Schnuelle edges Neff by 4 minutes to win Yukon Quest
Originally published Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at 9:01 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at 10:53 a.m.
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FAIRBANKS — Sebastian Schnuelle won the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race on Tuesday morning.
The Whitehorse, Yukon, pulled into the finish chute on the Chena River only minutes in front of Hugh Neff in front of hundreds of spectators who lined the river in temperatures just below zero.
Schnuelle left the final checkpoint in Two Rivers early this morning with a 35-minute lead over Neff, who steadily closed the gap but could never quite catch Schnuelle.
Jon Little left Two Rivers about a half-hour after Neff.
The 1,016-mile race began Feb. 14 in Whitehorse.
Neff fell behind when he was assessed a two-hour penalty Sunday for using a road for more than five miles instead of on an adjacent trail.
William Kleedehn of Carcross, Yukon Territory, led for much of the race but ran into difficulties Monday on Eagle Summit, some of the highest terrain on the course. He pulled into the checkpoint at Twin Bears Camp in seventh place at 8:27 a.m. today.
Also waiting out their mandatory eight-hour layovers in Two Rivers are Brent Sass, Martin Buser and Michelle Phillips. They should reach the finish line this evening.
Community Discussion
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Really? Is this dogmushing trash talk?
Who would have thought?
Hats Off to Hugh Neff and Sebastian Schnuelle, who finished within 4 minutes of each other at the end of 1,000 miles or more of trail!
"Here's to the Snowblind heroes, frontier pioneers half-crazy at best....who challenged the country, across the Northwest....Out on the Yukon Quest"--David Ruthstrom, 1985
Good Luck to the Rest of the Mushers, especially William Kleedehn, who's gotta be the most aggravated musher of all....he must be asking himself why he left the female "in heat" in harness when he left Central....Sometimes a decision like that can Cost you the Race!!
"The Whitehorse, Yukon, [missing noun] pulled into the finish chute..."
hey Mike
Sweet sweet child! grow up!
he broke the rules and got the penalty.If you dont like it be proactive and MATURE and do something about changing the rules for the future.
Hugh Neff Is the real winner by real time. He was robbed. I wish the press would ask Lance Mackey what he thinks of all that.
Well Mike, Its good when you stand up for a friend.
Ask and ye shall receive, LuckyDog:
"Looking at the two teams dueling it out for 2009 Champion, Mackey commented, 'It would be awesome to see Sebastian win this, he is probably as surprised as anyone to be in the lead, I don't think he was thinking about winning at all. But Hugh's not out of it yet, and I'll be the first to congratulate him if he pulls it off. That incident outside of Central could cost him the race but there's no excuse for running off the trail for that long...it happens, but it will be disappointing if it costs Hugh the race.'"
That's from the Yukon Quest site. Doesn't sound like he thinks Neff was robbed, does it?
Mackey commented, "It would be awesome to see Sebastian win this, he is probably as surprised as anyone to be in the lead, I don't think he was thinking about winning at all. But Hugh's not out of it yet, and I'll be the first to congratulate him if he pulls it off. That incident outside of Central could cost him the race but there's no excuse for running off the trail for that long...it happens, but it will be disappointing if it costs Hugh the race."
Thanks BABYLON I don't mind being set straight. To me Lance is the Godfather of long distance racing. I could not have said it better then Lance. Truly a shame when a musher makes a bad mistake and sticks with it for too long. I will say though in Hugh's defense, he does bring excitement and a colorful performance to the Quest. I would not watch it if he wasn't the wild driver that he is.
What a race! This is the kind I love seeing - true competitive spirit, fine competitors, terrific canine athletes - congrats to ALL of you who did such a fine job, and to the Quest community for keeping us updated and in the loop!
Congratulations to both Sebastian and Hugh!!! I consider both these guys as my friends, and I would have been just as happy to see Hugh (who in fact was faster overall) win. Regardless of Hugh's past history in the Quest, this penalty was excessive (2 hours for a max 15 min gained by taking the road) and would not have been applied to ANY musher who did the same thing 20 years ago.
Sebastian has really earned this victory, though, with all the hours of training and studying race strategies this year. He blew through most of the checkpoints after Eagle so his competitors couldn't tell how long he was resting, and really pushed the gas as the end to catch and pass the front runners, just like he did in last year's Iditarod (where he placed 10th). His slow-start, fast-finish strategy has proved to be a winning one again.
This Quest finish is one of the most exciting that I remember, and it makes me miss running it myself. I am just sorry that Hugh's little mistake cost him the race. I hope he comes back next year and wins it.
There is no question that Mr. Neff would have won the race had he played by the rules, and the performance of his team was astounding. I agree that the Quest organization does need to clarify the rules and remedies some. They need to be understood by all, and equally applied to all.
Generally if someone looses the trail they have the option of returning to the point where they deviated and finishing the race on the proper route, just as they would if they became separated from their team. That remedy might or might not have cost Mr. Neff less time than the penalty that was levied, but if applied across the board it would be more fair than a fine or an arbitrary time penalty.
Nonetheless, the two hour penalty was levied against Mr. Neff for cause. He didn't just wander off the trail, he admitted that he purposefully chose to take the road rather than the trail. That others have "bent the rules" in the past doesn't make it right to do so in the future. These long distance races are as much a test of a musher's judgment and character as they are test of the team's phenomenal abilities.
Both Sebastian and Hugh are signed up for the Iditarod. They will soon face another similar test. This story may not be finished yet.
Hugh Mess...your right mike jayne,,,the quest board is after him....
hugh mess is the "real" winner this year!
Nice training run, Sab ;)
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