Category — Yukon Quest

Sebastian Schnuelle (20) with Hugh Neff (23) second.

The official time in was 10:44, with an official elapsed time of 9 days 23 hours and 20 minutes, a new record.

The sprint to the end started this morning with Sebastian Schnuelle (20), Hugh Neff (23), and Jon Little (18) leaving Two Rivers at half-hour intervals.

You can get Race Updates here.

Today William Kleedehn (12) has dropped from first to fifth place. I assumed that he had major trouble with the mountain when four others showed up before him. I thought it was possible his prosthetic leg had given out scrambling up the hill. Nope. It was that slimy low-life Cupid who did him in.

Another surprise was Mike Ellis (4) Scratches in Circle City. He was running in the money at 11^th place, basically teamed up with Norman Casavant (29) and no major threat behind them.

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.

The 115 miles [185 km] of trail between Central and Two Rivers checkpoints is really a nasty piece of work:

Central 435 feet [133 meters]
Eagle Summit 3685 feet [1123 meters]
Mile 101 Steese Highway 2250 feet [686 meters]
Rosebud Summit 3640 feet [1109 meters]
Two Rivers 750 feet [229 meters]

Gerry Willomitzer, a veteran musher, expands on the problems that have been/could be encountered, especially for the current leader.

William Kleedehn (12), Hugh Neff (23), Jon Little (18), and Sebastian Schnuelle (20) are beyond Circle. Brent Sass (13) is there. Michelle Phillips (26), Martin Buser (8), and Warren Palfrey (19) are on their way.

Hugh Neff is only 14 minutes behind William Kleedehn, but he has two fewer dogs on his team.

Among the lead teams only Jon Little, Brent Sass and Michelle Philips don’t have the Iditarod facing them after this race ends.

Newton Marshall, the Jamaican musher, is hanging in there at 15, the last money position, and he still has 11 dogs. This is a great rookie run.

The back of the race still hasn’t arrived at Eagle, but they should be there this afternoon.

You can get Race Updates here.

These are the teams that have left Eagle: William Kleedehn (12), Hugh Neff (23), Jon Little (18), Sebastian Schnuelle (20), Brent Sass (13), Michelle Phillips (26), Martin Buser (8), and Warren Palfrey (19). The first three had a separation of three hours, then there was a six-hour break before Schnuelle and Sass left together. The final group left six hours later. It is down to strategy – how long to run and how long to rest.

From this point on any dogs dropped are as likely to be for strategic reasons as injury or illness, because the resting will probably be along the trail, and they have to carry the supplies for that with them.

Update: The last two mushers have left Dawson. There is also a mandatory two four hour wait at Eagle.

You can get Race Updates here.

The leaders on the trail are: William Kleedehn (12), Hugh Neff (23), Jon Little (18), Sebastian Schnuelle (20), and Brent Sass (13).

All the teams have reached Dawson.

David Dalton (21) scratched on arrival, and Yuka Honda (24) got dinged with a 30 minute penalty for needing to replace her axe. [An axe is mandatory equipment.]

You can get Race Updates here.

Post Updated below the fold:

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Jon Little (18), William Kleedehn (12), and Hugh Neff (23) are on the trail, climbing the American Summit. The weather in Dawson City was 1°F [-17°C] cloudy with a chance of snow flurries at 11AM PST. When they reach the border at 3000 feet the time will change to Alaskan Standard Time which is an hour earlier, i.e. 11AM PST is 10AM AKST.

Update: Hans Gatt (16) who was running 4^th has decided to scratch to concentrate on the Iditarod.

You can get Race Updates here.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner notes that William Kleedehn is in line for the Dawson Award: “The Dawson Award, four ounces of Klondike placer gold, goes to the first musher reaching Dawson who then completes the race.” Kleendehn made a last minute pass on Jon Little to arrive 2 minutes ahead of him at the Dawson Check Point. Now he has to make it to Fairbanks.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner‘s reporter also explained the early Britten scratch:

Jean-Denis Britten didn’t care to continue with 10 dogs.

Britten said his three best dogs were submerged in water after breaking through overflow ice near McCabe Creek on Monday.

After determining in Pelly that he would have to drop all three of them, Britten instead scratched from the race, loaded his dogs in a truck and presumably drove home to Dawson City.

It is almost always about the dogs. Mushers will continue with all kinds of injuries, but you don’t risk your dogs.  He couldn’t take the dogs inside to dry off because any dog taken inside is automatically dropped.

The first teams, William Kleedehn (12), Jon Little (18), Hugh Neff (23), Hans Gatt (16), Sebastian Schnuelle (20), Brent Sass (13), have arrived in Dawson and begun their mandatory 36 hour layover. This is where the time advantage for the start is ironed out with everyone but Norman Casavant (29) required to stay more than 36 hours.  The first musher allowed to leave with be Jon Little (18) at 10:50AM [PST] tomorrow.

Jerry Joinson (10) decided to scratch after leaving Pelly Crossing, and returned, which pares the field to 27.

You can get Race Updates here.

Here are the current leaders: Jon Little (18), Sebastian Schnuelle (20), William Kleedehn (12), Hugh Neff (23), Hans Gatt (16). The lead teams are beyond Scroggie Creek Dog Drop.

Jean-Denis Britten (3) became the first to scratch at Pelly Crossing. His team tied as the fastest into Braeburn, and may have run too hard too early in the race.

Becca Moore (22) is the only one still in Pelly Crossing, having arrived early this morning. Becca is on the trail now, and Pelly Crossing is closed.

You can get Race Updates here.

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Out of Pelly Crossing the order is William Kleedehn (12), Hugh Neff (23), Hans Gatt (16), and Brent Sass (13). Only Becca Moore (22) is still in Carmacks.
[She left at 11:37PST, so Carmacks is clear.]

Kleedehn injured his back just before the race, but that doesn’t seem to be affecting the team. The climbs are coming up, so things will slow down – a lot.

You can get Race Updates here.

Everyone made it to the first checkpoint at Braeburn [100 miles / 160 km]. Jon Little (18) now leads, but that’s based on taking a shorter break. The dogs of Martin Buser (8), current ranked 2^nd, and Jean-denis Britten (3), currently ranked 6^th, made the run in the best time, 9 hours and 54 minutes. They are the speed in the race, so it is down to strategy between them, because their dogs are definitely ready to run.

You can get Race Updates here.