The big excitement is over--Yukon Quest

The top four racers are in, and in order of their finish, Hugh Neff, Brent Sass, Allen Moore and Matt Hall. Roughly an hour separated each team in the time they crossed the finish line/. Of couse in one way I m disappointed that the Black Team did not get the ultimate victory but in another perspective, I( think that finish of a 1000 mile race is truly Awesome!

Allan brought in thirteen of the fourteen dogs he started with, the best of the finalists. To me this says volumes about his care and concern for this team. Felix was the only drop. He had loose bowels and was not eating real well at Dawson so the SPK folks agreed he should be dropped. He is much better now, they report. Still, when you consider Allen was running a few older dogs and mainly three year olds and one just thirty months of  age, I think this finish is a fantastic achievement. To me it bodes very well for the future of SPK as these good dogs come into their prime in the next couple of years.

Someone remarked on Facebook that Quito could have pulled out a win. I do not agree. She has been a fantastic one-of-a-kind dog but she is nine years old and her age-mate Scout is hardly a bit less great; he led the team a good part of the race. One dog cannot do it by itself, regardless of how great he or she may be. You can never lose sight of the fact this is a team effort and the fifteenth (YK) or seventeenth (Iditarod) 'dog' or the human member of the team is both the weakest and strongest link.
Allen and Aliy put the welfare of the other team members first--always--and will not push them past their limits 'just' to win a race.  This is one thing I really admire about them and some other mushers who have similar bond with their dogs and ethics in their management.

Hugh Neff is not my favorite musher. He is good and probably ran a legitimate race here; he held back for about two thirds and then pushed hard to win. However he dropped five dogs along the route. I am not sure where these drops happened as I do not have a link to a website for him and his kennel but it does make me wonder. And, back in the tough 2013 race when the freaky blizzard up the coast toward Nome caused Jeff King, a very experienced veteran, to give up and get help to save himself and his team and thus scratch out, Neff pitched a fit about the fact the ITC did not give sufficient warning and support to the mushers in this situation, especially to him.

Gee, I was not aware that the Committee signs any agreement to babysit, hand-hold or bail out any musher! Yes, they try not to leave anyone hung out to die but sometimes even snow machines and other aid is just not enough to cover everyone's backside. It is assumed mushers are adults and responsible for themselves and their team. Thirty years ago there was nothing near the safety net that exists now; if it is not adequate I think a person should consider quitting this sport! Libby Riddles pushed on through a similar storm and made it to be the first woman to win back in 1985. Is Mr. Neff maybe not as tough as he pretends to be?  I am sure there may bae facts I do not know but this left me feeling less than positive about him.

I respect Brent Sass although he was disqualified in last year's Iditarod for carrying a forbidden device, I assume a cell phone. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say with the unusual start and attendant confusion he just forgot to leave it behind. I never heard any further about that situation which occurred at the second check point. He ran a good rce in this one.

As to the women running in this race, Yuka Honda is in eighth place, in Carmacks (the cinnamon roll place!) and still has ten dogs prior to leaving there. Rookie Laura Neese is doing very well, not a breakneck pace but I am pretty sure she will get in.She is in thirteenth place, also with ten dogs, at Pelly Crossing.  Paige and Cody are still traveling together in Pellly Crossing in 14th and 15th place in the 21 still running.. She is down to eight dogs and he has nine but that is not out of the ordinary. The mountains do get to some dogs not accustomed to that elevation, for example. I expect them to finish over night--all of these folks, in fact. And my hat is off to each of them if and when they do!

It has been a good race, an exciting one and I have enjoyed every minute. I'll do a wrap up tomorrow and maybe dare to grab a photo or two to share. There is on one the SPK site of Allen with Scout and Izzy, the leaders who came thru the gate and Mismo, another of the great dogs. It's a relly good one!!