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Mackey rakes in awards at Yukon Quest banquet
Photo by Sam Harrel
February 24, 2008
WHITEHORSE, Yukon — Bill Pinkham proposed marriage, Hugh Neff offered to pay a Native musher’s entry fee and Lance Mackey nearly broke down after winning an award he’s long coveted — what a way to wrap up the 25th Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.
Latest News
Simpson stepping down as Yukon Quest’s Alaska director
Published May 28, 2009
FAIRBANKS — The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race is seeking a new executive director for Alaska as Tania Simpson has chosen to leave the post she held for two years.
Yukon Quest plans earlier start date in 2010
Published May 12, 2009
ANCHORAGE - Organizers of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race have moved their 2010 start time up a week, a change that could tempt more mushers to try both the Quest and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Yukon Quest awards banquet brings 2009 race to a formal close
Published March 1, 2009
FAIRBANKS — Teamwork helped Sebastian Schnuelle come from behind to win the Yukon Quest, and his Golden Harness Award-winning huskies even assisted one another on the Finish Banquet stage Saturday night.
Fairbanks woman claims Red Lantern as Yukon Quest draws to a close
Published February 28, 2009
FAIRBANKS -- After a fortnight on the Yukon Quest trail, Becca Moore said her confidence never wavered. Iris Wood Sutton of Fairbanks, however, had plenty of doubt about whether she’d complete her rookie run.
Race is on for Yukon Quest Red Lantern
Published February 28, 2009
FAIRBANKS — After nearly two weeks on the Yukon Quest trail, there might be a race for the Red Lantern between rookies Becca Moore of Willow and Iris Wood Sutton of Fairbanks.
Jamaican musher defies odds to take 13th place in Yukon Quest
Published February 27, 2009
FAIRBANKS — Newton Marshall belied his humble Jamaican upbringing by dreaming big. On Thursday morning, he finished the Yukon Quest in lucky 13th place.
Brent Sass, Dan Kaduce credit luck, strategy in finishing Yukon Quest
Published February 26, 2009
FAIRBANKS — Brent Sass and Dan Kaduce finished the Yukon Quest 20 minutes apart late Tuesday after a final run that could not have been more different.
Yukon Quest mushers trickling across Chena finish line
Published February 25, 2009
FAIRBANKS — Jon Little broke the Yukon Quest’s record time — and placed third.
Schnuelle sets record in Yukon Quest win; Neff only 4 minutes behind
Published February 24, 2009
In a record-setting time, Sebastian Schnuelle hung on to edge Hugh Neff by four minutes Tuesday morning in the closest Yukon Quest finish ever.
Schnuelle edges Neff by 4 minutes to win Yukon Quest
Published February 24, 2009
FAIRBANKS — Sebastian Schnuelle won the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race on Tuesday morning.
Troubles on Eagle Summit drop William Kleedehn from Yukon Quest lead
Published February 24, 2009
MILE 101 DOG DROP — William Kleedehn’s dog Breeze went into heat at the worst time, and it cost him a chance to win the Yukon Quest Monday on notorious Eagle Summit.
Schnuelle finds himself as unlikely Yukon Quest leader — expected to arrive at 9:30 a.m.
Published February 24, 2009
TWO RIVERS — Winning the Yukon Quest never crossed Sebastian Schnuelle’s mind when he started the 1,016-mile race on Feb. 14.
“It wasn’t even the wildest dream of my mind, I have to say,” Schnuelle said. “You know how I approached this. I said I want to go camping.”
Kleedehn stalls as Eagle Summit shuffles Yukon Quest front-runners
Published February 23, 2009
FAIRBANKS -- William Kleedehn’s bid to win the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race stalled on Eagle Summit late Sunday night or early Monday morning.
English musher Mark Sleightholme takes advantage of Yukon Quest opportunity
Published February 23, 2009
EAGLE — Five years ago, Mark Sleightholme got a Siberian Husky and hooked it up to his bike in northern England.
That was fun, so he got another one.
Next, he joined some cart mushing races on a sprint track in Scotland.
Second-place Yukon Quest musher Hugh Neff is penalized two hours
Published February 23, 2009
CENTRAL — It seemed the Yukon Quest was set up for a dramatic showdown during the last 160 miles of trail after William Kleedehn and Hugh Neff arrived in Central three minutes apart on Sunday afternoon.
Then Neff was assessed a two-hour penalty for mushing on the road instead of the trail near Central.
Normand Casavant sings his way into Yukon Quest's Eagle checkpoint
Published February 22, 2009
EAGLE — The secret for Normand Casavant is his singing.
He arrived at the first Alaskan checkpoint on Saturday with a team of 11 dogs, most of them wagging their tails and barking.
Kleedehn leads, but Yukon Quest still is anyone’s race
Published February 22, 2009
EAGLE — William Kleedehn is controlling the Yukon Quest, but a host of potential obstacles could change that as the leaders charge into the final 250 miles of trail.
“When you’ve got a 2 1/2-hour lead, you’re in control to a certain point. But there’s a lot of leeway in there still,” said John Schandelmeier, the Quest’s Alaska trail coordinator, a 16-time finisher and two-time champion.
Warren Palfrey guns for Yukon Quest Rookie of the Year
Published February 22, 2009
EAGLE — The Yukon Quest trail does not seem like the middle of nowhere to Warren Palfrey.
He grew up in the unforgiving environment of Rankin Inlet, a mostly Inuit village in eastern Nunavut, Canada.
Kleedehn retains lead in Yukon Quest
Published February 21, 2009
ANCHORAGE -- Veteran William Kleedehn remains in the lead of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race after departing an unofficial checkpoint on the Yukon River.
Kleedehn leads as mushers prepare for difficult Yukon River route
Published February 21, 2009
EAGLE — William Kleedehn has reached the crux of his Yukon Quest.
Valley Water Co. customers pay utility company’s electric bill
Published February 21, 2009
FAIRBANKS — About a dozen customers of Valley Water Co. paid the ailing utility’s overdue $11,000 electric bill Friday to keep the water flowing to more than 300 homes and a school off Badger Road.
Race turns to slush for rookie Newton Marshall
Published February 21, 2009
DAWSON CITY, Yukon — Newton Marshall just can’t seem to keep his feet dry.
Yukon Quest checkpoint at McCabe Creek burns
Published February 20, 2009
FAIRBANKS -- The McCabe Creek checkpoint on the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Trail burned to the ground on Friday, according to a report from a NBC affiliate in Colorado.
Josh Cadzow scratches from Yukon Quest
Published February 20, 2009
DAWSON CITY, Yukon — Josh Cadzow mushed an hour out of Dawson City on Friday morning before turning back because no leader would take him farther in the Yukon Quest.
Kleedehn keeps lead, Dalton scratches from Quest
Published February 20, 2009
FAIRBANKS — Musher William Kleedehn of Carcross, Yukon, kept his lead Friday in the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.
Bad luck on Yukon Quest trail takes a toll on Jason Mackey
Published February 20, 2009
DAWSON CITY, Yukon — It’s not for lack of effort, but the Yukon Quest has been a struggle for Jason Mackey practically since he pulled the hook in Whitehorse.
Food problems had some mushers running lean in the first half of the Yukon Quest
Published February 20, 2009
DAWSON CITY, Yukon — Yukon Quest rookies Josh Cadzow and Martin Buser are 29 years apart in age but almost made the same crucial mistake on the long run into Dawson City.
Three-time Yukon Quest champion Gatt scratches
Published February 19, 2009
DAWSON CITY, Yukon — Hans Gatt dropped out of the Yukon Quest on Thursday because his dog team is running so well.
Yukon Quest handlers work overtime during Dawson City layover
Published February 19, 2009
DAWSON CITY, Yukon — It was a heartbreaking moment for Kate Palfrey when her husband, Warren, pulled into Braeburn just after midnight Saturday and a couple dogs cried out for the massages they’ve become accustomed to.
Brent Sass stays amused on Quest trail
Published February 19, 2009
DAWSON CITY — Brent Sass kept amused on a 14-hour run from Scroggie Creek to Dawson City on Tuesday by listening to the movie “The Big Lebowski” on his iPod.
Short stop on Quest trail costs Jon Little the first-to-Dawson gold
Published February 19, 2009
DAWSON CITY, Yukon — Jon Little’s leader Adidas picked the wrong time to eat a little snow.
Crispin Studer takes first in Quest 300
Published February 18, 2009
PELLY CROSSING, Yukon — Crispin Studer was comfortably leading the Yukon Quest 300 late Monday night when the unthinkable happened — he lost the trail.
Yuka Honda doesn’t let snag on Yukon Quest trail stop her
Published February 18, 2009
PELLY CROSSING, Yukon — Not far from where tragedy befell her two years ago, Yuka Honda’s dog team bogged down on Monday.
Kleedehn wins gold as Yukon Quest mushers reach Dawson
Published February 18, 2009
DAWSON CITY — William Kleedehn dramatically stole the gold from Jon Little.
Josh Cadzow’s Yukon Quest run a family effort
Published February 17, 2009
PELLY CROSSING, Yukon — Josh Cadzow’s Yukon Quest team includes dogs who used to race against each other.
Cadzow, a 21-year-old from Fort Yukon, has dogs from three kennels — the small one he and father, Clifton, put together; one run by his uncle Jay of Fort Yukon; and yet another belonging to his uncle Earl, who moved to Fairbanks from Fort Yukon last year.
Rookie, veteran mushers face challenges in early stages of the Yukon Quest
Published February 17, 2009
PELLY CROSSING, Yukon — Dave Dalton is not accustomed to being half a day behind the leaders of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.
Yukon Quest mushers prepare for run to Dawson City
Published February 17, 2009
PELLY CROSSING, Yukon — The task of packing enough supplies for yourself and up to 14 dogs on a 200-mile mushing trip is daunting enough.
Now do it in 15 minutes.
Strategies vary in early stages of 2009 Yukon Quest
Published February 16, 2009
CARMACKS, Yukon — Rookie Martin Buser and second-time Yukon Quest entrant Jon Little seem content to spend considerable time in the comfort of the race’s early checkpoints.
The rest of the mostly veteran top 10, however, chose to camp in the wilderness Sunday before blowing through the checkpoint at the Carmacks Recreation Centre.
Yukon Quest veteran Kleedehn finds the hard way is sometimes the only way
Published February 16, 2009
CARMACKS, Yukon — William Kleedehn had no intention of stopping at the Carmacks checkpoint on a sunny Sunday afternoon. He wanted to camp on the Yukon River.
A pinched nerve in his back altered those plans.
Lead Yukon Quest mushers reach Braeburn by end of first day
Published February 15, 2009
WHITEHORSE, Yukon — Martin Buser didn’t waste any time getting off to a quick start as a rookie in the 26th Yukon Quest.
And he has some surprising company in Jean-Denis Britten of Dawson City, Yukon.
On the Yukon Quest trail, leadership, not size, matters most
Published February 15, 2009
WHITEHORSE, Yukon — There are more than 400 dogs in the 2009 Yukon Quest, and a husky named Penny is surely the tiniest.
Size doesn’t measure importance, however, for one of Colleen Robertia’s leaders.
26th Yukon Quest kicks off in Whitehorse; mushers start toward Fairbanks
Published February 15, 2009
WHITEHORSE, Yukon — Josh Cadzow of Fort Yukon drew cheers after averting disaster in the first few minutes of the 26th Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.
Yukon Quest rules range from the practical to the peculiar
Published February 14, 2009
WHITEHORSE, Yukon — Page six of the Yukon Quest 2009 rules states that “in the event that an edible game animal is killed in the defense of life or property, the musher must salvage the meat for human use before proceeding along the trail.”
The rule, like the hundreds of others in the nine-page, single-spaced document that governs the 1,000-mile race, was created for a purpose. And it even came into play in 1993.
Ahead of Yukon Quest start today, it’s anybody’s game
Published February 14, 2009
WHITEHORSE, Yukon — With Lance Mackey out of the mix for now, the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race will crown a new top dog.
Hans Gatt a favorite in 2009 Yukon Quest
Published February 14, 2009
WHITEHORSE, Yukon — Allow me to offer a disclaimer before I reveal my top-15 list for the 26th annual Yukon Quest.
Jason Mackey continues family tradition with Yukon Quest run
Published February 13, 2009
WHITEHORSE, Yukon — The Mackey brothers bear an uncanny resemblance — sharing body language, manners of speech, a confident demeanor and even their penchant to party a little at Flipper’s pub.
Yukon Quest rookies stay positive after drawing starting positions
Published February 13, 2009
WHITEHORSE, Yukon — Because of nerves, rookies in the Yukon Quest typically don’t care to start first or wait around to leave the chute last.
Jamaican musher prepares for Yukon Quest
Published February 12, 2009
WHITEHORSE, Yukon — Newton Marshall thought he was in trouble upon receiving a call that began the Jamaican’s odyssey as a dog musher.
Fairbanks artist brings Yukon Quest to life
2009 Yukon Quest poster ‘puts you in the mushers’ shoes
Published February 8, 2009
FAIRBANKS — A soft steady crunching of snow, pink and orange rays of sunlight looming ahead through the trees, little puffs of breath rising from each dog as they keep the pace gliding the sled along the trail. A feeling of quiet serenity as the cold mist hangs in the woods around you.
Most dogs get the go-ahead at Yukon Quest vet check
Published February 8, 2009
FAIRBANKS — A slightly elevated heart rate may cost a dog named Deville his chance to run the Yukon Quest.
Interactive: Yukon Quest Map
Track the mushers as they travel from Fairbanks to Whitehorse. This interactive map includes regular updates of musher positions as well as photos and information about the mushers and the trail.
25 years of Yukon Quest history
Explore the 25 years of the Yukon Quest from the first race in 1984, which featured a motley crew of characters venturing to the relative unknown, to Lance Mackey's thrilling finish in 2007.
Current Standings
| Rank | Name |
| 1 | Lance Mackey, Whitehorse, 1:23 a.m. Wed. |
| 2 | Ken Anderson, Whitehorse, 1:38 a.m. Wed. |
| 3 | David Dalton, Whitehorse, 10:44 p.m. Wed |
| 4 | Michelle Phillips, Whitehorse, 11:30 p.m. Wed. |
| 5 | Brent Sass, Whitehorse, 1:27 a.m. Thurs. |
