Yukon Quest Background

    The Yukon Quest began as a shared dream of musher LeRoy Shank and non-musher and historian Roger Williams. They dedicated their vision to the gold seekers, mail carriers, trappers and the traders who settled the great North during the turn of the century.

    This international sled dog race began in 1984 with 26 teams and covers 1,000 miles / 1,600 km of rough and sometime hazardous terrain between Whitehorse, Yukon and Fairbanks, Alaska. This event takes place each year in mid February amid an atmosphere of unpredictable, cold and sub-Arctic weather. The starting point alternates between the two cities, even years from Fairbanks, odd years from Whitehorse. The race starts on schedule regardless of weather and will take from 10 to 13 days to complete, depending on weather conditions encountered on the trail. Only the race Marshal or Judges can change the starting place and time.

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    The race continues to gain in fame and in international status each year. The 27th running of the Yukon Quest will begin in Fairbanks, Alaska on Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. local time. The Quest allows no more than 50 entrants and the prize moey is divided between the first 15 finishing teams. The entry fee for the Race is $1500.00 US.

    Drivers ( mushers ) must be at least 18 years of age and have demonstrated the ability to complete a long distance sled dog race.  Rookie  drivers must submit written  verifications of their completion of a 300 mile YQI sanctioned race and one other  YQI sanctioned race of at least 200 miles (500 miles minimum).  Completing at least 300 miles of the Yukon Quest  or  the  Iditarod will  fulfill  the  300 mile  race  requirement.  Qualifying  races must  be  completed within 42 months of the start of the Yukon Quest Race.  Iditarod Finishers are qualified to enter the Yukon
Quest. 

    Drivers must start the race with no less than eight (8) dogs and no more than fourteen (14) dogs; and must finish with no less than six (6) dogs. Dogs may not be added to a team after the start of the race. An expired dog does not count as a dog for the minimum required. Only dogs suitable for arctic travel will be permitted to enter the race.

    There are 11 official checkpoints along the trail, including Fairbanks and Whitehorse. Pelly Crossing, Yukon was added to the 1996 race for the first time and the 1999 Race saw Braeburn Lodge as a first time Checkpoint. A change for the 2009 race was the addition of Two Rivers as a Checkpoint. For the 2010 Race it will again replace the Angel Creek Checkpoint. Mile 101, previously a dog drop, will be given Checkpoint status in 2010.

    Dogs are checked by the Veterinarians provided by the Yukon Quest at every Checkpoint and in some instances at a designated dog drop area such as Scroggie Creek or Mile 101.

    No dog teams are permitted to leave the Checkpoints until the dogs in that team are in condition to finish the race. Dog care is of the utmost importance.

    The Official Race Rules are published each year, there are sometimes slight changes in the rules to provide the best conditions for both musher and the dogs. All mushers are bound by the rules, any infractions of the rules can lead to fines, time penalties, disqualification which sometimes leads to censure from subsequent races.

    All food and equipment must be in cloth burlap bags or woven poly bags, permanently marked with the driver or kennel name, with a maximum weight of 40 lbs / 18.1kg.

qpic4: The following items must be presented to the checker before checking in at each checkpoint:

Gear and Equipment:
1. Proper cold weather sleeping bag.
2. Hand axe with an overall length of at least twenty-two (22) inches/56 centimeters.
3. One pair of snowshoes with bindings, with an area of at least two hundred and fifty (250) square inches/1612 square centimeters each.
4. Veterinary records (loss will incur a five hundred fifty dollar ($500) fine.)
5. Any promotional material that YQI has asked the driver to carry to Fairbanks/Whitehorse. YQI may require 1 or 2 banners of no more than 400 square inches (2580 square centimeters) be displayed on the sled as directed.
6. Functional Cooker

    In addition, eight (8) booties for each dog, either in the sled or in use and in the sled, are required when a driver signs out of each checkpoint. Drivers should have these items in their possession at all times. If a driver loses a required article of gear between checkpoints, he/she cannot check in at the checkpoint until he/she has acquired and replaced the lost item. In the event of accidental and unavoidable loss along the trail, the driver will be allowed to replace the missing item(s) from a public source at the next checkpoint before checking in. The driver may also obtain items from a private source with the approval of the Race Marshal or Race Judge and a time penalty of thirty (30) minutes at the next designated mandatory stop.

    In addition to the mandatory gear listed above, items relative to the safety of the dog teams and drivers (i.e. sled brakes, mittens, etc.) may be replaced with the Race Marshal or Race Judge’s approval and the thirty (30) minute time penalty assessed at the next mandatory stop.

    Should any mandatory gear be missing at the finish, thirty (30) minutes per items will be added to the finish time.

    A map, compass, parka, canine first aid kit, flares, and dog blankets are recommended. ELTs (Emergency Locator Transmitters) will be allowed at the Driver's discretion. Two-way communication devices of any kind will not be allowed. Excess food or gear may be given only to residents along the trail. A musher carrying a GPS must  declare it to the Race Marshal prior to the start of the race.

    Straw is also mandatory at each checkpoint, and must also be shipped in a wrapped bale. All equipment and personal gear a musher may need in a checkpoint must be shipped to that checkpoint prior to the start of the race.

    Each musher must carry at least 8 booties for each dog per 30 miles / 50 km, picking up new ones in his gear already at the checkpoints. All dogs will be on the towline or carried in the sled bag if they become injured or tired.

    Food must also be provided for the dogs. A suggested ratio is 8 lbs / 13 kg per dog per day. With the new foods on the market some mushers may carry less poundage for the dogs, other traditional methods may include light weight commercial dog food supplemented with lamb, chicken, salmon or white fish.

    Strategy and routine are an important part of the race. If the days are too warm the team will run at night and rest during the day. A musher may run the dogs in a four on, four off pattern. The musher must be prepared for very cold nights which could drop to more than -40 C. Teams run and rest often. During a typical stopover, mushers will build a fire, cook, check and feed the dogs before him/herself and catch a few hours of sleep.

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    There are mandatory stops at Mile 101(2 hours), Eagle (4 hours) Dawson City (36 hours) and Braeburn (8 hours). Dawson City is a mandatory 36 hour layover regardless of the race direction. In odd number years, Braeburn will be an 2 hour stop, Dawson City, remains a mandatory 36 hours and Mile 101, 8 hours. In odd numbered years, the reverse is true.

    Dawson City is the only checkpoint that a musher may receive outside help. This is where the handlers take over, the musher is able to get rested and prepared for the last leg of the race.
  
    Sportsmanship is key to the positive image and success of the Yukon Quest. The Code of the North dictates that all travelers be courteous, helpful, generous and honorable. Drivers are reminded to "Conduct yourself well enough so that the next driver will be welcomed with equal hospitality. Rude behavior or inappropriate actions by a driver or handler will result in a penalty. Any competitor or athlete worthy of the name realizes that all people—officials, volunteers, media, and fans—are equal participants in this event, and that it is the driver’s responsibility to  define the upper limits of human performance. A true Sportsman is an inspiration to all witnesses".

    The Yukon Quest gets it's name from the old " Highway of the North", the Yukon River, and traces the path that the prospectors followed to reach the Alaskan Interior from the Klondike during the Gold Rush.

    The first musher over the 1984 starting line was "Pecos" Humphreys, with Sonny Lindner winning that first race. The first Canadian to have won the race was Bruce Johnson of Atlin B.C. in 1986. Tragedy struck the racing world with the untimely death of Bruce Johnson in November 1993, on a training run, as Bruce prepared his team for the 1994 race.

    In 1984 Lorrina Mitchell was the first woman to cross the finish line and was the first female race Marshal in 1995. Since then several other women have entered the race. In 1989, Yukoner Jennine Cathers became the youngest musher to have entered the race.

    In 1989, 90, 91, 92 and 1993, Jennine and her father Ned were the only father daughter combination to have entered the race. The 1998 Race saw Rick and Brenda Mackey join ranks with the Cathers duo. In 1990 Linda and Will Forsberg ran as a husband and wife team, Connie and Terri Frerichs ran as a mother and daughter team.

    In 1995, Frank Turner beat Charlie Boulding's 1991 winning time of 10 days, 21 hours and 12 minutes with a new record of 10 days, 16 hours and 20 minutes.  Lance Mackey broke that time in 2006 with his winning time of 10 days, 7 hours and 47 minutes.
   The fastest Quest of all was won by Sebastian Schnuelle in 2009 with a record time of 9days, 23 hours and 20 minutes.
    The longest Yukon Quest (1998) race finished in 20 days, 9 hours and 16 minutes (Ty Halvorson). The closest finish was in 1991, with Bruce Lee a mere 5 minutes behind the leader. 1991 also saw the first 3 mushers completing the race within 51 minutes of each other.

    Aily Zirkle, is the first and only female musher to have won the Race. She completed the race in 10 days, 22 hours and 57 minutes, in February 2000.


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