AT H L E T E W I T H I M PAC T
LIVING DELIBERATELY From remote Yukon to the skies overhead, Kevin Crowe finds fulfilment in building muscles of courage, tenacity and resilience BY JESSICA NATALE WOOLLARD GRAHAM MCKERRELL An award-winning freelance writer and communications professional based in Victoria, B.C. JRWOOLLARD
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n the relentless -40C, Kevin Crowe heaves one booted foot in front of the other across Yukon’s snow-packed boreal forest biome. Behind him, he pulls a sleigh of 70 pounds packed with gear for his 12-day journey, including a sleeping bag and foam rest, down parka, pots and pans, and food for three days, enough to last until the next fill-up station. Six days in, his appendages and eyelashes are frozen, his clothes are wet and won’t dry, his back aches. His level of exhaustion is nearing the danger zone. Even his Garmin has stopped working due to the extreme subarctic conditions. There are moments of beauty that permeate the desolation and discomfort, like the aurora borealis glimmering overhead in their ghostly beauty. But after 366 kilometres on the course, Crowe can't deny the reality: the relentless cold is putting his safety at serious risk. The 54-year-old Calgarian and tech-company executive was one of 46 racers in the 2025 Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra, held February 2 to 14. Participants of this race, billed as the world’s coldest ultramarathon, battle across 640 kilometres of undulating landscape through snow, ice and cold. They follow an old sled-dog route that joins the communities of Teslin and Faro. The wilderness is remote—the conditions brutal. “I could feel that things were starting to come undone,” Crowe remembers. “I could barely stand upright… I had to think about my safety. How far am I going to push this? When is enough, enough?” He concluded it was time to exit the race and return to his family. Leaving a race early is tough for an endurance athlete like Crowe because they devote their lives to setting and reaching goals and challenging themselves physically and mentally. “There is something really powerful about doing things that you think you can't do and building that muscle around self-belief—of overcoming doubt, of overcoming obstacles, of calling on your tenacity and your courage,” he explains. “They’re all muscles; you need to build them...
34 I The Summer Outdoor & Travel Issue 2025 I IMPACT MAGAZINE
There is something really powerful about doing things that you think you can't do and building that muscle around self-belief.