Hans Gatt wins 4th Yukon Quest sled dog race in record time

Gatt wins 4th Yukon Quest

WHITEHORSE, Yukon — Hans Gatt has won the Yukon Quest sled dog race for the fourth time, crossing the finish line in his hometown of Whitehorse in a record time of nine days, one hour and 35 minutes.

Gatt chopped almost a day off the previous best time, helped by favorable weather along the thousand-mile run from Fairbanks, Alaska. He tied the record set by Alaska’s Lance Mackey with his fourth title, and earned $30,000 for the first-place finish.

Mackey had won the previous four Quests after Gatt won each year from 2002-2004.

Gatt started with 13 dogs and finished with nine, and said he had to carry one of them for part of the way.

Mackey was second on Monday, and Hugh Neff of Tok, Alaska, was third place.

The Yukon Quest is known as a grueling race with often-harsh weather combined with minimal support and resupply compared to the more-famous Iditarod race.