Diane Van Deren Wins “Hardest Event In The World”
The North Face athlete Diane Van Deren first female to run 430 miles in Yukon
The North Face Endurance team athlete Diane Van Deren won the 2008 Yukon Arctic Ultra, touted as the world's coldest and toughest footrace.
Starting February 15, 2009, Van Deren covered 430 miles in a punishing arctic environment, 130 miles more than her last year’s win, which was 300 miles in 2008’s Yukon Arctic Ultra. She placed fifth overall, first female, thus nabbing the title of first woman to complete this feat.
“This was the most brutal thing one could ever encounter,” said Van Deren. “It was so fulfilling in so many ways.”
Competitors had 13 days to complete the route, totally self-sufficient between checkpoints. Van Deren towed her own sled of supplies across the frozen landscape. At one point, 30 miles from the finish, Van Deren fell through the ice as she was taking a photograph, and thankfully another competitor was able to rescue her with her trekking pole. Drenched and frozen, Van Deren called it a night in -40 degree temperatures, but decided to keep moving in order to keep warm.
The Yukon Arctic Ultra aligned with Van Deren’s “Miles for a Mission,” a fundraising effort to help patients and families affected by spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries.
For more than 40 years The North Face athlete team has defined the limits of what is humanly possible, and continually works with Research, Design & Development, creating innovative designs that push new technologies and inspire cutting-edge products.
For more information on Diane Van Deren, visit www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-brand/yukon-arctic-ultra-race.html
For more information, please visit Yukon Arctic Ultra at www.arcticultra.de news section, http://www.arcticultra.de/en.php?News_Updates.
