Yukon Quest to begin tomorrow

The Yukon Quest International sled dog race is set to start tomorrow at 11 a.m. from Whitehorse, Canada to Fairbanks. Twenty-five mushers signed up for the 1,000-mile race. Last year’s race champion Hans Gatt is back to defend his title, as is past winner Sebastian Schnuelle. Contenders like Ken Anderson, Hugh Neff and Brent Sass are also in the mix. Dallas Seavey of Willow is competing as a rookie in this year’s Yukon Quest.

A notable absence this year is Lance Mackey who has won the Quest from 2005 to 2008 and set records for being the first musher to win the Quest and the Iditarod in the same year. Mackey is this week racing in the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled dog race in Wyoming, which concludes tomorrow in Park City, Utah.

KTNA will provide brief Yukon Quest updates next week during the mid-day news.