DAWSON CITY – The leaders of the 2020 Yukon Quest are expected in Dawson City at around midnight tonight, after travelling from Eagle, Alaska following a four-hour layover.

By Tuesday evening, Brent Sass had taken the lead, becoming the first musher to arrive in Eagle at 7:47 p.m. Alaska time.

Sass dropped two dogs at the Slaven’s Roadhouse dog drop, arriving with 12 on the line.

He and his fellow frontrunners spent time in both the Slaven’s and Trout Creek hospitality stop.

Travelling on the river involved “lots of wind, and a bunch of trail-breaking,” Sass said.

Michelle Phillips of Tagish arrived second in Eagle an hour later.

She was followed by Cody Strathe, who edged out Allen Moore for third position into Eagle, at 9:45 p.m. after also dropping a dog in Slaven’s.

Torsten Kohnert, Ryne Olson and Nora Själin rested with their teams at Trout Creek, while Chase Tingle, Rob Cooke, Pat Noddin, Richie Beattie and Dave Dalton were all en route to Eagle.

After spending just over seven hours resting in Circle, Olivia Webster, the current Red Lantern contender, travelled to Slaven’s Roadhouse.

There, she enjoyed good food and rest before continuing on.

In anticipation of the teams’ arrival in Dawson, the logistics team on the Canadian side has been diligently working to prepare the checkpoint where mushers must remain for 36 hours.

The Dawson checkpoint is the first on the Canadian side of the border, and Briana Mackay, the race manager on the Canadian side, said the team has been diligently working getting everything prepared.

“This is the first one on the Canadian side so we are really getting going, getting rolling,” said Mackay. “It feels like the first big day for us.”

Mackay said the logistics team arrived Monday in Dawson, where they used their time to get their bearings.

Their first task Tuesday was to check on the campground that will act as the dog yard, which is across the Yukon River. Last year, the dog yard was at the Bonanza Gold Motel and RV Park.

“We spent a lot of the morning at the campground and turned one of the cook shelters into a vet check,” said Mackay. “We put up plastic and got a firewood delivery and laid out all the campsites for the mushers.

“There was also a lot of snow shovelling because there is a lot of snow up here,” she said. “The campground is getting pretty close to ready to go.”

The snow continued to lightly fall throughout Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Mackay said it’s great they were able to set up the dog yard across the river.

“I think it’s just fun to drive across the ice bridge and we get a lot of people who haven’t spent too much time in Dawson so that’s new,” she said. “It’s so beautiful, it’s a stunning place.

“For them (the mushers and handlers), I think its a bit quieter and more peaceful camping.”

The team continued working even as the sun set, preparing the chute that will welcome the mushers into Dawson.

A tractor brought buckets after buckets full of snow to coat the right lane of Front Street.

Other members of the team erected the fencing and the banner the mushers must pass through. They were efficient in their work.

Being in Dawson allows them to get some reprieve, Mackay said, but soon enough they will divide and conquer. Some members will stay ahead of the racers to prepare the checkpoints further down the trail.

“We kind of have to be in multiple places at once,” said Mackay.

“I’m probably going to be leading and trying to get ahead and set up all the checkpoints so when the mushers come in, they are all ready to go.

“Then I will have a sweep team up here that’s doing the final clean and taking things down.”

The team wants to have things set for the mushers since they have enough to worry about, Mackay said.

“We feel like we are working hard and I always have to remember that they’re out there camping right now,” said Mackay.

“We got a good amount of snow (Tuesday), and they’ve probably got some tough conditions.

“We are working hard and have an amazing crew of volunteers. Those mushers are working super-hard and are way more sleep-deprived than we are. You have to remember that.”

The Quest stops for 36 hours in Dawson so the teams can get a good rest, just like the trappers, mail carriers and mushers did more than a century ago.

Because of the layover, and the award given to the first musher into the checkpoint (two ounces of Klondike placer gold), lots of fans come to cheer on the teams.

Mackay said Dawson brings more work for the logistics team, but they all want to make the checkpoint a positive experience for mushers and spectators alike.

The YQ300 finished Tuesday night with a total of 13 teams crossing the finish line (see earlier story, p. 6).

The awards banquet took place at Central Corner on Tuesday evening.

Dave Turner received his first-place award, Jeremy Traska received his second-place award and Nathaniel Hamlyn, his third.

The Vet Care Award was a tie, given to both Jeremy Traska and Jacob Witkop.

The Red Lantern winner, Chad Stoddard, arrived after the banquet, officially closing out the YQ300.

– With a file from the Yukon Quest organization