'Like seeing an old friend': Mushers, spectators glad to be back at Yukon Quest after year hiatus

It was a close finish for the first Yukon Quest race to take place in the Yukon since 2020.

Nathaniel Hamlyn edged out Martine LeLevier by two minutes in the 160-kilometre YQ100 race, which went from Whitehorse to Braeburn. They were followed by the five other mushers in the field in the following order: Illana Kingsley, Louve Tweddell, Lori Tweddell, Katherine Lapointe and Jonathan Alsberghe.

Hamlyn said in a Facebook post after he won that the first part of the race went a little slower than expected because of the overflow of the rivers and the amount of fresh snow. He said the second part of the race — which took place after resting a mandatory six hours following six hours of being on the course — "was on rock solid trails but ended up being 4+ hours of slamming up and down on moguls that never ended, complete momentum-killing terrain."

The Yukon Quest 100 is one of two races taking place this year in the Yukon, while two other Yukon Quest races were held earlier this month in Alaska. Traditionally, the Yukon Quest is a 1,600-kilometre (1,000 miles) race between Whitehorse and Fairbanks, Alaska.

Organizers decided to run four shorter races this year, two in Alaska and two in the Yukon.

The other race in the Yukon is the 482-kilometre YQ300, which is expected to finish sometime Tuesday morning.

Both races started Saturday afternoon in Whitehorse.

The excitement in the air at the start of the races on Saturday was palpable.

Nancy Heath was there with her mother and daughter, both of whom had never seen a dog sled race.

"I used to be a vet on the Quest so it's very exciting to be able to share it with [them]," Heath said.

Nancy Thompson and Tom Babington, from the U.K., decided to start their trip to Canada in Whitehorse when she heard about the race.

"It's pretty cool. We've never seen anything like this before," she said.

Jacques Lapointe traveled from Gatineau, Que., to support his daughter Katherine who is participating in the Yukon Quest for the first time.

He was helping his daughter and her boyfriend, John Morrison, who both live in Fort Smith, N.W.T., with all the preparations for the race, including taking care of the dogs.