Showing posts with label summit quest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summit quest. Show all posts

Monday, February 15, 2021

Dan Kaduce wins the Summit Quest

At 7:02pm Alaska time, Dan Kaduce of Dew Claw Kennel crossed the finish line in Central as the 2021 Summit Quest 300 Champion. 24 minutes later Deke Naaktgeboren crossed the finish line in second. For most of the race, Hugh Neff seemed destined to win as he managed to stay near the front of the back from the get go (drawing bib #2 helped). In fact, the first 24 hours or so Neff traveled closely with Jodi Bailey - Dan Kaduce's wife - out on the trail. 

Kaduce kept close, and managed to pull ahead by day two. Kaduce and Neff would play cat and mouse for most of Sunday with Naaktgeboren catching up and keeping pace. Though Deke was third for most of the race, he stayed close enough to Neff that one of the key factors in how he turned in a second place performance was his rest schedule. When the top three pulled into the final Checkpoint of Circle, Deke had the least amount of time left to take (five hours). Kaduce needed 5.5, and Neff 6. 

Kaduce along with his wife Jodi Bailey has mushed for over twenty years. The duo have raced mid-distance and long distance races for many years and are fan favorites. The next major race for Dan will be the Iditarod.

Kaduce and Naaktgeboren race to the finish, Neff gives chase

 


The Summit Quest should see its champion crowned tonight. Dan Kaduce of Dew Claw Kennel lead the charge out of the final checkpoint of Circle at 10:34am. Deke Naaktgeboren of Nautique Sky Kennel followed at 10:50. With needing an hour more than Deke, and half an hour more than Dan, of mandatory rest left on his plate, Hugh Neff (of who knows which kennel he is using these days he has so many different ones on social media) was third to leave Circle at 11:21am. 

The teams will now run back down the trail to finish in Central. Of the top three's runs INTO Circle, Dan was fastest at 8hr40m, next fastest was Hugh at 9hr5m but Deke is right there with him at 9hr 7m. If they keep their current speeds Kaduce looks to have this one in the bag and it will be a photo finish for second. Still, so much can happen in the switchbacks, and there's still a lot of trail left. Any one of these top three could end up pulling off a win.

Should Neff manage to catch and surpass both of the front runners, this will be the first significant win in his return to the Quest. The musher was suspended from the race in 2019 following the death of his dog Boppy. Neff's application to run in the 2019 Iditarod was denied by their Qualifying Review Board citing concerns over dog care in the 2018 Quest. As part of his censure, Neff has to complete the Yukon Quest 300 (this year called the Summit Quest) before he can apply to run the full thousand mile race again. Neff's wife, Olivia Webster (Shank) was allowed to enter in both the 2019 and 2020 races - she completed her first Yukon Quest last year. 

Should the teams keep pace with their outbound time start paying attention around 6:30 to see how close teams are. We could have a champion just a little after 7pm tonight (Alaska Time).

Friday, February 12, 2021

2021 Summit Quest musher roster

My apologies for the lateness of this roster. Always difficult to share attention with two races in the same weekend, and I'm not very good at that kind of multitasking.

2021 has been a strange year for the sled dog race season, and one of the biggest changes was the cancellation of "the other thousand mile race", the Yukon Quest. It came really as no surprise to many race fans for the simple fact that the Quest has a border crossing, and with Canada's continued closure of the border for non-essential travel to and from the States, there would be no way for the Yukon Quest to run in the year of Covid. 

Quickly talk started on continuing the tradition of the Yukon Quest 300, the mid-distance race run by the organization that is used by many as a qualifier for both the Quest and the Iditarod. The powers that be decided to go ahead with the YQ300 but rebranded it and renamed it. Now the Summit Quest 300, it signifies the Alaska version of the 300 race. 

You can follow the race via the lovely trackers run by trackleaders.com, and on the race's facebook page. No preview for this blogger... I've run out of time (obviously).

Without further adieu, the musher roster in Bib order.


Musher Roster

1. Jodi Bailey - Website / Facebook / Instagram
2. Hugh Neff - Facebook / Instagram
3. Eddie Burke Jr. -  Facebook / Instagram
4. Marla Brodsky - Facebook 
5. Kai Leddy - Website / Facebook / Instagram
6. Tabitha Hughes - Website / Facebook (I assume based on race fb posts)
7. Dan Kaduce - Website / Facebook / Instagram
8. Vickie Justice - Facebook / Instagram
9. Lauro Eklund - WebsiteFacebook / Facebook 2 / Instagram / Instagram 2
10. DJ Starr - Facebook 
11. Misha Wiljes - Website / Facebook
12. Leigh Strehlow Pagel - WebsiteFacebook / Instagram
13. Benjamin Good - Facebook / Instagram
14. Phillip Hanke - Facebook 
15. Dan Powell -  Website / Facebook / Instagram 
16. Deke Naaktgeboren - Website / Facebook / Instagram
17. Adam Lindenmuth - Facebook / Instagram / Youtube 
18. Bridgett Watkins - Website / Facebook / Facebook 2 / Instagram

Friday, October 9, 2020

Mid-Distance sled dog races open for registration

Several mid-distance races opened registration last weekend for their 2021 races. With all of the uncertainty in 2020, fans wondered if races would see a slow start to the season - but the worry was all for naught. Every race has seen a very healthy return of applications, some are even full. Even with the uncertainty of travel, teams from Canada and the Lower-48 plan to come up to Alaska for the racing season. Alaska wasn't the only state to see races come alive for registrations.

The John Beargrease opened registration for it's different classes (with the 120 being full), with many familiar teams returning for another go at the Lower 48's premiere race. The Pedigree Stage-Stop race also opened registration with several familiar names on the roster. 

The Willow 300, which earlier this fall announced they were unsure they would be able to put on a race due to lack of volunteers, filled out within minutes. The race capped its number at 45. Willow 300 is one of the few races that does not do an interval start. Teams line up for a mass start on Willow Lake, though some choose to hold back and give their teams room to run. It makes for an exciting bit of race action for anyone watching.

The Kuskokwim 300 - which starts and ends in the Western-Alaska town of Bethel - also opened registration and is boasting the largest opening day of registration roster to date with many of the sport's top names. With Covid being a very real possibility for concern leading into 2021, Bethel has already been very pro-active in how they plan to make sure this race is safe for everyone. It's still early in the season, but this race is shaping up to be the one to watch. The Kusko always delivers an exciting race. 

Copper Basin 300 opened up registration, with 24 teams signing up on opening day. The CB300 is known as the coldest mid-distance race and offers many challenges for veteran and rookie teams alike. The 2020 race was nearly called off mid race due to cold, with many teams choosing to scratch at the first two checkpoints because of weather reports. This year there's a good balance of veterans and rookies hoping to take on the course.

The Yukon Quest has had to restructure for the 2021 race due to border and financial concerns. With Covid-19 a persistent issue, the race decided it would not be feasible to try to hold the traditional thousand mile race, and the lack of funds made running two 300 mile races difficult. However the Alaska side of the Quest has decided to hold the Yukon Quest 300 and have renamed it the Summit Quest, recognizing that the Alaska 300 trail goes over several of the famous summits of the Quest trail. 20 teams signed up on the first day. Several popular Quest teams are in the mix, including former Champion Hugh Neff. 

New race "Sweeps" also opened up registration this past week and announced two sign ups. First to register is DeeDee Jonrowe who retired from competitive dog mushing several years ago (do mushers ever really retire?) as well as Iditarod Champion Jeff King. Sweeps has a very expensive entry fee of $4000 to help build a giant purse payout. However, this is a steep price and it is unclear if there will be enough teams to make the race viable (the race states it needs 25 teams to sign up and race at minimum). 

Of course, all (except the Beargrease 120 and Willow 300) are still open for registration - as is registration for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Most races will keep registration open through December, the season is shaping up to be an exciting one. 

Which races are you excited to follow? Who are you rooting for? Who are you hoping to see sign up for some races? Comment below!