Alaska News

Lead changes quickly in Yukon Quest

Hugh Neff charged into the lead of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race on Saturday -- at least temporarily.

The Tok musher was the first to reach the Scroggie Creek dog drop, arriving at 3:55 a.m. Saturday. He was joined by Allen Moore of Two Rivers at 4:55 a.m. and Lance Mackey of Fairbanks at 5:10 a.m.

But in no time, Moore and Mackey were back in front.

The two Interior mushers, who according to GPS tracking appeared to rest their teams on the trail between Dawson and Scroggie Creek, spent little time at the abandoned cabin on the shore of the Stewart River. Each dropped a dog and spent a few minutes there before continuing on to the Pelly Crossing checkpoint.

Moore left at 5:15 a.m. and Mackey followed 33 minutes later, at 5:48.

Neff, meanwhile, spent nearly three hours at the dog drop before leaving at 6:48 a.m.

Scroggie Creek is roughly the halfway point on the 201-mile run between the Yukon checkpoints of Dawson and Pelly Crossing.

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From Pelly Crossing, mushers face another 240 miles before reaching the finish line in Whitehorse. The 1,000-mile race began last Saturday in Fairbanks.

Yukon Quest standings

8 p.m. Saturday

Out of Scroggie Creek -- Allen Moore 5:15 a.m. Saturday, Lance Mackey 5:48 a.m., Hugh Neff 6:48 a.m., Jake Berkowitz 10:58 a.m., Brent Sass 11:34 a.m., Sonny Lindner 3:23 p.m.

Into Scroggie Creek -- Joar Leifseth Ulsom 2:23 p.m. Saturday.

Out of Dawson -- Abbie West 10:20 p.m. Friday, Kristy Berington 11:23 p.m., David Dalton 5:24 a.m. Saturday, Kyla Durham 12:30 p.m.

Into Dawson -- Gus Guenther 7:56 a.m. Saturday, Trent Herbst 7:59 a.m., Paige Drobny 8:56 a.m., Yuka Honda 1:36 p.m., Brian Wilmshurst 6:18 p.m., Misha Pedersen 6:30 p.m.

Out of Forty Mile -- Marcelle Fressineau 11:08 a.m. Saturday.

Out of Eagle -- Michael Telpin 3:45 a.m. Friday.

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