Plenty of Snow for Iditarod 51 (Photo Credit: Terrie Hanke)

Just like the first Saturday of March signifies the start of Iditarod, the first Saturday of February  signifies the start of the Yukon Quest.  In the past, Iditarod and the Quest were both 1,000 miles long.  Over the years, Eye on the Trail has written an annual story applauding the efforts of the teams running the Iditarod and the Quest in the same year – the Distance Double.    

For 2023 Iditarod is the only 1,000 mile race in North America.  The Quest split into two races.  There’s the Yukon Quest Alaska that starts in Fairbanks and returns to Fairbanks covering a distance of 550 miles.  The Yukon Quest stays in the Yukon Territory of Canada, starting at Whitehorse and going to Dawson City, a distance of 450 miles.

A handful of 2023 Iditarod contestants ran the Quest Alaska.  Brent Sass claimed the championship, his fifth Quest victory.  Wade Marrs, a prominent Iditarod racer claimed third.  Nicholas Petit, another top Iditarod contender earned 5th followed directly by Riley Dyche and Deke Naaktgeboren.  Matt Hall, a former Quest Champion and 2023 Iditarod racer, won the Alaska Quest 300. 

A week later, on the Canadian side of the border, the Yukon Quest 450 named a champion,  Michelle Phillips.  Phillips is not joining the Iditarod ranks this year although she’s been a regular participant since 2010.  Mille Porsild claimed runner-up honors in the Yukon Quest and will be taking her team to Nome in March.  Likewise, Aaron Peck who claimed 4th  will be heading to Iditarod.

In mid-January, nine 2023 Iditarod participants tackled the Copper Basin 300.  The race starts at Glennallen, runs north and then south in a  circuitous loop back to Glennallen.  Nicolas Petit claimed his fifth Copper Basin crown and was followed to the finish by Brent Sass, Jessie Holmes and Matt Hall.  Both Sass and Hall are former Copper Basin Champions.  The Vitello, father and son mushers – Greg and Bailey placed 17th and 19th respectively. 

Late in January a handful of Iditarod racers participated in the Kusko 300.  The Kusko runs between Bethel and Aniak roughly parallel to the Kuskokwim River.  Iditarod Champion Peter Kaiser claimed his 7th Kusko 300 win.  Matthew Failor, a former Kusko Champion claimed 2nd and Eddie Burke Jr. was third.  Aniak’s Richie Diehl earned 5th place honors.  Brent Sass crossed the finish line in 12th place.

On the same January weekend, eight 2023 Iditarod competitors participated in the Willow 300.  Big Lake’s Nicolas Petit earned his fifth Willow 300 championship.  Hunter Keefe of Knik claimed 2nd, Dan Kaduce of Chatanika followed in 3rd and Denmark’s Mille Porsild crossed the finish line 4th.

On February 13th,  Jessie Royer won her seventh Race to the Sky, Montana’s premier 300 mile event.  Two weeks earlier Royer took gold in the 300 mile Idaho Sled Dog Challenge.  Royer has been mushing for 31 years, winning her first Race to the Sky at the age of 17.  Jessie has completed Iditarod nineteen times with eight top ten finishes.  Royer is in for the 2023 Iditarod after sitting out last year.

That brings you up to date on races some of the 2023 Iditarod contestants have been participating in.  By no means is this a comprehensive or complete list of races run by those heading to Nome in March.  Having a little background as to how they’ve done racing prior to Iditarod adds some perspective as to how they might fair in Iditarod.

Now is the time for you to really get to know the 2023 field.  The Insider crew has been interviewing veterans and rookies alike.  Those clips are available on Iditarod’s front page.  By the way, is your Insider subscription up to date? 

Get to know the veterans. Dive into the race archives and see who has done well over the past five years. Consider performance in the early races of 2023.  Take your research to the ultimate level and pick your top ten finishers.  Go a step further and study up on the rookies.  Who’s your pick for rookie of the year?  I’ve made my list.  Have fun making yours.

The Jr. Iditarod runs Feb 25th & 26th.  Meet the junior mushers through Eye on the Jr. stories coming up prior to their race.