With the Yukon Quest Alaska winding down, there's no real time to catch a breath as Yukon Quest Canada begins this weekend. Deep breath! This one is a tad shorter, and fewer teams, so hopefully we can make it through this... and the other races running this weekend. I know, I know, I'm starting to lose my mind a bit, too.
This year the Canadian side are hosting three different races based on mileage, a 100, 250, and 450. Each class has just a handful of teams, but they should still be an exciting trio of races to follow. So let's get a run down, shall we?
As always, the roster is in alphabetical order and will be edited with bib numbers as soon as they are released.
450 Mile Roster
1 Aaron Peck (Elevation Dogs Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
2 Connor McMahon (Feral Racing Kennel) - Facebook / Instagram
3 Michelle Phillips (Tagish Lake Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
4 Mille Porsild (Running Sled Dogs) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
5 Mayla Hill (Elevation Dogs Kennel) - Facebook / Kennel Facebook
6 Louve Tweddell (Echoes Kennel) - Website / Facebook
250 Mile Roster
21 Craig Houghton (Craig & Sean Racing Dogs) - Facebook
22 Ilana Kingsley (StinkyPup Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
23 Michael Burtnick (Keystone Sled Dogs) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
24 Aiyana O'Shaughnessy (Tagish Lake Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
25 Jess Sears (Dog Song Rising) - Facebook / Instagram
100 Mile Roster
40 Jonathan Lucas (Snowpigs) - Facebook
41 Luc Tweddell (Echoes Kennel) - Website / Facebook
42 Debbie Knight (Skywolf K9 Adventures) - Facebook
43 Janna-Lee Cushing (Indian Lake Seppala Siberians) - Facebook
44 Nate Metzen (Northern Sharks Working Dogs) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
How to watch
The race is on! Well, almost. For those confused because we just followed a Quest race all last week, this is the Canadian side. You may remember that last year the two boards got into a tiff and decided to split. That divorce saw Alaska having to create a new online presence, where as the Canadian side got the Website, social media platforms, and most of the fans.
Social Media
Best way to follow along is going to be through the Yukon Quest Facebook page - like with all divorces, one side gets all the goods and the Canadian side got everything when the two boards split and created two races. You can find the Yukon Quest page up and running and very Canadian these days. Make sure to follow the page as they are promising live feeds and lots of commentary. Don't forget Twitter and Instagram. They got those in the divorce, too.
They plan to do live streams on their Facebook, and Sebastian Schnuelle will no doubt write up a few reports throughout the race.
Trackers
And of course the beloved trackers will be LIVE once again to follow this race. Check back when the link goes live we'll add to this post.
It's another big race with a small roster, but the roster for the 450 is fierce. Should be a good watch. Comment below with how you'll be watching and who you are rooting for!
If you like what you see and want to support my addiction (I mean HOBBY) of following these races and stalking (I mean cheering on) the mushers, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that really goes to paying for my internet/web expenses).
