Yukoner Michelle Phillips and her sled dog team crossed the Yukon Quest finish line in Teslin at approximately 8:45 p.m. after completing the 450-mile race on Feb. 5.
The Yukoner was greeted by cheers from the crowd gathered at the Teslin Bridge finish line, as well as honking from several vehicles parked at the boat launch.
Ed Hopkins, Phillips' husband who participated in the 2024 Yukon Quest race, was the first to greet her as she crossed the line. The couple operates and owns Tagish Lake Kennels close to Carcross.
Phillips maintained a steady lead after dog sled teams took off from the Teslin start line on Feb. 2. The nine-time Yukon Quest participant told the News that conditions out on the trail were suitable for her team of sled dogs to make the 450-mile trek, albeit a bit chilly.
Anne Tayler, the Yukon Quest president, told the News on Jan. 23 that the Canol Road has been used by mushers for decades.
This was echoed by Hopkins who told reporters at the finish line that Phillips had been training on the Canol Road for six weeks leading up to the race.
The Dena Cho Trail section of the race was rerouted to the North Canol Road last minute, as reports came in that conditions leading to Faro were too treacherous for dog sled teams to navigate. Despite the last minute course change, Phillips remained optimistic that this would not affect her race strategy.
“It was a good thing because it’s a hiking trail not a dog trail, so that’s not too concerning” Phillips said.
The trail primarily stuck to solid road surfaces and avoided areas that could potentially lead to issues, such as open water, which disrupted last year's race, according to race coordinator Sarah Tomlin.
""We primarily stuck to the road. We were on Teslin Lake a bit, but we did so to avoid situations like open water," Tomlin said.
Phillips, who has been mushing for 26 years, maintained a consistent lead throughout the 450-mile race, at times being overtaken by other dog sled teams during mandatory rest stops. American musher Jessie Royer crossed the finish line at 11:15 p.m. after Phillips, following a back-and-forth for the lead between the two.
“It’s about rest time and so people break up their runs differently, so you never really know who’s ahead. I did a series of three runs that were pretty long and then I got ahead of everyone. That didn’t mean I was leading, it just meant I had less rest at the time. Once everyone has rested, who knows,” Phillips said.
Phillips and her team were out on the trail for three days, seven hours and 45 minutes, averaging 14.1 kilometres an hour of moving time compared to Royer’s speed of 13.7 kilometres an hour, according to live tracking data.
The 2025 Yukon Quest was supported by approximately 50 to 75 volunteers according to Tomlin.
"They were doing everything from crowd control and managing the dog yard at the start line to checking dog teams at three in the morning in Ross River. Volunteers made sure that all mushers had their mandatory gear and performed wake-up calls for mushers at the checkpoint. They were doing a mix of everything," Tomlin said.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
