ANCHORAGE, Alaska — With less than two months to go until the start date, previous champions Lance Mackey and Sonny Lindner headline the field for the 2012 Yukon Quest. The early signup period for the 1,000 mile sled dog race expired late last week, bringing the number of entries thus far to 32 teams.
Any other interested mushers can sign up for the race by the drop-deadline of January 7th, but there is an increase in the entry fee from $1,500 to $2,000.
Mackey, who won four consecutive race titles between 2005 and 2008, returns after sitting out last year. Lindner won the first Yukon Quest in 1984.
A close look at the field reveals a tremendous amount of interest from new blood. Twenty-one mushers in the race are rookies to the Yukon Quest, and five of them are mushers younger than 30 years old.
