February 20, 2009

• Yukon Quest – over the border

  

  The leaders in the Quest are across the border into Alaska now.  Eleven have reached the Forty Mile River hospitality stop, and three of them passed through and have gotten as far as Eagle Checkpoint.

  A couple of days ago, the musher in front was five hours ahead of the estimated prediction.  Today, as William Kleedehn departed from Eagle with twelve dogs, he was almost seven hours ahead of the estimated schedule.  Hugh Neff was two hours behind him, with ten dogs.  Jon Little checked into Eagle with twelve dogs and will complete the mandatory six-hour layover there and be eligible to leave at 17:07.

  On the trail from Forty Mile to Eagle are Sebastian Schnuelle (with 12 dogs), Brent Sass (11), Michelle Phillips (10), Warren Palfrey (13), Martin Buser (10), and Dan Caduce (12).  Still at Forty Mile are Mike Ellis (9 dogs) and Normand Casavant with eleven.

  Kyla Boivin (with 11 dogs), Luc Twedell (11), Colleen Robertia (13), Mark Sleightholme (13), and Wayne Hall (11) are on the trail between Dawson and Forty Mile.  The other eight teams still in the race, including Newton Marshall (in 19th position with 12 dogs) and Jason Mackey (in 20th with 10) are currently waiting out the remainders of their mandatory 36 hour layovers in Dawson City.

  Yuka Honda received the first penalty of this year’s Quest, thirty minutes for arriving in Dawson City without her required axe.

  Five mushers have scratched, including three time Quest Champion, four time European Champion Hans Gatt, who scratched at Dawson, “for strategic reasons.”  The only strategy I can think of that would involve dropping out of a race would be to conserve his and/or his team’s energies for a subsequent race.  That would be the Iditarod, next month.

  Into Dawson, Becca Moore had gotten out of the last place spot she’d held for most of the race, arriving with ten dogs one minute ahead of Didier Moggia and his team of nine.  However, the standings show that she will not be eligible to leave Dawson until fourteen minutes after Moggia.  Dawson, the mid-point and major rest area of the race, is also where times are adjusted to eliminate the advantages or disadvantages conferred by the staggered starting times.  At the start of the race, teams leave the chute at three-minute intervals.
  

  • 9:47 pm
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