Twenty skijor teams left the start line at the Cushman Street Bridge today for the First Yukon Quest Skijor Race.  Eight teams competed in the 8-mile race with Jim Herriges (Buoy and Merlin) leading the way at 29:19.  Mike Malvick (Mons and Billie) came in second with a time of 31:08.  Jess Ryan (Lily and Zephyr) took third just 4 seconds ahead of Theresa Hollingsworth (LindyHop and Benny). The trail was rough in spots from the recent passing of 41 Yukon Quest mushing teams, but the biggest challenge was the one-half mile of fog racers encountered about 3 miles out.  Theresa Hollingsworth said, "It was weird.  You couldn’t see where you were going or if anyone else was out there."

Twelve teams competed in the 4-mile race. Kriya Dunlap (Oban and Brahma) finished first with a time of 15:21 just 7 seconds faster than Sara Elzey (Myst and Ayla).  Gail Davidson (Tobi) was the fastest competitor racing with one dog to finish third in the 4-mile class with a time of 18:06.  The 180-degree turnaround was a challenge, with most teams executing it with a minimum of lost time.  Diann Darnall showed excellent sportsmanship by tossing a mitten and ski pole up to another competitor who lost the two items avoiding a tangle with another team.

Thanks to: the Yukon Quest for including this skijor event in the weekend’s activities and for the prizes (all participants received Yukon Quest pins and the top four places received Yukon Quest memorabilia), the Elks Lodge for the parking area and warm place for the awards after the race, the Alaska Skijoring and Pulk Association volunteers: Jerry Troupe, Lisa Stuby, Tom McGrane, Pat DeRuyter and all the dog handlers down on the river.