With only 177 miles left in the 2010 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, it's still anyone's race to win. The three frontrunners -- four-time Yukon Quest champion Lance Mackey, last year's runner-up Hugh Neff, and three-time Quest champion Hans Gatt -- all arrived at the comfortable Carmacks checkpoint, the next-to-the-last checkpoint in the race, in the wee morning hours of Sunday: Mackey pulled in at 5:08 am, Neff at 5:10, and Gatt close behind at 5:22.

Lance Mackey took over the lead at the Pelly Crossing checkpoint on Saturday, barely one minute ahead of Hugh Neff. According to the popular Yukon Quest page on Facebook there was some great trail camaraderie between the two old friends:

"Hugh turned to Lance and asked, 'What kind of runners are you using?' Lance replied, 'Yellow. What are you using?' Hugh responded, 'Black. I want to slow them down a bit.' To which Lance replied, 'Well, it's working!'"

The first -- and so far only -- scratch in this year's race happened Saturday when veteran and 2005 Veterinarian's Choice Award winner Gerry Willomitzer experienced trouble keeping his runner plastic in place; it wouldn't stay on while his team was climbing 4,002-foot King Solomon's Dome. Gerry didn't want to risk the great hardship for his dogs of having them pull the sled in that condition, or to climb the trail to the highest point on the Yukon Quest a second time. After returning to Dawson City, he took the opportunity to meet the frontrunners at the Pelly Crossing checkpoint, eliciting laughs from them when he declared that he was the first musher in!

Lance Mackey has been through these checkpoints four times before, and each time he was on his way to a Yukon Quest championship. He's currently the only four-time champion in the history of this race, and now he's in first place and running for his fifth. But he's still taking time to enjoy the race. Fans on the Yukon Quest's Facebook site cheered as Lance dashed in and out of the McCabe Creek Dog Drop in five minutes flat, but bearing coffee and cinnamon buns for himself and his close competitor, old friend Hugh Neff. Leaving the Pelly Crossing checkpoint together, they've been pacing each other for well over 100 miles, ever mindful of three-time Yukon Quest champion Hans Gatt steadily closing the gap between them.