Day 10 – The Fangs
The current line-up: Hugh Neff (23), William Kleedehn (12), Jon Little (18), and Brent Sass (13) are beyond Central. Sebastian Schnuelle (20) and Martin Buser (8) are there. Michelle Phillips (26) and Dan Kaduce (14) are on their way.
Everyone is beyond Eagle.
Didier Moggia (27) returned to Dawson and scratched last night. Sensible move if things weren’t going well, because Dawson has a lot more resources than Eagle, which is only reachable by aircraft or sled during the winter.
While Hugh Neff is technically the leader, he messed up and used a road, instead of the trail, and was penalized two hours, tacked on to the mandatory 8-hour stop in Two Rivers.
Gerry Willomitzer has commentary on the “End Game” of the Quest.
You can get Race Updates here.
2 comments
Word has it that Neff did more than just “mess up” — he intentionally deviated from the marked trail in order to run on the paved, flat road. Some are calling for his disqualification rather than the two-hour penalty that he was assessed.
In my post last night, the Gerry Willomitzer piece I linked to talked about doing exactly what Neff did, using in the road instead of following the creek.
They issued a clarification on the official site saying that the trail is clearly marked, but if you’re running tired at night and the dogs see a trail at their level, they will follow it, so Neff’s actions could affect teams following. Dogs don’t normally look up, and the dogs are the ones who first pick the trail.
I would disqualify him, because it was an obvious choice and he benefited from it. You might get off the trail, but there is no mistaking the road, and he was on it for 5 miles.