[The Yukon Quest | Ariel Body]
Yukon Quest 2012: Closest Quest Yet
26 Seconds Separate 1st and 2nd Places
Hugh Neff captured his elusive Yukon Quest championship in the most dramatic fashion imaginable Tuesday — shrugging off a 30-minute penalty, charging from behind in the final 100 miles, catching up to leader Allen Moore about 20 miles from the finish, putting a dog in his sled with about five miles to go and, finally, holding off Moore by 26 seconds on the streets of Whitehorse to win the closest race in the 29-year history of the 1,000-mile sled dog race.
Neff, 44, erased a 42-minute gap between him and Moore on the final leg of the race to claim his first Quest victory in 12 attempts.
