Category — Yukon Quest

At 8PM CST Josh Cadzow has about a half hour to go on the mandatory six hour stop in Circle before he hits the trail back to Central and the finish. He left Central about 3 hours before Ava, so he is sitting on a comfortable lead. The sky is clear and there is a nearly full moon, so it should be a good run.

These are the official standings at 10PM, but they don’t update the 300 very often.

At Circle
1. Josh Cadzow (52)
2. Rob Cooke (54)
3. Ava Lindner (55)
Beyond Central
4. Ed Abrahamson (58)
5. Luan Marques (51)
6. Jimmy Lebling (53)
7. Blake Matray (57)
At Central
8. Cindy Abbot (56)

Rob picked up more than an hour on Ava, due in some part to having 10 dogs versus Ava’s 8, on the trail to Circle. If Josh doesn’t have any ‘adventures’ on the trail, he should win handily.

Lots of reordering today, but first a correction. The start differential was adjusted at the first 4-hour stop at Mile 101 or Central, and the current positions are real time. Last year they waited until Dawson.

Mike Ellis had to scratch at Central because of shoulder injuries in a fall at the foot of Eagle Summit. The most most beautiful dogs in the race [show quality purebred Siberian Huskies] are out. [Ronn Murray Photography on Facebook has a picture of the team at the start posted on his ‘Wall’.]

Misha Pedersen lost a half day waiting for an ‘escape artist’ to return to the team at Eagle Summit, but she is racing again.

Maren Bradley did not scratch, as had been reported earlier, but is still racing.

At 11PM CST:

At Slaven’s Roadhouse
1 Brent Sass (10)
2 Hugh Neff (6)
3 Allen Moore (1)
4 Abbie West (21)
5 Sonny Lindner (3)
6 Jake Berkowitz (13)^R
7 Lance Mackey (16)
8 Kristy Berington (2)^I
Beyond Circle
9 David Dalton (4)
10 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (17)^R
11 Kyla Durham (7)
At Circle
12 Gus Guenther (20)^R
13 Yuka Honda (19)^R
14 Paige Drobny (12)^R
15 Trent Herbst (22)^I
16 Jason Weitzel (9)^R
Beyond Central
17 Marcelle Fressineau (15)^R
18 Brian Wilmshurst (11)^R
19 Maren Bradley (23)^R
20 Michael Telpin (24)^R
21 Nikolay Ettyne (14)^R
22 Misha Pedersen (5)^R

These are the official standings. That means they are official, not that they are correct. Things jump around a lot as people decide to update the standings. This problem is especially bad in the back of the pack, as no one bothers to update those standings when the lead is changing.

The Mushers in bold are former winners of the Yukon Quest, the numbers in parentheses are their Bib numbers, the small “I” indicates a Quest rookie who has competed in the Iditarod, and the small “R” indicates a total rookie.

Note: This post will be updated during the day, and the map changed on all posts to reflect the current situation.

All posts on the Yukon Quest can be seen by selecting “Yukon Quest” from the Category box on the right sidebar.

The ABC reports the two year suspension of Alberto Contador of Spain from cycling and the loss of his 2010 Tour de France and 2011 Giro d’Italia wins. Contador will not be eligible for the Olympics or this year’s Tour.

They didn’t buy his story about the steroids being in the meat he was eating during the race.

Alberto, that is Mexico [and probably the US for all we know], not France. The French get upset with people who mess with their food [unlike the US where they get subsidies]

In the world of sled dog racing ‘The Eagle Bites’ –

Mike Ellis and his beautiful Siberian Huskies are out of the race. Coming down Eagle Mike leaned a little to far to steer away from some trees, and got slammed into an ice patch, separating his shoulder. He managed to pop his arm back into the socket, but there is no way he can care for the team with the pain involved, so he scratched at Central. Mike and Sue’s Siberians are acknowledged to be the best looking team in any race.

Dave Dalton is still in, but he got slammed into the ice and was winching from bruised ribs at Central. Water gets very hard below 32°.

Rookie Misha Pedersen had a different sort of problem – one of her team pulled a Houdini on Eagle to look around the neighborhood, and she was put on hold until the dog was located. The musher is responsible for the team, and you can’t check in without every dog that left the previous check point.

There were a lot of people repairing sleds after coming down Eagle Summit.

That’s all of the important sports news … 😈

The mid-distance teams are making good time, but they are probably wearing down at this point. That climb up Rosebud wears out teams and mushers, because you don’t get to ride, or even run behind the sled – you have to push.

Update 11PM CST:

At Central
1. Josh Cadzow (52)
2. Ava Lindner (55)
Beyond Mile 101
3. Rob Cooke (54)
At Mile 101
4. Luan Marques (51)
Beyond Chena Hot Springs
5. Jimmy Lebling (53)
6. Cindy Abbot (56)
7. Ed Abrahamson (58)
8. Blake Matray (57)

Josh has a lot of races behind him, but Luan Marques is looking good for a total rookie from Brazil. Rob Cooke has obviously been working seriously on his mushing.

Ava Linder is down to 8 dogs, and that isn’t good. The race runs out to Circle and then back to Central for the finish.

The leading teams are over Rosebud and have to decide to take the 4-hour mandatory stop at Mile 101, or wait until they get to Central. I assume that most will stay at 101 and rest after the climb.

The descent down Eagle is a test for the musher, as s/he must keep the sled from interfering with the dogs.

Update at 7:30PM CST:

Beyond Central
1 Brent Sass (10)
2 Allen Moore (1)
3 Abbie West (21)
At Central
4 Hugh Neff (6)
5 Sonny Lindner (3)
6 Kristy Berington (2)^I
7 Lance Mackey (16)
8 David Dalton (4)
9 Mike Ellis (18)
10 Jake Berkowitz (13)^R
Beyond Mile 101
11 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (17)^R
12 Kyla Durham (7)
13 Gus Guenther (20)^R
14 Yuka Honda (19)^R
15 Trent Herbst (22)^I
At Mile 101
16 Paige Drobny (12)^R
17 Marcelle Fressineau (15)^R
18 Jason Weitzel (9)^R
19 Misha Pedersen (5)^R
20 Brian Wilmshurst (11)^R
21 Nikolay Ettyne (14)^R
22 Michael Telpin (24)^R

OK, Now we have the current status of Maren Bradley (23)^R – she either scratched at Chena Hot Springs or is sitting at Mile 101 in the race ahead of Nikolay and Michael. Both versions are up on the Standings board. The GPS says she is at Mile 101. This is a volunteer effort, so they are going to have problems like this.

I’m concerned about the rising temperatures. Temperatures above freezing cause problems for the dogs and the trail, and temperatures in the 20s yield wet snow which is a pain to deal with.

Note: According to GPS live tracking Michael Telpin has been at Chena Hot Springs for more than 8 hours, the last GPS report. It is probable that everyone is out of the checkpoint.

These are the official standings. That means they are official, not that they are correct. Things jump around a lot as people decide to update the standings. This problem is especially bad in the back of the pack, as no one bothers to update those standings when the lead is changing.

The Mushers in bold are former winners of the Yukon Quest, the numbers in parentheses are their Bib numbers, the small “I” indicates a Quest rookie who has competed in the Iditarod, and the small “R” indicates a total rookie.

Note: This post will be updated during the day, and the map changed on all posts to reflect the current situation.

All posts on the Yukon Quest can be seen by selecting “Yukon Quest” from the Category box on the right sidebar.

The race started on time, 6PM CST [3PM AKST] but only 8 of the 9 teams are apparently racing:

1. Luan Marques (51)
2. Josh Cadzow (52)
3. Jimmy Lebling (53)
4. Rob Cooke (54)
5. Ava Lindner (55)
6. Cindy Abbot (56)
7. Blake Matray (57)
8. Ed Abrahamson (58)

I’ll have to wait to see if they say what happened to Peg Harpham (59).

Unlike the 14 dogs on the YQ 1000, there are 12 dogs on the 300 teams. This is an additional measure to ensure that the two groups don’t interfere with each other.

The lead team musher, Luan Marques, is a Brazilian pet shop owner. Rob Cooke moved from the UK to Canada to race Siberian Huskies. Ava Linder is the daughter of Sonny Linder, the winner of the first Quest before she was born. Blake Matray is easing back into the sport after failing to finish the 2009 Iditarod.

The YQ 300 is a qualifier for both the Quest and the Iditarod, but I would have found another race. The section of the trail from Fairbanks to Circle is a nasty piece of work, even in the ‘good’ direction.

You have to make the double summit climb up Rosebud and then Eagle, and then you descend into the ‘deep freeze’. Between Central and Circle there is about 30 miles of trail on Birch Creek which is the coldest section of the entire trail. Veterans expect that section to be at least 15° colder than Central, without a wind.

That section will be even colder this year because Carl Cochrane, who provided a stop at his cabin on Birch Creek since the start of the Quest, died in June at 77. No one knows if the caretaker who lives there now will welcome visitors.

The teams started leaving at 2PM CST [11AM AKST] with 3 minute intervals between teams. Kurt Reich (8)^R was a no-show, but no one is sure why at this point.

The initial order is:

1 Allen Moore (1)
2 Kristy Berington (2)^I
3 Sonny Lindner (3)
4 David Dalton (4)
5 Misha Pedersen (5)^R
6 Hugh Neff (6)
7 Kyla Durham (7)
8 Jason Weitzel (9)^R
9 Brent Sass (10)
10 Brian Wilmshurst (11)^R
11 Paige Drobny (12)^R
12 Jake Berkowitz (13)^R
13 Nikolay Ettyne (14)^R
14 Marcelle Fressineau (15)^R
15 Lance Mackey (16)
16 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (17)^R
17 Mike Ellis (18)
18 Yuka Honda (19)^R
19 Gus Guenther (20)^R
20 Abbie West (21)
21 Trent Herbst (22)^I
22 Maren Bradley (23)^R
23 Michael Telpin (24)^R

It will be several hours before anyone reaches the first checkpoint but you can follow them with GPS tracking using the ‘Live Tracking’ link in the Quest area of my right sidebar.

The Quest 300 will start later this evening with 9 teams. The 300 miles of this race in even years from Fairbanks is over the worst of the Quest’s trail, ending at Circle. That reality and the bad economy are really keeping participation down. Providing 14 dogs with an of 12,000 calories of food apiece every day on the trail really adds up.

Update below the fold:

[Read more →]

This was the weather statement for the area around the Mile 101 checkpoint for today:

The Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect until 6 am akst
Saturday.

* Location… Steese Highway summits.

* Winds… southwest gusting to 40 mph.

* Wind chills… 50 below.

* Visibility… near zero in blowing snow.

* Snow… several inches accumulation.

Fortunately things will calm down before tomorrow. Oh, the checkpoint is at the mile 101 marker on the Steese Highway between those summits.

There will be new snow for the start, which is not a given in Alaska. It doesn’t really snow all that much during the winter … it is too cold.

The MSNBC link to a decade long study on the physiology of sled dogs is still good, and a useful primer for anyone new to the sport.

[Read more →]

These are the two dozen starters. The little “I” indicates a Quest Rookie who has completed an Iditarod, while the “R” marks total Rookies in long distance races. The two mushers who are bolded are former winners of the Quest.

Kristy Berington^I
Jake Berkowitz^R
Maren Bradley^R
David Dalton
Paige Drobny^R
Kyla Durham
Mike Ellis
Nikolay Ettyne^R
Marcelle Fressineau^R
Gus Guenther^R
Trent Herbst^I
Yuka Honda^R
Joar Leifseth Ulsom^R
Sonny Lindner
Lance Mackey
Allen Moore
Hugh Neff
Misha Pedersen^R
Kurt Reich^R
Brent Sass
Michael Telpin^R
Jason Weitzel^R
Abbie West
Brian Wilmshurst^R

[Read more →]

Fairbanks 440 feet [134 meters] Start
Chena Hot Springs 1550 feet [472 meters] 72 miles [116 km]
Rosebud Summit 3640 feet [1109 meters]
Mile 101 Steese Highway 2250 feet [686 meters] 42 miles [68 km]
Eagle Summit 3685 feet [1123 meters]
Central 435 feet [133 meters] 33 miles [53 km]
Circle City 597 feet [182 meters] 74 miles [119 km]
Eagle 880 feet [268 meters] 159 miles [256 km]
American Summit 3920 feet [1195 meters]
Dawson City 1050 feet [320 meters] 147 miles [237 km]
King Solomon’s Dome 4002 feet [1220 meters]
Pelly Crossing 1558 feet [475 meters] 202 miles [325 km]
Carmacks 1722 feet [525 meters] 73 miles [117 km]
Braeburn 2326 feet [709 meters] 77 miles [124 km]
Whitehorse 2089 feet [637 meters] 100 miles [161 km] Finish

The total distance is approximately 1000 miles [1600 kilometers]

[Read more →]

Fair Warning: The race starts in Fairbanks, AK next Saturday with about two dozen teams in contention. Several teams had to drop out at the last minute because the Copper Basin 300 race, one of the qualifying events for the Quest, was cancelled due to poor trail conditions.

The temperatures are cold, but the interior hasn’t been overwhelmed with snow.

This is the faster of the two versions of the trail as the double climb up Rosebud and Eagle Summit occur early in the race when mushers and dogs are in good shape.

The race ended last night at 10:06PM AKST when Hank DeBruin and his Siberian Huskies of Ontario, Canada crossed the finish line in Fairbanks with an official time of 13 days 10 hours 54 minutes on the trail. Here’s a nice grouping of pictures of Hank and the puppies. Lily is the leader.

Only 13 of 25 teams finished the race. More than ten times as many people have climbed Mount Everest than have finished the Yukon Quest. Of the 349 dogs that started at Whitehorse, only 125 crossed the finish line. Two of the dogs, Taco of Brent Sass’s team, and Geronimo on Hugh Neff’s, died on the trail. That is rare on the Quest. Geronimo died of Aspiration Asphyxia, eating too fast and having food block the airway, but they still don’t know why Taco died, possibly a heart condition that has been missed in dozens of vet checks.

Now to the Awards–

Dallas Seavey won the Championship and the Rookie of the Year Awards. He also got to select the Golden Harness award for two dogs and picked Diesel and Chung, who got steaks in addition to the bling.

Ken Anderson received the Dawson City Award and 4 ounces of placer gold for being the first team into Dawson that went on to finish the race.

Kelley Griffin won the Challenge of the North Award for exemplifying the “Yukon Spirit”.

The Veterinarian’s Choice Award for outstanding dog care went to Mike & Sue Ellis. Sue is Mike’s wife and handler for their Team Tsuga Siberian Huskies.

The mushers vote for the Sportsmanship Award and this year it was a tie, so it was awarded to Mike Ellis, Allen Moore and Brent Sass. As the winners noted the entire field deserved it, given the conditions on the trail.

A new award was handed out this year – the Silver Legacy Award was presented to its namesake, Brent Sass’s veteran lead dog, Silver. The 7-year-old was not only instrumental in helping Hans Gatt’s team on Eagle Summit, he helped in his rookie year in 2006 when faced with similar conditions during the Yukon Quest 300 race. He is a trail breaker and weather leader, and while he is a little slower, when the going gets tough, he is the go-to lead dog on Brent’s team. He is a dominant enough lead dog that other teams are willing to follow him.

The non-sled dog people will be pleased to know that there is a two-week break before the Iditarod.

It is very possible that everyone will be in Fairbanks for the final banquet, as Hank DeBruin and the Siberians can leave Chena Hot Springs in about 2½ hours. It is snowing, but it will be daylight.

Jodi Bailey was the first of the true rookies to finish, this is her first long distance race, while those who arrived before her classified as rookies have been in the Iditarod.

If anyone out there is considering running in the Quest, do it in an even year the first time. It is much easier to face Rosebud and Eagle Summit with a full fresh team than after a week of running on the trail.

Update at 12:10PM CST: Hank has left Chena Hot Springs, everyone is headed into Fairbanks.

Update at 5:36PM CST: Hank is alone on the trail with about 40 miles to go.

Update at 8PM CST: About 25 miles left.

Update at 10:15PM CST: About 15 miles and Festival Fairbanks has set up a web cam on the finish line. [Oops – standard Fairbanks problem, the resources are too limited]

Update at 1:08AM CST: The Red Lantern is out.

At Fairbanks

7 Jodi Bailey (17)^R
8 Mike Ellis (5)
9 David Dalton (23)
10 Tamara Rose (12)^I
11 Kyla Durham (14)^R
12 Jerry Joinson (21)^R
13 Hank DeBruin (19)^IΦ

The Mushers in bold are former winners of the Yukon Quest, the numbers in parentheses are their Bib numbers, the small “I” indicates a Quest rookie who has competed in the Iditarod, and the small “R” indicates a total rookie.

Note: This post will be updated during the day, and the map changed on all posts to reflect the current situation.

All posts on the Yukon Quest can be seen by selecting “Yukon Quest” from the Category box on the right sidebar.

While the group at the Hot Springs wait out their 8-hour mandatory stops before the 75 mile run to the finish, the back of the race is on the trail and facing Eagle Summit.

They might, and I hope they do, get the sunny conditions that Mike Ellis saw, but the version that Sab dealt with is never far away. There is a Winter Weather Advisory out for the area around Fairbanks for 3-5″ of snow and winds up to 30mph in the hills, so I hope everyone makes it to a warm and safe location before it hits.

Update Noon CST: It is very good to see that Tamara, Kyla, and Jerry have made it over Eagle Summit. Hank and his Siberians are the last team that will have to go over this year. He is currently about 15 miles away from Mile 101 at the start of the climb.

Update 1:30PM CST: Hank is about a mile from the summit at 2500 feet. He has 1000 feet up and 5000 forward to go before it becomes downhill into Mile 101.

Update 2:30PM CST: He is at 3400 feet. Not much further.

Update 3:15PM CST: Hank and the Siberian Huskies are over Eagle Summit and on their way down to to Mile 101.

Update 4:15PM CST: Hank arrived at Mile 101 with frosted puppies. Reports high winds at the summit.

At Fairbanks

7 Jodi Bailey (17)^R
8 Mike Ellis (5)

Beyond Chena Hot Springs

9 David Dalton (23)

At Chena Hot Springs

10 Tamara Rose (12)^I
11 Kyla Durham (14)^R
12 Jerry Joinson (21)^R

Beyond Mile 101

13 Hank DeBruin (19)^IΦ

The Mushers in bold are former winners of the Yukon Quest, the numbers in parentheses are their Bib numbers, the small “I” indicates a Quest rookie who has competed in the Iditarod, and the small “R” indicates a total rookie.

Note: This post will be updated during the day, and the map changed on all posts to reflect the current situation.

All posts on the Yukon Quest can be seen by selecting “Yukon Quest” from the Category box on the right sidebar.