Congratulations to all the mushers and dog teams that successfully completed this year's Yukon Quest! The 19th and final team crossed the finish line late on Sunday, Feb. 19th, with Michael Telpin taking the red lantern award.
Kristy attended the awards banquet on the 18th and has just gotten back to her home kennel in Kasilof, Alaska. She's tired but happy with how the race went and says she would definitely run the YQ again. There were challenges along the trail, from going down Rosebud Summit without her primary brake to the exhaustion that always accompanies a race of this length. And it sounds like the first half of the race on the Alaskan side was more technical in nature, with plenty of "X" markers on the trail warning approaching teams of something tricky ahead. But the challenges are part of the intrigue of running a race like this, and when paired with a happy and healthy dog team, beautiful wilderness, northern lights and shooting stars that would take your breath away, and a successful finish, it was well worth it.
If you've looked at the pictures that both we and others posted to Flickr (we've added a few new ones today), you'll notice that many are of Kristy on her hands and knees tending to her dog team. Kristy takes exceptional care of her dogs, and it has been recognized! We're proud to say that Kristy was awarded the prestigious Veterinarian's Choice Award for this year's Yukon Quest!
Kristy attended the awards banquet on the 18th and has just gotten back to her home kennel in Kasilof, Alaska. She's tired but happy with how the race went and says she would definitely run the YQ again. There were challenges along the trail, from going down Rosebud Summit without her primary brake to the exhaustion that always accompanies a race of this length. And it sounds like the first half of the race on the Alaskan side was more technical in nature, with plenty of "X" markers on the trail warning approaching teams of something tricky ahead. But the challenges are part of the intrigue of running a race like this, and when paired with a happy and healthy dog team, beautiful wilderness, northern lights and shooting stars that would take your breath away, and a successful finish, it was well worth it.
If you've looked at the pictures that both we and others posted to Flickr (we've added a few new ones today), you'll notice that many are of Kristy on her hands and knees tending to her dog team. Kristy takes exceptional care of her dogs, and it has been recognized! We're proud to say that Kristy was awarded the prestigious Veterinarian's Choice Award for this year's Yukon Quest!
To all of our fans out there, thanks for supporting Kristy during her rookie run of the Yukon Quest! And please check back soon... The 40th Iditarod is less than 2 weeks away and we'll be posting a blog like this so everyone can keep tabs on both Kristy and Anna as they tackle another 1,000+ mile race across the frozen north.
A couple closing video clips ~ Anna leading Kristy's team and Kristy coming into the finish.
A couple closing video clips ~ Anna leading Kristy's team and Kristy coming into the finish.