Category — Yukon Quest

Thomas Verin (65) hasn’t had a working tracker for a day. The tracker says he is in Dawson, when he should be around Pelly Crossing. His position is a guess on my part.

Update: after more searching, I discovered a post on Thomas’s Facebook page that he had scratched at McCabe Creek, feeling that his team were too tired to finish.

These are the 8PM CST standings on the YQ 300 based on the Live Tracker [not totally confident about positions] . Lynne & Brian arrived together to finish the YQ300.

Finished
1 Michelle Phillips (58)
2 Aliy Zirkle (56)
3 Nathaniel Hamlyn (66)
4 Claudia Wickert (62)
5 Magnus Kaltenborn (64)
6 Gerry Willomitzer (71)
7 Jacob Heigers (60)
8 Fabien Cayer-Barrioz (55)
9 Roger Lee (53)
10 Marcelle Fressineau (52)
11 Jason Biasetti (54)
12 Jean-Marc Champeval (73)
13 Brian Kandler (72)
14 Lynne Witte (70)Φ

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.

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

A slow day ahead consisting of people pulling into Dawson to sleep and repair equipment.

Speaking of equipment, Torsten Kohnert showed up at Dawson without his ax, and had to get one before he could be logged in. To add weight to the meaning of ‘mandatory’, he was fined $500.

The Current Standings at 8:00PM CST ( 6:00PM PST): [with adjustment from Live Tracking]
At Dawson
1 Brent Sass (14)
2 Hugh Neff (9)
3 Matt Hall (20)
4 Allen Moore (8)
5 Ed Hopkins (18)
6 Katherine Keith (19)^R
7 Paige Drobny (7)
8 Torsten Kohnert (21)
9 Ryne Olson (15)
10 Brian Wilmshurst (16)
Beyond Pelly Crossing
11 Rob Cooke (4)
12 Dave Dalton (13)
13 Jessie Royer (1)^R
14 Gaetan Pierrard (10)
15 Sébastien Dos Santos Borges (5)^R
16 Yuka Honda (2)
17 Ben Good (3)^R
18 Hank DeBruin (17)
[Read more →]

The 300 goes out to the Stepping Stone hospitality stop and then returns to Pelly Crossing for the finish. The trail between Pelly and Stepping Stone can get a bit crowded with the two-way traffic.

Craig Houghton (67) decided to scratch at McCabe’s Creek. Claudia’s tracker died last night and she stayed in 4th place despite what was reported.

These are the 9:00PM CST standings on the YQ 300 based on the Live Tracker [not totally confident about positions] .
Finished
1 Michelle Phillips (58)
2 Aliy Zirkle (56)
3 Nathaniel Hamlyn (66)
4 Claudia Wickert (62)
5 Magnus Kaltenborn (64)
6 Gerry Willomitzer (71)
7 Jacob Heigers (60)
8 Fabien Cayer-Barrioz (55)
9 Roger Lee (53)
10 Marcelle Fressineau (52)
11 Jason Biasetti (54)
Beyond Pelly Crossing
12 Jean-Marc Champeval (73)
13 Thomas Verin (65)
At Pelly Crossing
14 Lynne Witte (70)
15 Brian Kandler (72)

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.

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

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Live Tracking shows Brent with about a 5 mile lead over Hugh, But there is still a ways to go before Dawson. There is money involved in being first into Dawson.

Jason Campeau (6) decided to scratch at Pelly Crossing for the good of his yearling team. Laura Neese (11) & Ed Stielstra (12)^R scratched at Pelly Crossing

The Current Standings at 10:30PM CST ( 8:30PM PST):
At Dawson
1 Brent Sass (14)
2 Hugh Neff (9)
Beyond Pelly Crossing
3 Matt Hall (20)
4 Allen Moore (8)
5 Ed Hopkins (18)
6 Katherine Keith (19)^R
7 Paige Drobny (7)
8 Torsten Kohnert (21)
9 Yuka Honda (2)
10 Ryne Olson (15)
11 Brian Wilmshurst (16)
12 Rob Cooke (4)
13 Dave Dalton (13)
14 Gaetan Pierrard (10)
15 Ben Good (3)^R
16 Sébastien Dos Santos Borges (5)^R
17 Jessie Royer (1)^R
18 Hank DeBruin (17)

[Read more →]

These are the 9:00PM CST standings on the YQ 300 based on the Live Tracker.

Four teams scratched at Carmacks: Chase Tingle (51), Susie Rogan (57), Kyla Boivin (68), & Melissa Schenke (69). All ‘for the good of the team’, which, based on pictures, means the mushers are freezing. Scott Janssen (59) joined the group by scratching at Carmacks. Hans Gatt (63) scratched at Pelly Crossing ‘for strategic reasons’.

Michelle, Aliy, Nathaniel, & Claudia looks like the finishing order. Michelle crossed the finish line at 9:57PM CST.

Finished
1 Michelle Phillips (58)
Beyond Pelly Crossing
2 Aliy Zirkle (56)
3 Nathaniel Hamlyn (66)
4 Claudia Wickert (62)
At Pelly Crossing
5 Gerry Willomitzer (71)
6 Magnus Kaltenborn (64)
7 Jacob Heigers (60)
Beyond Carmacks
8 Roger Lee (53)
9 Jason Biasetti (54)
10 Fabien Cayer-Barrioz (55)
11 Marcelle Fressineau (52)
12 Jean-Marc Champeval (73)
13 Thomas Verin (65)
At Carmacks
14 Lynne Witte (70)
15 Brian Kandler (72)
16 Craig Houghton (67)

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.

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

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Hugh is continuing his race to Dawson and collection of firsts into checkpoints. The temperatures are staying cold which is better for the puppies, if not so great for the mushers.

Yuka Honda has been hit with a two-hour penalty for repairs to her sled that required outside assistance.

The Current Standings at 9:00PM CST ( 7:00PM PST):
Beyond Pelly Crossing
1 Hugh Neff (9)
2 Brent Sass (14)
3 Allen Moore (8)
4 Katherine Keith (19)^R
5 Matt Hall (20)
6 Ed Hopkins (18)
7 Paige Drobny (7)
8 Torsten Kohnert (21)
9 Yuka Honda (2)
10 Ryne Olson (15)
11 Brian Wilmshurst (16)
At Pelly Crossing
12 Gaetan Pierrard (10)
13 Rob Cooke (4)
14 Dave Dalton (13)
15 Ben Good (3)^R
16 Sébastien Dos Santos Borges (5)^R
Beyond Carmacks
17 Laura Neese (11)
18 Ed Stielstra (12)^R
19 Jessie Royer (1)^R
20 Jason Campeau (6)
21 Hank DeBruin (17)
[Read more →]

These are the 10PM CST standings on the YQ 300 based on the Live Tracker. The two races are obviously overlapping. Michelle Phillips’s tracking unit isn’t working well and drops out for long periods.

Olaf Thurau (61) scratched at Braeburn citing the good of his team, i.e. the puppies weren’t happy.

At Carmacks
1 Michelle Phillips (58)
2 Aliy Zirkle (56)
3 Hans Gatt (63)
4 Nathaniel Hamlyn (66)
5 Gerry Willomitzer (71)
Beyond Braeburn
6 Magnus Kaltenborn (64)
7 Scott Janssen (59)
8 Jacob Heigers (60)
9 Melissa Schenke (69)
10 Chase Tingle (51)
11 Susie Rogan (57)
12 Roger Lee (53)
13 Fabien Cayer-Barrioz (55)
14 Marcelle Fressineau (52)
15 Jason Biasetti (54)
16 Kyla Boivin (68)
17 Claudia Wickert (62)
18 Thomas Verin (65)
19 Jean-Marc Champeval (73)
20 Brian Kandler (72)
21 Lynne Witte (70)
22 Craig Houghton (67)

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.

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

Hugh was first in to Braeburn, but he took a break there while Brent, Allen, and Brian blew through.

The CBC has a nice article on the on the traditional hand-embroidered dog blankets created for the ceremonial start of the race.

The Current Standings at 9:30PM CST ( 7:30PM PST):

Beyond Carmacks
1 Hugh Neff (9)
2 Katherine Keith (19)^R
3 Brent Sass (14)
4 Allen Moore (8)
5 Ed Hopkins (18)
At Carmacks
6 Matt Hall (20)
7 Brian Wilmshurst (16)
8 Yuka Honda (2)
9 Torsten Kohnert (21)
10 Dave Dalton (13)
Beyond Braeburn
11 Paige Drobny (7)
12 Ryne Olson (15)
13 Gaetan Pierrard (10)
14 Sébastien Dos Santos Borges (5)^R
15 Rob Cooke (4)
16 Ben Good (3)^R
17 Hank DeBruin (17)
18 Jessie Royer (1)^R
19 Jason Campeau (6)
20 Laura Neese (11)
21 Ed Stielstra (12)^R
[Read more →]

The race preliminaries started at Noon CST [10AM PST] with a field of 21. While they are Quest rookies, Jessie Royer and Ed Stielstra are Iditarod veterans. The members of the field planning on competing in the Iditarod should leave the bulk of their equipment in Fairbanks, because there is a lack of snow in the Alaska Range and the racing will probably use the 2015 trail.

The racing begin at 1PM.

Beyond Whitehorse
1 Jessie Royer (1)^R
2 Yuka Honda (2)
3 Ben Good (3)^R
4 Rob Cooke (4)
5 Sébastien Dos Santos Borges (5)^R
6 Jason Campeau (6)
7 Paige Drobny (7)
8 Allen Moore (8)
9 Hugh Neff (9)
10 Gaetan Pierrard (10)
11 Laura Neese (11)
12 Ed Stielstra (12)^R
13 Dave Dalton (13)
14 Brent Sass (14)
15 Ryne Olson (15)
16 Brian Wilmshurst (16)
17 Hank DeBruin (17)
18 Ed Hopkins (18)
19 Katherine Keith (19)^R
20 Matt Hall (20)
21 Torsten Kohnert (21)

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, and the small “R” indicates a 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 clicking on the sled dog or selecting “Yukon Quest” from the Category box on the right sidebar.

The race starts this Saturday, February 4^th, in Whitehorse.

Whitehorse 2089 feet [637 meters] Start
Braeburn 2326 feet [709 meters] 100 miles [161 km]
Carmacks 1722 feet [525 meters] 77 miles [124 km]
Pelly Crossing 1558 feet [475 meters] 73 miles [117 km]
King Solomon’s Dome 4002 feet [1220 meters]
Dawson 1050 feet [320 meters] 202 miles [325 km] 24 Hour Stop
American Summit 3920 feet [1195 meters]
Eagle 880 feet [268 meters] 147 miles [237 km] 6 Hour Stop
Circle 597 feet [182 meters] 159 miles [256 km]
Central 435 feet [133 meters] 74 miles [119 km]
Eagle Summit 3685 feet [1123 meters]
Mile 101 2250 feet [686 meters] 33 miles [53 km]
Rosebud Summit 3640 feet [1109 meters]
Two Rivers 750 feet [229 meters] 42 miles [68 km] 8 Hour Stop
Fairbanks 440 feet [134 meters] 45 miles[72 km] Finish

[Read more →]

Gaetan Pierrard is the final team on the trail. Wearing bib number 7 and carrying la Lanterne Rouge at 6AM CST he still has 35 miles to go until the finish at Takhini Hot Spring. While the shift to the Spring shortened the course, instead of a flat run on the river down to Whitehorse, teams are having to navigate hills at the end. The moon has been waxing and is nearly full.and the Northern Lights have been active, so hasn’t been pitch black, but after two weeks on the trail you will start to see things that aren’t there and miss things that are. His last indicated speed was 7mph.

As he had planned with a friend, Gaetan arrived at the finish around 11AM CDT (9AM PST) ending the race. 19 out of 23 teams and 179 of 322 puppies that started finished. Hugh finished in 9 days, 1 hour, and 25 minutes, and it took Gaetan 12 days, 19 hours, and 51 minutes.

Gaetan Pierrard and the Red Lantern are about 100 miles from the finish. Tore and Rob should be done before noon, and Gaetan will be in Braeburn for the 8-hour about the same time.

Rob has slowed and is still 20 miles from the finish at Noon CST, while Gaetan is resting at Braeburn until 8PM CST.

Update:When Sébastien Dos Santos Borges scratched at Carmacks yesterday, the reason given was “personal”. It was for the saddest of reasons – one of his puppies passed away. This is fortunately a rare event, and the majority of mushers scratch as a result. The dog was taken to Whitehorse for an examination to determine cause of death.

The preliminary results of the investigation of Polar’s death indicate an acute gastric (stomach) hemorrhage, not uncommon among many large breeds that gulp rather than chew. Other than the hemorrhage the dog was in good condition with no indication of mistreatment.

Gaetan and the Red Lantern are on the trail to Takhini Hot Spring. The team should finish early tomorrow morning.

The Current Standings at 8:10PM CST (6:10PM PST):

Finished At Takhini Hot Spring
5 Ed Hopkins (3)
6 Torsten Kohnert (12)
7 Tom Frode Johansen (19)^R
8 Seth Barnes (17)^R
9 Yuka Honda (6)
10 Mike Ellis (2)
11 Dave Dalton (8)
12 Luc Tweddell (21)
13 Laura Neese (1)^R
14 Paige Drobny (5)
15 Cody Strathe (14)
16 Andrew Pace (18)^R
17 Tore Albrigtsen (11)^R
18 Rob Cooke (20)
Beyond Braeburn
19 Gaetan Pierrard (7)^RΦ
[Read more →]

The first five finishers completed the race in under 10 days, after you subtract the mandatory rest periods. Luc Tweddell left Braeburn with the absolute minimum team of 6 dogs, and Seth Barnes finished with 7 puppies still pulling. The trail may have been fast, but it was hard on puppies and equipment.

Sébastien Dos Santos Borges (23) scratched at Carmacks. He was in 19th position with 9 puppies in harness.

The Current Standings at 8:00PM CST (6:00PM PST):

Finished At Takhini Hot Spring
5 Ed Hopkins (3)
6 Torsten Kohnert (12)
7 Tom Frode Johansen (19)^R
8 Seth Barnes (17)^R
9 Yuka Honda (6)
10 Mike Ellis (2)
11 Dave Dalton (8)
12 Luc Tweddell (21)
Beyond Braeburn
13 Laura Neese (1)^R
At Braeburn
14 Cody Strathe (14)
15 Paige Drobny (5)
16 Andrew Pace (18)^R
17 Tore Albrigtsen (11)^R
18 Rob Cooke (20)
At Carmacks
19 Gaetan Pierrard (7)^RΦ
[Read more →]

Matt Hall finished in downtown Whitehorse, but from Ed Hopkins on the teams will finish at Takhini Hot Springs to avoid the changing river conditions caused by recent warm weather in Whitehorse.

The Current Standings at 10:30PM CST ( 8:30PM PST):

Finished At Whitehorse
1 Hugh Neff (22)
2 Brent Sass (9)
3 Allen Moore (4)
4 Matt Hall (15)
Finished At Takhini Hot Spring
5 Ed Hopkins (3)
6 Torsten Kohnert (12)
7 Tom Frode Johansen (19)^R
Beyond Braeburn
8 Seth Barnes (17)^R
9 Yuka Honda (6)
10 Mike Ellis (2)
At Braeburn
11 Dave Dalton (8)
Beyond Carmacks
12 Luc Tweddell (21)
13 Laura Neese (1)^R
14 Cody Strathe (14)
15 Paige Drobny (5)
16 Andrew Pace (18)^R
Beyond Pelly Crossing
17 Rob Cooke (20)
18 Tore Albrigtsen (11)^R
19 Sébastien Dos Santos Borges (23)^R
At Pelly Crossing
20 Gaetan Pierrard (7)^RΦ
[Read more →]