Mackey maintains grip on Quest lead
PELLY CROSSING, Yukon—It’s impossible to miss Lance Mackey when he comes to town.
Excited Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race fans and volunteers in this small Native village kept everyone posted as he made his way to the checkpoint Sunday. First there were the ringing air sirens, sounded twice in warning that the team was approaching. Then there was the shouting, “He’s coming! He’s coming!” that echoed across the school yard.
Then there were the 12 dogs left in the defending champion’s team. They could heard barking as they made their way down the Yukon River. And to just make sure everyone noticed, they kept it up as Mackey planted his snowhook.
“That’s the sound of success right there,” Mackey said.
Mackey arrived at 8:41 p.m. AST and was gone 51 minutes later after feeding his dogs and downing a meal of his own. He held a lead of about an hour over his closest pursuers, Hans Gatt and William Kleedehn, who arrived in Pelly together at about 10:30 AST, an hour after Mackey left.
Mackey needed 43 hours and 3 minutes to travel the 201 miles from Dawson City south to Pelly Crossing. It was another record run in a series of record runs.
“It’s a good time,” said Race Marshal Mike McGowan, shaking his head in amazement. “It’s a good time.”
Mackey passed Gatt to take the lead in the Quest on the run from Eagle to Dawson City. After their 36-hour mandatory layover, Mackey extended his lead slightly. But he hasn’t shaken the duo, who are good friends and likely working together to catch Mackey. He last saw them at Stepping Stone, about 32 miles from Pelly.
“Just as I was leaving, they were coming in,” Mackey said.
Mackey ate a meal of lasagna, homemade bread, corn and potato chowder, salad, a donut, a muffin, ice tea and cream soda in the school canteen where students opened the “Questaraunt.”
He ate in fast gulps like one of his sled dogs as reporters questioned him about the final 200 miles to Dawson City, where the race will finish this year because of poor trail conditions. He said he doesn’t intend to let up.
“Now I’m just doing what I’m doing,” Mackey said. “I’m on a record run. Before the race started I said if I had a chance for a record run, I’d go for it, so I’m going for it.”
Gatt and Kleedehn arrived in Pelly to far less fanfare. Gatt came in at 10:29 p.m. and Kleedehn was right behind him at 10:31.
The two veteran mushers did not waste time and began taking booties off their dogs and laying down straw. It looked like they were going to stay a while.
While Mackey’s arrival brought about 40 people out of their homes to see the fanfare, Gatt and Kleedehn arrived to a downpour of wet snow and very little hoopla.
Mushers will return to Dawson over much the same trail, which means a more climbing through the Black Hills with 4,002-foot King Solomon’s Dome standing as a final obstacle before the Dawson City finish line. The winner could arrive as early as Tuesday, if the long climbs ahead don’t slow teams down.
“They were long,” he said. “It took me forever. But I had a good time listening to some music over and over.”