TL;DR: The Yukon Quest dog-mushing race in February featured 80, 200, and 300-mile distances amid extreme cold. Brent Sass won the 300-mile race by a wide margin, while the 200-mile race had no winner due to withdrawals. AddieAnn Randall narrowly won the 80-mile race. Traditionally a 1,000-mile race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, the Yukon Quest now operates separately in Alaska due to recent challenges. It is known for its tough terrain compared to the more famous Iditarod, which follows a different route and occurs a month later.
During February, when the weather can be both extreme and unpredictable, the Yukon Quest challenges the physical and mental capacity of both people and their dogs through the epic sport of dog-mushing. This year, the race was divided into three distances: 80, 200, and 300 miles. The race started at Griffon Park — just outside the Morris Thompson Cultural Center — at a frigid forty-below temperature.
Brent Sass, a veteran participant and returning champion, beat the nearest competitor by over 50 miles in the YQA 300. The YQA 200 ended with no winner due to mushers either withdrawing or scratching from the race. Coming in just 10 minutes before the next competitor, AddieAnn Randall won the YQA 80 race.
The race started at Griffon Park, just outside the Morris Thompson Cultural Center, at a frigid forty below temperature.
Historically, the Yukon Quest has been a 1,000 mile race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse. In recent years — due to concerns such as COVID19 and discord between Alaska and Canada — Yukon Quest Alaska has separated off for time being, creating routes and distances accomplished within the state of Alaska.
The Yukon Quest is different from the Iditarod race that happens around a month after. The 2024 Iditarod race starts March 3rd in Anchorage and ends in Nome. While Iditarod is better known and revered internationally, the Yukon Quest has traditionally been considered a much more tough, rugged, and stressful terrain. The Yukon Quest is far more remote, and has fewer checkpoints, and mandatory rest zones.
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