Yukon Quest

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The start of The Yukon Quest in 2003 at Whitehorse

The Yukon Quest "1000-mile international sled dog race" is held every February. It runs from Whitehorse, Yukon to Fairbanks, Alaska in odd-numbered years, and from Fairbanks to Whitehorse in even-numbered years.

A single musher and a team of 12 to 14 sled dogs race for 10 to 14 days, following the historic 1890's Klondike Gold Rush and river mail delivery routes. The mushers, who must pack up to 250 lbs of equipment and provisions for themselves and the sled dogs, are permitted to drop sled dogs at checkpoints or dog drops but are not allowed to replace the sled, and cannot accept any help except when they reach Dawson City, Yukon, the halfway mark of the race. Ten checkpoints, some more than 200 miles (300 km) apart, and 4 dog drops lie along the trail. Veterinarians are present at each checkpoint and dog drop to insure the health and welfare of the dogs, advise drivers in caring for their dogs' medical needs, and provide veterinary care for dropped dogs, if needed. The veterinarians, in conjunction with the Race Marshall or a Race Judge, has the authority to remove a dog(s) from the race for medical or other reasons.

The race route runs on frozen rivers, across open water and bad ice; over four mountain ranges, reaching an elevation of 3,800 feet (1,160 m); and through isolated, northern villages. Racers cover 1,020 miles (1,643 km), as temperatures commonly can drop as low as −40 to −60 °F (−40 to −60 °C) on the rivers, and winds can reach 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) on the mountain summits .

The first musher to win the Yukon Quest was Sonny Lindner in 1984. The fastest run was completed in 2007, with Lance Mackey winning in 10 days, 2 hours, and 37 minutes, beating his own record of 10 days, 7 hours, and 47 minutes set in 2006. Mackey is the only musher to have won the race 4 times. In 2007 Mackey went on to become the first musher ever to not only complete the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod in the same year but to win both races. He repeated this in 2008. The longest finishing time was in 1988 when it took Ty Halvorson 20 days, 8 hours and 29 minutes. The closest finish was in 1991 with Bruce Lee a mere 5 minutes behind winner Charlie Boulding. Aliy Zirkle became the first woman to win the race in 2000, in 10 days, 22 hours and 57 minutes.

[edit] List of Yukon Quest Winners

Year	Musher	Time (h:min)
1984	Sonny Lindner	12 days, 00:05
1985	Joe Runyan	11 days, 11:55
1986	Bruce Johnson	14 days, 09:17
1987	Bill Cotter	12 days, 04:34
1988	David Monson	12 days, 05:06
1989	Jeff King	11 days, 20:51
1990	Vern Halter	11 days, 17:09
1991	Charlie Boulding	10 days, 21:12
1992	John Schandelmeier	11 days, 21:40
1993	Charlie Boulding	10 days, 19:09
1994	Lavon Barve	10 days, 22:44
1995	Frank Turner	10 days, 16:20
1996	John Schandelmeier	12 days, 16:06
1997
1998	Bruce Lee	11 days, 11:27
1999	Ramy Brooks	11 days, 08:27
2000	Aliy Zirkle	10 days, 22:57
2001	Tim Osmar	11 days, 14:38
2002	Hans Gatt	11 days, 04:24
2003	Hans Gatt	10 days, 18:28
2004	Hans Gatt	10 days, 17:54
2005	Lance Mackey	11 days, 00:32
2006	Lance Mackey	10 days, 07:47
2007	Lance Mackey	10 days, 02:37
2008	Lance Mackey	10 days, 12:14