2020 Yukon Quest Musher Roster

 As with the last few races featured on this blog, I've decided to once again go down the musher list and link to their websites and social media so fans can be better acquainted with the teams. Because the Bib Draw isn't until later in the week, but Fantasy Mushing opened yesterday for the Quest, I'll go with the roster list and will update with bib numbers this weekend.

As always, if you catch a broken link or mistake let me know in the comments. What other features would you like to see on this blog? Give me a shout in the comments below!

Yukon Quest 2020 - 1,000mi Race Roster

Rob Cooke - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Brent Sass - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Richie Beattie - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Dave Dalton - Website / Facebook
Torsten Kohnert - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Cody Strathe - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Ryne Olson - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Denis Tremblay - Facebook
Michelle Phillips - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Olivia Webster - Facebook*
Nora Själin - Website / Facebook / Instagram***
Jason Campeau - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Pat Noddin - Website / Facebook / Twitter**
Chase Tingle - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Allen Moore - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

*Olivia Webster is Olivia Shank-Neff, but her passport has her as Webster which is why she is registered as such on the Quest's roster.
**Pat Noddin will be running a team for Atka Kennel. As such his links reflect that team's media.
***Nora Själin will be running a team from Tom-From Johnson's kennel so her links, except for facebook, are reflecting of that.

Yukon Quest 300mi Race

Nathaniel Hamlyn - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Vickie Justice - Facebook / Instagram
Dave Turner - Facebook
Misha Wiljes - Website / Facebook
Lauro Eklund - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Jennifer LaBar - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Karolyn Bristol - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram*
Chad Stoddard - Facebook / Facebook**
Benjamin Good - Facebook / Instagram
Joe Taylor - Facebook
Cody Waterbury - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram***
Ryan Freedman - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Leigh Strehlow Pagel - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Luther Buhr - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Claudia Wickert - Facebook
Sean Underwood - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram***
Jeremy Traska - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Deke Naaktgeboren - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Tabitha Hughes - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Madeline Rubida - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Jacob Witkop - Facebook 

*Karolyn is running a team from Aliy Zirkle and Allen Moore's SPKennel.
**Chad is running a team from Lance Mackey's Comeback Kennel.
***Cody & Sean are running teams from Jeff King's Husky Homestead.
Strikeouts are last minute withdrawals.

This is the country where legends are born.

Dallas Seavey was not supposed to have ANY chance of winning. He'd waited "too long" to try and overtake the leader. Jeff King had a consistent lead over Aliy Zirkle, who had a consistent lead over  Dallas Seavey, who had a consistent lead over Mitch Seavey. When the runs began out of White Mountain I was still hopeful that Dallas could run down Aliy and come in second, but there was "no way" that he had enough mileage between White Mountain and Nome to run down Jeff.

It literally took an "act of God" to make it possible. Jeff's team was blown - literally - off course three miles from the checkpoint of Safety. He was 25 miles from the finish and the dogs basically told him to take a flying leap, they weren't going anywhere. But with the winds and cold it was unsafe for him and the team to stay out in it all curled up, so he went and got help. His race ended 25 miles from the finish (after travelling nearly 1,000).

Aliy kept a nice cushion between herself and Dallas. He made up *maybe* 10 minutes on her over two days. He was racing to keep third place and maybe get close enough to make a move on second. Aliy made it to the final checkpoint, with 65-75mph windgusts going on outside, she talked to some snowmachiners who told her not to go back out. It was going to get worse. Aliy stayed for 2.5 hours. She gave up her entire cushion. There was no power in Safety, there was no way to know where Dallas was or when he would be coming into the checkpoint.

Dallas showed right on time. He’d battled the winds too, but his dogs kept going. They were trained for adverse conditions. They believed in their musher and trusted him. He signed in and out of the checkpoint in three minutes. He saw Aliy’s name, but in his hazy state he thought she was gone. He didn’t see Jeff King’s name and figured his name was on a different piece of paper. He was running for third. He told his team of seven to hike up and out into the winds they went. Joe Runyan had blogged just a few minutes before that any musher who dared to venture out from Safety that night was “foolhardy”. They could get injured, they could get frostbite, they wouldn’t make the 22 miles to Nome.

Fifteen minutes of going back and forth deciding what to do, Aliy Zirkle gave chase. Her indecisiveness meant she would be the 2^nd place finisher for a third straight year. Aliy had the faster run time from Safety to Nome. She ran it fifteen minutes faster than Dallas. If she’d left just after he did instead of sitting there weighing the options, she’d be champion.

When Dallas came across the finish line with 6 dogs on the line and one in the sled – he was completely confused with the crowd and fuss. He came in third, why all the pomp and circumstance?! It took him a good minute or two for it to sink in. The whole time he ran with a light following him to Nome he believed his Dad had caught up and was running him down. He truly believed he was outrunning Mitch Seavey. Dallas dazed and confused asked Race Marshall Mark Nordman, “Where’s Jeff?! Where’s Aliy?!” Two minutes after Dallas came under the Burled Arch, Aliy Zirkle finished her race.

The last time the winner was decided on the race from White Mountain to Nome was in 1991. Rick Swenson passed Susan Butcher and the other frontrunners to come in first during one of the worst snowstorms in race history. Dallas had just turned four years old around the time of the race start.

This is the second closest race finish in the history of the sport (the fastest less than a minute separated 1^st and 2^nd place and was decided by the nose of the first dog. Dick Mackey beat Rick Swenson in 1978 for that one). It SMASHED the previous fastest time finish so much so that the next 3 teams also finished faster than the previous record.

Dallas came into Nome in 8 days, 13 hours, 4 minutes, and 19 seconds. Over five hours faster than John Baker’s record setting pace in 2011. It was 3 hours slower, though, than what had been predicted for Jeff King.

This race will be one for the history books. Little to no snow on much of the trail, the farewell burn that destroyed sleds and mushers alike. Monster run times. Happy healthy dogs in what appears to be record  number. And in the final leg of the race, when it should’ve been smooth sailing, hurricane force windstorms blow the leaders away.

In the words of Hobo Jim: “This is the country where legends are born.”

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No surprises so far in Team Event

A Russian Cinderella story on ice.
Photo by Ivan Sekretarev/AP

People who are surprised with the results after the first day of Team Competition in Sochi are the ones that don't follow the sport, pure and simple. That the US media has done such a poor job of being realistic has not helped people understand or prepare for the idea that the rest of the world has caught us up.

As I stated in my previous post (Let the Games begin!), Team USA is going to be fighting for a podium placement, but it will not be gold. After the first two disiplines results for the team event - USA will be lucky to make the podium at all. But there are still more chances to win points, and we have the best coming up.

The skating events started (early morning for those of us in North America) Thursday with the men of the ten countries represented. Over all it was a well skated event, though many came crashing down at least once. By far the most talked about skater going into today was Evgeni Plushenko of Russia. Plushenko is the elder statesman in the event being 31, and this is his fourth Olympics. Should Team Russia make the podium - a good possibility - Plushenko will have medaled in all four games - which would seal his name in the record books. Plushenko has been absent from the sport for some time as he battled with injuries and surgeries, but he battled back to make the team. Russia had one spot in the men's event, and it was highly controversial that they went with Plushenko who had rough competitions at nationals and did not compete at the European Championships.

However, Plushenko showed the world he is not to be written off so easily. While visibly slow and scratchy on landings and spins, and obviously winded at the end of his short program, Plushenko found himself finishing 2nd out of 10. Not too shabby for the "grandpa".

Evgeny Plushenko showed emotion
after he finished his program.
Photo by Ivan Sekretarev/AP

Also, unsurprising, Patrick Chan and Yuzuru Hanyu are also in the top three, with Hanyu on top. Helping Japan secure the (very temporary) lead, which is well needed since Japan's pairs and dance teams are their weak links. Hanyu was nearly flawless in his short program, while Canada's Patrick Chan had some minor issues. If there's one thing to be surprised about - it's that the judging seems quite fair so far in these Winter Olympic Games. And, in of all places, RUSSIA.

On the not so great end of things, Jeremy Abbott once again reminded fans and viewers alike why he's the skater that is so great - who's never won anything of actual substance internationally. Abbott's done this to us before - four years ago in Vancouver. And he repeatedly does as he did Thursday. Abbott went out and wiped the ice. You could tell as he took his starting position that he was nervous, and that the nerves would take over. With the fall on the quad you could see in his face it was done, and for the next two minutes Abbot and skating fans alike let out a collective groan. So much talent in a skater who just was not made for competition.

The pairs short program also had a lack of surprises. Russia was clearly the front runner going into this event, and it showed. Canada and China join the Russians for the top three. And, in a good effort the US pair managed a fifth place finish after the short program. They had an issue on their side by side jumps, but overall had a great performance and were rewarded for it. That helped Team USA a bit, but there's a giant hole for the team to dig out of if they hope to make it to the final.

As it stands, the points after day one of Team Event are as follows:

1 - Russia - 19 points
2 - Canada - 17 points
3 - China - 15 points
4 - Japan - 13 points
5 - Germany - 10 points
6 - France - 10 points
7 - USA - 10 points
8 - Italy - 8 points
9 - Ukraine - 5 points
10 - Great Britain - 3 points

Tomorrow there is no competition for the skaters as it will be the Opening Ceremonies. Skating resumes Saturday with the Short Dance and Ladies' short program. the USA should make a big jump up in the standings after the dance portion, but it's anyone's guess if Ashley can shake off the results at nationals - and all the naysayers and haters that followed - and take on the pressure put on her to make the final. She has the ability to be great, but she has to have a handle on the nerves. Otherwise we'll see another skate like Abbott's. And there'll be no way to stop the hate.

Join Iditarod Champion Dallas Seavey, promote his sport!

Dallas Seavey is the youngest Iditarod Champion at age 25, and is working hard to bring the Iditarod and mushing into a more global awareness. This is the new generation of musher and hopefully the new face of mushing. Dallas is pushing for mushing - especially the Iditarod - to embrace social media and other forms of technology to branch out. The Iditarod's made it 40 years, it's time to make sure it continues.

Dallas' passion definitely helped me become completely obsessed with following the sport, so hopefully everyone else who sees this catches the bug as well. Be sure to share this video with everyone!