Already a winner of the Diagonale des Fous, Frenchman Mathieu Blanchard delivered an extraordinary performance by winning this Canadian race held in extreme conditions.
At the edge of reality. Frenchman Mathieu Blanchard achieved a truly mind-blowing feat on Monday by winning the Yukon Arctic Ultra. This ultra-trail race, held in Northern Canada, pushes participants to endure extreme conditions—freezing temperatures, deep snow, and a 30-kilogram sled to haul. A grueling journey that no one had ever fully completed since the race’s inception in 2003.
And yet, even that fails to fully capture the sheer magnitude of Mathieu Blanchard’s achievement—arguably the best ultra-trail runner in the world today, following his victory last October in another legendary race, the Diagonale des Fous. Blanchard conquered this feat in seven days and 22 hours.
« A single tear. It holds everything. Pain, joy, madness, survival, accomplishment, struggle, suffering, euphoria, fear. I have just finished the Yukon Arctic Ultra. Seven days, 22 hours. This is not a victory over the cold or the distance, » Blanchard wrote on Instagram. « It’s a return to the essentials. To instinct. To my wild nature. »
Known to the general public for his participation in the reality show Koh-Lanta, Blanchard set off on February 2nd. Along the way, he faced brutal conditions, sometimes enduring temperatures as low as -50°C. He suffered immensely, even reaching out to his followers for medical advice from a pulmonologist on social media. He admitted he often reached the brink of exhaustion:
« It was awful, » he shared on Instagram Sunday night, just hours before reaching the finish line. « I was so exhausted I was staggering—it’s terrifying at those temperatures. I felt like a White Walker from Game of Thrones. The next 15 km were pure agony. I arrived in Ross River at 6 a.m., nearly fainted, and had to collapse in a corner of the checkpoint to recover. »
In the end, Blanchard pushed beyond his limits and claimed victory in this legendary race—finishing ahead of another Frenchman, Guillaume Grima.
Source: lavoixdunord
