It's called the toughest two minutes in sports, and after watching the handful of firefighters test out the course Thursday evening, it's easy to see why.

In fact, just getting a glimpse of the course up close is enough to make you realize completing the Scott FireFit Combat Challenge in anywhere close to two minutes is an incredible athletic feat never mind completing it in under two minutes.

That's what the competitors at this weekend's Western Canadian competition will aim for as they take to the set up in the parking lot of the S.S. Klondike in downtown Whitehorse. It's the first time ever that FireFit Canada will host a regional competition North of 60.

It's an event which the Whitehorse Fire Department has been organizing for nearly two years, and on Saturday it will become a reality.

'Everything is really coming together for us here,' said James Paterson one of the local combat team members, in an interview earlier this week. 'We're a little disappointed with the showing from departments down south at this time. I guess we're cautiously optimistic more teams will get on our list in the next couple days.'

The Whitehorse department has been promoting the event for months, and even received some airplay on TSN a couple of times following previous combat competitions. Paterson said they wanted to show off the Yukon to their fellow firefighters, since the local department has had such great experiences themselves at Outside competitions.

Paterson said he knows from experience that sometimes the departments will register for competitions last minute, and he's hoping that's the case with the big departments like Delta (Vancouver) and Edmonton there was just one firefighter from Edmonton registered as of Tuesday.

'We were really hoping they would come because we've supported their events in the past,' he said.

The regional championships will feature several firefighters from Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as numerous Yukoners.

Whitehorse's number one combat challenge crew of Paterson, captain Brian Fedoriak, Barry Blisner, Scott McFarlane and Glenn Regan will certainly be the ones to watch in the relay competition after a very successful year at both national and international competitions.

And Fedoriak is expected to be in the top one or two individually he finished first at last year's regional competition.

'We've had great leadership from Barry Blisner,' said Paterson. 'He's been coordinating everything.

'Because he's been running such a great operation, everything's coming together quite smoothly.'

The top local team normally does course training three or four times a week and also putting in time at the gym every day local competitor Neil Poirier is also a trainer at Better Bodies and has been whipping the team into shape. But in the last couple weeks, Paterson said they've been toning it down just a little bit in anticipation of the championships.

The Yukon will also be putting in a few more relay teams, including one in the over-40 (years old) category. And since the local over-40 squad will be the only one in their division, they will automatically receive a bye into the national championship.

The fire crew from Faro will make the trip to Whitehorse this weekend, but isn't planning on actually competing in the event, just helping out on the course. Still, Paterson is encouraging any firefighters in the Yukon communities to step up and take the challenge, even if they've never attempted it before.

'Anybody who can do this, anybody who steps up on race day, has a lot of guts,' he said. 'Certainly (tonight), they can sign sign up on the course if they change their mind.'

When asked why firefighters should be interested in such a competition, Paterson spoke of personal experiences that compelled him to give it a try a few years ago.

'It motivates me to stay fit. If I wasn't doing this, it would be very easy to be out of shape. I know how scary it is to go to a house fire and be out of shape and be sucking on your air hose.'

The other reason he swears by the combat challenge is it gives firefighters from all across Canada, and around the world, a chance to meet and compete against each other.

'And I also like to see what goes on in our own department.'

The combat challenge is also great for spectators, who get the chance to witness the competitors complete a course which is unbelievable challenging when decked out in full gear.

The breathing apparatus can actually make things more difficult than most would imagine, said Paterson, because the competitor isn't actually breathing in oxygen through the mask, just air. He described it as trying to breath through a straw.

In the relay portion, three to five people share the five different events the stair climb, hose hoist, forcible entry, hose advance and victim rescue. In the individual portion, each competitor must complete every event. Thankfully, there are first-aid and medical staff on site to help out with exhaustion and dehydration.

'It'll be a pretty high-energy event, said Paterson. 'There will be lots of things on the go, from the kiddy combat challenge to a vehicle display. There will also be lots of music and a barbecue. And the S.S. Klondike is open for free, so if you haven't seen the boat yet, it's a great time to do it.'

The WHTV camera which usually showcases main street on cable channel nine is now set up at the combat challenge site until after the weekend, so those interested can also catch all the action at home.

The Yukon Convention Bureau projects that the competition will generate about $213,600 in direct spending for the territory.

Earlier this year, Paterson called Saturday's combat challenge 'the most important one of our lives,' since it's at home.

'This is the one we've been waiting for,' he said.