Yukon Quest '07

Brent on the Yukon.

Temperatures have plummeted to -42°F, and an incredible race is underway on the Yukon! Mike Jayne, Richie Beattie, and Brent Sass (11th-13th) could be seen running within a half-hour of each other down the river. At 24, 33, and 26 years old, all three Fairbanks locals were poling hard down the trail. They have all run conservative races so far, have rested their dogs adequately, and are vying for top-ten finishes.

Fifty miles from Dawson is the Forty-mile ghost town, which predates Dawson itself. At this junction, the trail leaves the Yukon, goes up the Forty-mile River, and over American Summit, before descending back to the Yukon village of Eagle. Some trail times and arrival times for the Dawson to Forty-mile section are as follows:

Dalton (6:37, 10:38)
Schandelmeier (6:45, 10:38)
Jayne (6:20, 13:02)
Beattie (6:10, 13:28)
Sass (6:10, 13:29)

Dalton, who has repeatedly finished strong in the Iditarod and the Quest, said that his “Dogs have regained trust in me, after running them too long early in the race.” Schandelmeier was not so upbeat, saying that he had 10 dogs, but that only 8 were pulling. Jayne has eight dogs, and said he was balancing the racing element with a desire to finish. Beattie’s team looked strong, although one dog had broken a toenail near the root.

For Sass, ten strong dogs remain: Madonna, Pixie, Ling-Ling, Ross, York, Busta, Melville, Taco, The Dude, and Thunder. In Dawson, Rocky was dropped due to sore wrist and a temperature, and Vorlox was dropped due to a sore shoulder. Busta Rhymes and The Dude are the unsung heroes. If it ever gets transcribed, the halftime Brenterview, and his trail blog, might have more on the dogs’ condition and some trail recollections. Tomorrow morning the Dalton through Sass teams will be climbing American Summit and heading down into Eagle. Go Brent!

Jayne, after arriving at Forty-mile.	Beattie on the Yukon.
Brent, after arriving at Forty-mile.	Dalton and resting team at Forty-mile.

posted by Greg  # 10:37 PM