(Fairbanks, AK.) The Yukon Quest is going back to a longer break at the races halfway point. Up until this year, mushers had always been required to take a 36 hour rest at Dawson City, but at the request of racers, and support staff, Quest organizers went to a 24 hour break at Dawson in 2015, distributing the leftover rest time to other stops along the thousand mile trail between Whitehorse and Fairbanks. Quest Alaska race director Mart Steury (STUR-ee) says it turned out that 24 hours wasn’t enough time.
“To be able to get a campground set up, and have a good place for the dogs, and give them a chance to rest and get stretched and rubbed and loved, and for the mushers to fix equipment, repair whatever…it just, that one break, turned out to be another hurry up quick, instead of an actual let go.”
Steury says in the spirit of continuing to be responsive to feedback, the Quest will return to the old 36 hour half way break format for next February’s race. Other mandatory layovers for 2016 will include 4 hours at Mile 101 or Central, 4 hours at Eagle, and 8 at Braeburn (BRAY-burn), the last checkpoint before the finish in Whitehorse. Quest sign up starts August 1st. ###
