Mushers in the 2015 Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race will be competing for a purse of more than $127,000 US.

The race’s two boards of directors committed to a guaranteed purse of $115,000, plus the remaining $12,110 from the 2014 race, creating a total purse award of $127,110.

That money was not paid out last year due to there being less than 15 finishers. Just $102,890 was awarded in the 2014 Yukon Quest.

The purse announcement comes before the official 2015 race sign-up day, scheduled for this Saturday.

Meanwhile, mushers will also enjoy stability on the trail with the return of race marshal Doug Grilliot.

This is the third straight year Grilliot will head up the team of officials. A resident of Willow, Alaska, he also held the position in 2008 and 2009.

Grilliot is a veteran musher of the 2001 and 2002 Yukon Quest races and an Iditarod finisher.

Dr. Cristina (Nina) Hansen will join Grilliot on the trail as head veterinarian, and Alex Olesen will take on the role of race manager for the third year in a row.

“I am very much looking forward to the 2015 Yukon Quest and the opportunity to once again work with the mushers, volunteers, and staff,” Grilliot said in a press release today. “With the addition of Nina as head veterinarian, and with Alex returning as race manager, I am confident that the organization will be very well prepared for the race.

“Good luck to all of the mushers as they begin their fall preparations.”

Olesen was also race manager in 2007, and has previously served as an assistant race manager for both the Yukon and Alaska.

Hansen was the assistant head veterinarian to Dr. Kathleen McGill for the past two years, and a trail vet for three years prior to that. This December, she plans to complete a PhD at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she has been developing new methods to survey for disease in wildlife.

“I am thrilled to be coming on board as the head veterinarian for the 2015 Yukon Quest,” she said.

“I have worked with most of the vet team ... over the last five years, so it should be a smooth transition and a fabulous team for the upcoming race.”

McGill will continue to serve as a member of the vet team, and will also sit on the race’s rules committee.