Thank you Brent Sass! Sounds strange to say thanks to a guy who wisely withdrew from the Iditarod after sustaining a head injury during the Yukon Quest. Sass and Allen Moore were on track for an exciting finish. Prior to the finial checkpoint of the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest, Sass and Moore were playing leapfrog on the trail. The lead changed hands often as Sass and Moore got closer to Braeburn. Once Moore reached Braeburn for the final required Quest rest, he and race officials expected Sass to arrive shortly. But Sass didn’t arrive. GPS tracker indicated Sass was stopped on the trail. Canadian Rangers were dispatched to check on Sass. Long story short, Brent fell asleep and fell off his sled and hit his head on lake ice. His dogs stopped a short distance down the trail. Sass was able to tend to his dogs and was resting with his team when the ranger arrived. Sass was taken to Braeburn by the Rangers and later sent to Whitehorse for medical evaluation. Hugh Neff assisted the ranger in driving Brent’s team to the checkpoint.

Head injuries are nothing to fool around with and Brent’s decision to sit Iditarod 2014 out is wise for his own health and for the well being of his dogs. Currently there are three mushers who have indicated they intend to wear headgear on the Iditarod Trail – Cindy Abbot wearing bib #46, Jan Steves wearing bib #40 and Jim Lanier wearing bib #38. It’s not surprising that Jim Lanier has added a helmet to his list of gear as he’s noted for wearing the same protective gear that professional hockey players wear. When Jim was showing off his new helmet he said, “I should put a sign on my sled thanking Brent Sass.”