As Jamaican musher Newton Marshall was getting closer to the Fairbanks finish line of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, Yukoner Kyla Boivin was turning back from Eagle Summit to scratch from the 1,600-kilometre race.

The Whitehorse musher scratched at 6:48 p.m. (Yukon time) Wednesday at the Central, Alaska checkpoint after attempting to climb the nearly 1,078-metre (3,593-foot) Eagle Summit, one of the steepest heights on the Quest trail between Whitehorse and Fairbanks.

"Boivin attempted to climb the summit, but turned back when her dogs were unable to make the ascent," reads a statement from Quest officials.

The scratch marked the eighth in this year's Quest.

It was followed this morning by Alaskan musher Russ Bybee dropping out at the Mile 101 dog drop and Jason Mackey scratching at 8:18 a.m in Central.

That whittles the number of mushers who are still in the race or have finished down to 19.

Marshall became the most recent musher to complete the trek, coming in 13th when he crossed the finish line at 7:26 a.m. today.

There, he was greeted by a steel drum, fans, media and a film crew that had followed him for more than a year as he got ready for the race.

"Also among those waiting for Marshall at the finish line was champion musher Hans Gatt, who has been training Marshall," it was noted in a statement by the Quest.

Gatt, who's won the Quest three times, scratched from this year's race in Dawson, saying he wanted to keep his dogs in good form to compete in the Iditarod in Alaska next month.

Marshall, who works in Jamaica as a tour operator offering cart rides by dog team, spent the past two winters in the Yukon training for the race, which he completed with a team of Gatt's dogs.

The finish means Marshall has met his earlier stated aim of being the first Jamaica-born musher to finish the Quest.

"My goal is to just finish," he said in an interview before the Quest started. "Once I finish, I will have won."

Marshall's finish came less than an hour and a half after 12th-place finisher and another Quest rookie, Colleen Robertia of Kasilof, Alaska, crossed the finish line at 6:11 a.m.

She was the third competitor to arrive in Fairbanks early this morning, coming in behind rookie British musher Mark Sleightholme who arrived at 5:58 a.m.

"(Sleightholme) was running on a team from the 2009 Yukon Quest champion Sebastian Schnuelle," notes the Quest's press release.

"He completed the last leg in five hours, 21 minutes - 21 minutes faster than (Schnuelle)."

Schnuelle became the most recent Quest champion at 11:44 a.m. Tuesday, finishing the entire race in a record time of nine days, 23 hours and 37 minutes.

Sleightholme's arrival came 2 1/2 hours after Quebec rookie Normand Casavant crossed the finish line at 3:26 a.m.

"A warm welcome awaited him and he was quick to compliment his team," it was noted.

Five racers remain on the trail including Quebec musher Luc Tweddell, who's the only Canadian left to finish the race, currently in 14th spot. From 15th place to 19th are: Eagle, Alaska's Wayne Hall; William Pinkham of Glenwood Springs, Colorado; Yuka Honda of Nenana, Alaska; Becca Moore of Willow, Alaska; and Fairbanks' Iris Wood Sutton.