Update: He’s Gatt it
Hans Gatt is up to his old tricks.
The three-time champion is again in the lead of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race after passing Lance Mackey on the trail to Stewart River. Gatt wiped out a deficit of more than six hours Monday on the 100-mile run to the Quest’s impromptu final checkpoint.
Gatt was allowed to leave Stewart River for the 100-mile run to the Dawson City, Yukon, finish line at 1:01 a.m. AST. Mackey was allowed out at 1:45 a.m., and William Kleedehn was scheduled for a 2:10 a.m. departure.
By any measure it is a close race and the winner should arrive in Dawson by late afternoon or early evening. Mackey covered the same 100-mile trail from Dawson to Stewart River in about 13 hours on the outbound run, but times should be slower on the return. The 4,002-foot summit of King Solomon’s Dome stands as the final obstacle for mushers.
Mackey is the Quest’s defending champion. He dueled with Kleedehn in the 2005 race’s final days, winning by eight minutes in the second closest finish in Quest history.
Twelve teams remained on the trail Monday.