February 22, 2009
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Yukon Quest update
A couple of days ago, somebody said the Quest was William Kleedehn’s to lose. In this morning’s wee small hours, he left the Circle City Checkpoint with eleven dogs, five and a half hours ahead of estimated expectations, fourteen minutes ahead of Hugh Neff and nine dogs. It could well be Neff’s to win now. Jon Little and his ten dogs, more that three hours behind them, has little chance at the championship, but stranger things have happened. His time is hours better than the projections.
Most if not all of the race is now in the U.S. The four teams at the tail of the race (Honda, Sutton, Moggia and Moore) are out of Dawson City, the last Yukon checkpoint, and not yet reported into Forty Mile Hospitality Stop, the first location on the Alaska side of the border.
Jamaican musher Newton Marshall, in sixteenth position, is out of Eagle Checkpoint near the back of the main pack, with eleven dogs. Jason Mackey, who said he blew the race early on by over feeding his team and running them in the heat of the day, is in Eagle, in nineteenth position with nine dogs.
Martin Buser, in sixth position, out of Slaven’s Cabin Dog Drop on the trail to Circle City, with ten dogs, is the leader among this year’s rookies. Michelle Phillips, in seventh with ten dogs, out of Slaven’s Cabin fourteen minutes behind Buser, is leading the women.
Comments (2)
How long before the race reaches it’s conclussion?
Tuesday morning at the latest the winner will be over the line. It’s not over until the last team finishes, and the official estimate for that is March 1.