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The Yukon Quest kicked off at Shipyards Park last Saturday with a bang, and by Tuesday, some of the participants were already collecting their awards.

The 450-mile racers started off, followed by the 250-mile runners and then finally, the 100.

By 2 a.m. Sunday, three of the five 100-mile mushers had arrived.

Shortly after, at 4 a.m., Debbie Knight passed the finish line. Finally, at 10 a.m., Janna-Lee Cushing finished in fifth.

In Pelly Crossing, at around noon Monday, Aiyana O鈥橲haughnessy finished first, followed by Michael Burtnick, Craig Houghton and Jess Sears in that order, and finally, Ilana Kingsley.

On Valentine鈥檚 Day, all the mushers gathered at the Gold Rush Inn to accept their awards and cash prizes.

First up was Cushing, expressing her gratitude for the opportunity.

鈥淚t was a long drive from Quebec. It took about 10 years in the making to get a team up here,鈥� she said.

鈥淚t was absolutely amazing. I鈥檝e been a volunteer for five years for the Quest at Braeburn, Dawson.

鈥淪o, to understand what goes behind it in organizing that and making sure that everybody that comes into those checkpoints had a good run and looked after and want to be received.鈥�

Knight of Whitehorse followed her up, sharing her experience racing to Braeburn.

鈥淚 once raced the 300 a number of years back, so it was really nice to actually run a Quest race and finish because I didn鈥檛 finish the last one, but the trail is amazing,鈥� Knight said.

鈥淚 had such a good time out there with my dogs, and just enjoying the moment every step of the way.

鈥業 was a little tired at the end there, and maybe didn鈥檛 look like I was enjoying it, but I was 鈥� yeah.鈥�

Jonathan Lucas, of Whitehorse, said that was 鈥渢he most enjoyable run, happy camping, and I want to run again next year.鈥�

Luc Twedell thanked 鈥渆verybody who was a part of this race and made it possible; it鈥檚 been my dream to run that race since I was a teenager and year after year. When it鈥檚 Quest, I鈥檓 gonna get excited.鈥�

Nate Metzen of Whitehorse was the last to speak for the 100-mile runners.

鈥淭his was my first distance race, or like, I just started in the summer because I just only immigrated, so it鈥檚 like, I鈥檓 gonna invest in this because this is kind of my life鈥檚 path and my passion and so I鈥檓 super-stoked that we finished that.鈥�

Houghton, of Fort St. James, B.C., was the first of the 250-mile runners to speak. He called it 鈥渞eally nice to to come up and do a race in the North.

鈥淭his is, like, a real honour for us to come here and, you know, have 250 miles of trail that we don鈥檛 have to work to put in.

鈥淚 want to say to the people who put the trail in, it was fantastic. We had a good run, a few mistakes, but overall very happy with how the dogs went.鈥�

Kingsley finished last, but was very happy to have participated in this race.

鈥淚鈥檓 super, super-excited that I had this experience because it could be my last year mushing,鈥� said the Whitehorse resident.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 know yet. My dogs are getting old, and I鈥檝e been doing this for a long time now.

鈥淏ut if anyone has a team that needs to be adopted, contact me. It鈥檚 always in consideration, but I really want to thank my super handlers,鈥� Kingsley said.

Burtnick called the event 鈥渢he longest race that I鈥檝e ever participated in.

鈥淭his weekend, there was a lot of fun. The trail was fantastic. As were, you know, everybody involved; very appreciative of all the trail work and all the volunteers 鈥� that team is fantastic,鈥� Burtnick said.

Next to speak was first-place finisher O鈥橲haughnessy, who has been working with Ten Mile musher Michelle Phillips for three years.

鈥淚 do have to say a big thank you to her and Ed Hopkins (Phillips鈥� husband) for trusting me to run one of their teams out there,鈥� O鈥橲haughnessy said.

鈥淭his was my longest race that I鈥檝e done. And yeah, what a crazy -awesome trail. It was super, super-great being able to run on the Quest trail; that was a huge accomplishment, I think, for all of us. So go, everyone who did the race.鈥�

It was also Sears鈥� longest race.

鈥淚 ran a predominant puppy team; seven of my dogs were yearlings, and I had only a few experienced dogs, and funny enough, my main leader, I dropped her for the first leg of the race, and she begged for 75 miles while screaming all the way down the trail, but we made it across the line with all my yearlings,鈥� Sears said.

鈥淎nd that was really special to me because it鈥檚 the first time that I鈥檓 running a full team of my own with my own kennel. It was really fun.鈥�

Sears confessed to being 鈥渁 little bit addicted to, like, the adrenaline, so every time the Xs came up by the end of it, I was like looking forward to the Xs, because it would be, like, a good wake-up call, and the trail was really interesting in that last Xs coming into town.鈥�

For the 100-mile runners, Cushing ended up taking home a prize of $715, while Knight won $935.

First-timer Metzen received $1,100, and second-placer Lucas won $1,265. First place earned Twedell $1,485.

For the YQ250, Kingsley received $1,980; Houghton $2,640; and Sears $3,080.

Second placer Burtnick won $3,520 and first-place finisher Shaughnessy took home $4,180.

The rookie of the year award (for the first-year racer who finished ahead of all other rookies) in the YQ100 went to Metzen, and to O鈥橲haughnessy for the YQ250.

For the Challenge of the North, the two winners were Sears (YQ250) and Cushing for the YQ100.

The Red Lantern award went to the last-place finishers in each of the two races. The winners were Cushing in the 100-mile race and Kingsley in the 250-mile race.

The Sportsmanship award was handed to the racer with the most outstanding sportsmanship.

For the YQ250, the winner was Houghton, while Knight claimed it for the YQ100.