I just realized I never let you know that the Yukon Quest is officially over.
The Yukon News reports that Alaskan musher Olivia Webster is the 2020 Yukon Quest’s red lantern, crossing the finish line in Whitehorse at approximately 8 p.m. on Feb. 15. The rookie is the granddaughter of Leroy Shank, one of the founders of the Yukon Quest, who was at the finish line to show his support.
The “red lantern” indicates the last musher to cross the finish line. Until that team comes in, a red lantern remains lit at the finish line to guide the mushers home.
Congratulations to all who participated.
Next up: the granddaddy of them all: the Iditarod! It begins with a ceremonial start on March 7th, followed by the real start on March 8th. I can’t wait!
Here are the top five mushers in the Yukon Quest this afternoon. All times shown are Alaska Standard Time (four hours behind EST)
Brent Sass passed mile marker 959.3 at 10:51 am
Michelle Phillips passed mile marker 936.7 at 10:50 am
Cody Strathe passed mile marker 883.2 at 8:04 am
Allen Moore passed mile marker 883.22 at 10:01 am
Torsten Kohnert passed mile marker 852.8 at 10:48
Sass is traveling at 4.4 miles per hour, so he may finish overnight!
The top five on the leader board as of this afternoon. Remember all times shown are Alaskan Standard, four hours behind EST.
Brent Sass passed mile marker 854.4 at 10:20 AM
Michelle Phillips passed mile marker 852.7 at 10:11 AM
Cody Strathe passed mile marker 814.0 at 10:22 AM
Allen Moore passed mile marker 785.7 at 10:22 AM
Ryne Olson passed mile marker 736.2 at 10:22 AM
The event website has lots of helpful information, including a live tracking map and a graph showing which checkpoints each of the top ten mushers have gone through.
