Rookie Musher Wins 2011 Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race

A rooke musher, with a very familiar name, has won the 2011 Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race by crossing the finish line in Fairbanks, Alaska last night. The race, which got underway on February 5th from Whitehorse, Canada, stretches for more than 1000 miles along trails used by prospectors when the gold rush hit the region at the turn of the 20th century.

23-year old Dallas Seavey finished the race at approximately 11:05 PM local time last evening, beating out second place finisher Sebastian Schnuelle by 33 minutes. Seavey, who is the son of 2004 Iditarod champ Mitch Seavey, became the youngest musher to ever win the Yukon Quest, taking home $28,395 in prize money.

The Yukon Quest serves as a precursor to the Iditarod each year and often gives us a look at the top sled dog teams before they hit the trail in that 1161-mile monster of a race. But success in the Yukon Quest has not always translated over to the Iditarod, as only Lance Mackey, a legend in the sport, has managed to win both races in the same year. The Iditarod gets underway on March 5th this year, and as usual, I intend to cover the event as best as I can.

As for Dallas Seavey, he has already proven himself in the Iditarod, and this win confirms what many have felt about him. He shown that he has quite a knack for the sport, and there are high hopes for his future in dogsledding. Expect him to be in contention when the Iditarod turns toward Nome in late March.

Yukon River Quest Race Report From Robyn Benincasa

The Yukon River Quest took place a few weeks back, with dozens of top endurance paddlers descending on Whitehorse, in the Canadian Yukon, to make the 460 mile run along the Yukon River to Dawson City. The annual event is one of the top paddling races of the year, offering up plenty of great competition and spectacular scenery, along one of North America's best river ways.

Racing in this year's event was Robyn Benincasa, one of the best adventure racers and endurance athletes around. Robyn has filed an excellent race report over at Adventure World Magazine in which she talks about her own win in the women's solo category, as well as the impressive showing from the rest of her Merrell/Akali teammates.

Robyn does a great job of sharing what it is like to sit in the cockpit of kayak for more than two days (her winning time was officially 51 hours, 43 minutes), while managing your eating schedule, staying focused on paddling, and trying not to get to cramped up in a boat she had rented the day before the race. Nothing she hasn't seen before however, as she is one of the most decorated adventure racers in history.

In the end, Robyn says she may have found a new sport that calls to her adventurous spirit, and obviously she's off to a great start, winning the first endurance paddle she entered. It certainly doesn't hurt that it's easier on the hips than Primal Quest, huh Robyn? ;)

Yukon Quest: Hans Gatt Claims Victory!

The 2010 Yukon Quest has come to an end, with musher Hans Gatt reaching the finish line in Whitehorse on Monday afternoon. Gatt finished the 1000 mile long race from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory of Canada, in nine days and 26 minutes, setting a record in the process.

For the 51-year old Gatt, this is his fourth victory in the Yukon Quest, tying him with Lance Mackey, who came in second place, a little over an hour back. Hugh Neff completed the podium, arriving in third place, nearly three hours off of Gatt's pace. Complete results can be found on the leaderboard, and as of this writing, there are still several teams out on the course and making their way to the finish.

Yesterday, less than 24-hours after his record breaking win, Gatt announced that he'll retire from long distance sled dog racing at the end of this season. He is planning to make one more long run with his team, competing in the 1160 mile long Iditarod which is schedule to get underway on March 6. After that, he'll continue to race, but only at shorter, less demanding events.

You can't blame the guy for wanting to retire. Being out on a 1000+ mile long course in the dead of the Alaskan/Canadian winter has to take it's toll on a person. He's also proven himself several times over in the Yukon Quest. I'm sure he'd like to add the Iditarod championship to his resume before he bows out however. Congratulations to Hans and good luck in the "Last Great Race" in a few weeks time.

Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race Begins Tomorrow!

We're less than 24-hours away from the start of the Yukon Quest, the annual 1000 mile long sled dog race that runs from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, located in Canada’s Yukon Territory. The two week long event gets underway tomorrow morning, with the starting line on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks. From there, the trail will wander off into the remote wilderness, following an old mail route that was used during the Gold Rush era.

The official list of mushers currently has 24 names on it, including former champ, and sled dog legend, Lance Mackey, who is returning to the race after electing to not run in it last year. Mackey is the three time defending champ of the Iditarod as well, and back in 2007, he came the first person to win both the Yukon Quest and that race, in the same year.

Over the next few weeks, the mushers, and their sled dog teams, will be enduring some challenging conditions. It is notoriously cold in the Yukon, Fairbanks is currently -10ºF and Whitehorse is hovering around 0º as well. Blizzards can strike the region at any time, with high winds causing whiteout conditions. And yet these men, and their amazing dogs, will be out there anyway, doing what they love. You've got to respect that! For a very cool flyover of the Yukon Quest trail, powered by Google Earth, click here.

Should be a great race and a nice prelude to the Iditarod, which gets underway in 28 days.