Yukon Quest purse of at least $120,000 announced for next year

The purse of the 2017 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race will resemble this year's, race officials announced Wednesday, but the wealth will be spread among more finishers in the race's 34^th edition.

At least $120,000 will be handed out, said the race's board of directors. Last year, the purse ended up $5,000 bigger, due to $10,000 raised through the Quest Guest program, similar to the Iditarider program in Alaska's other 1,000-mile sled-dog race.

The purse will be spread among the top 15 finishers. This year only the top 10 earned checks, the first time in race history as few as 10 took home some winnings. With a much smaller field than the Iditarod, comparatively few Quest mushers reach the finish line. In 2014, only 11 finished; this year 19 made it to Whitehorse.

Iditarod prize money is far greater, totaling nearly $800,000 last year.  In fact, the Quest is third in prize money among Alaska distance sled-dog races, also trailing Bethel's Kuskokwim 300, which last year paid out $130,000.

Hugh Neff won February's Quest — his second championship — in nine days, 1 hour, 25 minutes, earning more than $23,000.

Quest spokeswoman Pixie Ingram said the biggest purse in Quest history was the $200,000 paid out 2007-09. The smallest was the $50,000 paid in 1984.

Signups for the 2017 race from Whitehorse to Fairbanks start Saturday. Last year, 23 mushers started the race. The race begins Feb. 4.

"We are pleased to commit to an increased minimum purse for the 2017 race," Michael Peterson, president of the Yukon Quest Yukon Board, said in a press release.