Congratulations to the winner of the 2012 Yukon Quest, Hugh Neff! In what was the closest finish ever in the Quest, Hugh narrowly beat Allen Moore by 28 seconds to capture his first YQ crown. Lance Mackey was third, with Jake Berkowitz and Brent Sass rounding out the top five.

As of this writing Dave and the Gang are thirty miles from the finish line, holding comfortably onto the tenth spot, four hours ahead of the next nearest musher. Congratulations, Dave and congratulations to handlers Lee Lowery and Nina Schwinghammer, for helping him to Whitehorse. Dave will finish with twelve dogs, the most of any of the top ten racers. It was a well run race and all who took part should be proud of their accomplishment! Way to go Dave!

We have a guest update from the Mushing Loon report:

Monday morning, and the leaders are approaching Braeburn, the final checkpoint, for a mandatory 8 hour rest, and then the 100 mile run to the finish line. While positions are still a bit fuzzy, its most likely down to a two-team race: Allen Moore and Hugh Neff. The two left the Carmacks Checkpoint minutes apart, and would presumably keep each other within range. However, Hugh will serve a 30-minute penalty for losing his axe, so he will leave start the final leg of the race behind Allen, in all likelihood.

Lance Mackey is running a young team, and while he does get the best out of his teams, he has been losing time on the frontrunners in the last couple of days, and was last reported 3 hours behind. Does he have the “Mackey Magic” in him? The sprint to the finish will be as exciting as always!

Jake Berkowitz is 6 hours behind the leaders, and needs 3 hours to overtake Lance for 3rd. Jake should take Rookie of the Year. Brent Sass looks to have a lock on 4th place. Sonny Lindner, winner of the first-ever Quest in 1984, and 24-year-old Norwegian rookie Joar Leifseth Ulsom are still contesting 6th place.

Abbie West and Kristy Berington are making good time, Dave Dalton is in Pelly Crossing, with Kyla Durham on the way.

Gus Guenther,Trent Herbst, Paige Drobny, Yuka Honda, Brian Wilmshurst and Misha Pedersen have left Dawson for the second half of their race. Marcelle Fressineau will leave in a few hours, with Russian Michael Telpin able to leave later this evening.

Unofficial Standings as of 8:00am ET: http://mushingloon.blogspot.com/2012/02/yukon-quest-update-14.html

The Loon’s Mushing Report: Yukon Quest Update #14

mushingloon.blogspot.com

The distance between Dawson City and Pelly Crossing, the next checkpoint, is the longest distance between checkpoints of any dog sled race in the world – 201 miles (323km). It is during this formidable stretch that mushers can gain or lose time. The Dalton Gang is taking full advantage of it and making their move. Dave is now listed (depending on the source) anywhere between seventh and ninth. Excitement, thy name is Yukon Quest. Go Dave, GO!