Yukoners Greg and Denise McHale were the big winners in this year's Fulda Challenge Extreme Arctic Adventure.

Competing as Team Canada, Greg and Denise captured the golden prizes and the glory in the thirteen event week long contest. Each of them received a $5,000 gold nugget.

RCMP officer Greg McHale also took the prize for best male athlete, collecting $1,500 Euros, while fitness instructor Denise tied for second place as best female.

Both of them currently live in Dawson and received their accolades at the closing ceremonies held in Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Casino.

The Challenge, which began in Whitehorse on February 2, wrapped up with two events in Dawson City on Sunday afternoon. The ever-popular ice wall climb was done in broad daylight for a change this year, followed later in the day by an ATV race on the slippery Yukon River.

Other events during the week included car pulling in Whitehorse, a mountain run on snowshoes near the Yukon-Alaska border, a mountain bike race on the South Klondike Highway, car handling on an icy lake near Carcross, a snowmobile race, crossing Miles Canyon by rope, a cross-country ski race, hovercraft handling, a half marathon and a tire changing contest.

'I'd like to say thanks to Fulda for putting on a fantastic race,' Greg McHale said. 'I think all of us as competitors had a great time and overall it was a great experience.

'The biggest thing to all of you guys, is it's a great race,' he said, gesturing toward the other competitors. 'We all, I think, had a good, good time. Everyone (of you are) just super people. There was no animosity between anybody here; it was a great group of people to race with.'

The Austrian team finished second, six points behind Canada's 166-point total. Italy was third, 26 points off the pace.

Austria's Gitti Koeck was the best female athlete, finishing with 85 points ten more than Denise McHale.