Joe Runyan was the first musher to ever win both the Iditarod (1989), and the Yukon Quest (1985), and he’s the only musher ever to win those two plus the European Alpirod (1988). He’s got a lot to say about racing sled dogs, and he put quite a lot of it into a small book [...]
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• ADN article Feb. 1: Mushers Double Up for King’s New Race
Original post Jan. 28:
The new Denali Doubles Invitational is a sled dog race for cash prizes from Cantwell, Alaska to Paxson, Alaska and back – with stops at designated checkpoints along the trail. With a $10,000 first prize and cash prizes through fifth [...]
Mushers will run 201 miles before the next checkpoint so it is essential they pack everything with them for a 2-4 day run, a length unique to the Yukon Quest amid long distance races. The only reprieve will be a stop at the Scroggie Creek Dog Drop which will supply them with some straw for the dogs and veterinary care. Despite sleep deprivation and concerns about the trail ahead, mushers must focus to ensure they bring adequate supplies for the long journey to Dawson City.
Fairbanks News-Miner sports writer Matias Saari relates what happened at the musher’s drawing banquet in Whitehorse on Friday evening, and how all the mushers stayed optimistic about their starting positions, whether first, last, or somewhere in between.
The 2009 Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race from Whitehorse, Yukon, to Fairbanks, Alaska, gets underway Saturday, February 14th, with a terrific field of 29 mushers and sled dog teams on this year’s trail.