuries. Hip, back, knee and shin pain, scrapes, diarrhea, vomiting, blisters and frostbite were typical of the race participants. Close to half of the racers reported their injuries lasted multiple days.

Mark Whittle and Hayley White walk through a blizzard on the Peel River ice road. Despite warmer than usual weather during the first few days of the event, only 6 out of 15 athletes participating in the 380-mile race reached the finish line.

WERONIKA MURRAY/The Globe and Mail

An average of four hours of sleep was managed by the racers throughout the three-day race. According to Ms.Fish, the lack of sleep was the most difficult part; she managed about six hours of sleep between the start and the finish lines although she depends on sleep to aid in her physical recovery as well as her mental state. Researchers tagged sleep as important, but mental toughness was identified as the weapon of success for ultra-marathoners.

Self confidence, particularly in the training undergone was pointed out as a huge advantage. Ms.Fish's confidence bears on the fact she is certain that her body is able to withstand the physical challenge, allowing her to draw on mental reserves to keep going. It is critical to assemble the correct gear for the right conditions, and for the Arctic race that means dressing for cold-weather exercise.

Perspiration is the marathoner's enemy -- when clothes that become damp by sweat throughout the day, then freeze when the sun sets and the temperature drops. Staying dry is critical and knowing which clothes must be worn at which time, and being prepared to change swiftly is important; skills gained during training sessions.