Molly Rettig

Yukon Quest mushers continue to come across the finish line, and competition in is not confined to winning when it comes to the thousand-mile sled dog race. Download Audio

Yukon Quest teams continue to make their way to the race’s finish in Whitehorse, but mushers and their dogs aren’t the only athletes on the trail. An ultra-cyclist from Fairbanks peddled the thousand mile trail. Download Audio

Hugh Neff won the Yukon Quest on Monday. After flying under radar behind first half leaders Brent Sass and Allen Moore, the 2012 champ had built a commanding lead heading toward the Whitehorse finish. The top 10 finishers will split a $115,000 prize, and Neff will take home about $35,000. Download Audio

It was warm and misty on the Yukon River as Brent Sass left Dawson City with fourteen dogs just after midnight. Snowdrifts, ice melt and gold mines are just a few things mushers have to look out for in the second half of the Yukon Quest.The warm weather has caused some of the glaciated hillsides to melt onto the trail. Download Audio

The top Yukon Quest teams are in Dawson City, Yukon, settled in for a mandatory 36-hour layover at the race’s halfway point. Brent Sass was first into Dawson yesterday. Download Audio

Brent Sass covered the 150-mile distance from Eagle to Dawson in two runs. He said his team was feeling better in Eagle after starting the race with some stomach issues.

Frontrunners in the Yukon Quest are running toward the race’s halfway point at Dawson City, Yukon. Defending Quest champion Brent Sass continues to lead the race. The Eureka musher was in an out of the Eagle checkpoint first this morning, after 4 hours of mandatory rest. Download Audio

Brent Sass is leading the Yukon Quest. He is followed by Hugh Neff, Ed Hopkins, Allen More and Matt Hall. The next section of trail takes teams along the Yukon River to the community of Eagle. Quest mushers made the daunting traverse of Eagle Summit on Sunday. Download Audio

The order is set for tomorrow’s start of the Yukon Quest. The 23 mushers, slated to begin the race in downtown Fairbanks, drew numbers Thursday night to determine the running order. The first person to leave for Whitehorse on Saturday will be a 19-year-old rookie from Ohio.

Saturday’s Yukon Quest start is being relocated due to rough ice conditions on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks. Race organizers say the start chute will shift from its traditional spot on the ice near the Cushman Street Bridge, several hundred yards up river to solid ground behind the Morris Thompson Center. From there, dog teams will drop onto the Chena, in an area where ice conditions are better. Download Audio