Allen Moore Wins 2013 Yukon Quest

The 1000-mile long Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race wraps up today when the final competitor is expected to cross the finish line. That musher will be Dyan Bergen, who has been running behind the pack since almost the start. Still, as a testament to her skill and endurance, she will complete the difficult event today and pick up the ceremonial Red Lantern when she arrives at the finish line in Fairbanks, Alaska having traveled all the way from Whitehorse in the Yukon in Canada.

This year's Yukon Quest was particularly challenging thanks to an over abundance of snow in certain areas of the course. There was so much powder in fact that race organizers were forced to cut a 50-mile section from the route because it was impassable. Twenty-six sled dog teams started in Whitehorse, but six of them, including four-time champ Lance Mackey, dropped throughout the course of the event.

But for the men running up front, it was quite the competition. Allen Moore and Hugh Neff, both very experienced mushers, pushed each other at every turn, each making strategic moves at various times that would have an impact on each other and the eventual outcome of the race. In the end, it was Moore who finished first this past Monday, just an hour and fifteen minutes ahead of Neff. Brent Sass came along later in the day to claim third place.

Throughout the rest of the week the other mushers and their dogs have been trickling into Fairbanks, with several arriving just yesterday. That leaves Bergen as the lone sled still out on the course, although she will make it home later today. In a race like the YQ, there is absolutely no shame in coming in last place however, as it is an accomplishment just to finish. I'm sure she'll display her Red Lantern very proudly as she absolutely should.

With the Yukon Quest wrapping up, its nearly time for the Iditarod to begin. In a few weeks, a larger field of racers will take to that classic course in the annual race from Anchorage to Nome. As usual, I can't wait.

1000-Mile Long Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race Underway!

I missed this earlier in the week, but wanted to mention it none the less. The 2013 Yukon Quest Sled Dog race is underway in Canada. The annual event runs between Whitehorse in the Yukon and Fairbanks, Alaska, covering 1000 miles (1600 km) of winter wilderness in the process.

Racers set off on Sunday with some of the top mushers in the world competing with one another. Up until yesterday, it was a relatively fast start, although race organizers warned the competitors that is about to change. Heavy snow across the region has buried the trail in quite a bit of fresh powder and the next 100 miles of the race are said to be some of the toughest ever. The snow is so deep at points that the crew in charge of keeping the trail open have had a tough time keeping up. In some places, the trail is actually under as much as three feet of snow.

Meanwhile, the lead racers are into the Dawson City checkpoint, where they are typically required to take a 36-hour mandatory rest. Race organizers have extended that rest time by an additional 4-hours for the safety of the dogs, but they are also conducting drug tests on the animals there too. Yep, that's right, we've now entered an era in which sled dogs are being tested for performance enhancing drugs!

As of this writing, the musher Hugh Neff leads the race. He won the event last year and has a couple of hours on second place racer Allen Moore. Neff has had to drop two dogs already however, which could be a cause for concern down the line. Jake Berkowitz is currently running in third place, an additional five hours back.

The Yukon Quest is always an excellent precursor to the Iditarod, which will begin on March 2nd. That annual sled dog classic, billed as "The Last Great Race" covers a thousand miles as well, although this year the race is facing challenges with a lack of snow on some parts of the course. Hopefully in the next three weeks leading up to the start, snow will fall across the trail, which runs from Anchorage to Nome.

Hugh Neff Wins 2012 Yukon Quest

The 1000 mile long Yukon Quest sled dog race was won by veteran musher Hugh Neff earlier this week, when he crossed the finish line just 26 seconds ahead of second place finisher Allen Moore. It took Neff just 9 days, 16 hours, and 5 minutes to cover the course, which is run annually between Fairbanks and White Horse. Neff managed to make up 42 minutes of time over his rival in the final 100 miles, to nip him at the finish line.

Third place in the race went to Lance Mackey, who has won the YQ on four occasions. He was about 5 hours and 20 minutes off the pace, but says he felt like he actually won, since his dogs were on all three of the top teams. Jake Berkowitz and Brent Sass rounded out the top five at the event.

The Yukon Quest is always in interesting preview of what to expect at the Iditarod, which gets underway in about two weeks time. That race will actually be shorter than the YQ this year, dropping to 975 miles in length, due to changes in the course and the ceremonial start in Anchorage. Still, it remains one an amazing event, and should be fun to follow once again this year.

2012 Yukon Quest Underway

One of my favorite events to follow each year is the Iditarod sled dog race, which will begin on the 3rd of March. One of the best precursors to that event is the Yukon Quest, which got underway last weekend. The YQ is a 1000-mile long race that stretches from Whitehorse, in Canada's Yukon province, to Fairbanks, Alaska. It generally lasts somewhere between 10 to 15 days and features some of the top mushers in the sport.

A quick look at the current standings shows some very familiar names at the top of the leader board. Lance Mackey is currently out in front, and as a four time winner of both this event and the Iditarod, he is certainly a threat to take the crown once again this year. Mackey is the only man to win both races in a single season as well. Just minutes behind him is veteran musher Hugh Neff, who holds a slim lead over Allen Moore as well, although the live tracking actually shows Mackey and Moore neck and neck at the front of the pack.

The 2012 Yukon Quest is just over three days old at this point, which means there is a lot of racing yet to come. So far, the weather hasn't been particularly bad and temperatures have been hovering around 15 to 20ºF/-9 to -6ºC, which is down right balmy for the Yukon this time of year. Hopefully conditions will stay good through the end of the race, which will probably be sometime early next week.