Hans Gatt has won the inaugural Yukon Journey, the 255-mile race from Pelly Crossing to Whitehorse.

Gatt finished the race at 10:34 this morning.

The contest came down to the wire.

Gatt, who left the time station 13 minutes ahead of Ed Hopkins, got into Whitehorse only three minutes earlier.

“I thought I had it made,” said Gatt.

“We were pretty even the whole race but I thought that 13 minutes would be enough. When we hit the Takhini River, my sled just stopped and the gangline went tight and I couldn’t make any slack.

“I could see Ed coming up behind me, but the rest is history.”

Gatt said leaving from Pelly, the trail was great, but heading into Whitehorse, he had to deal with the fresh snow that fell last evening and overflow on the river.

“Braeburn, all the way to Whitehorse there were spots with six, eight inches of fresh snow so it was tough going,” said Gatt.

His dogs, said Gatt, were unbelievable.

“My leaders, they picked the right channels which weren’t too deep I didn’t have to get off the sled or anything,” said Gatt.

The mushers were given notice that the trail would be rerouted to avoid the overflow on the river.

Mushers were required to take 20 hours of mandatory rest between the start and finish. Gatt said that it went well.

“That was the whole idea of the race when a bunch of mushers got together after the Yukon Quest was cancelled,” said Gatt.

“It’s beautiful. The dogs get a lot of rest. It’s a fast-paced race and it was a lot more fun than a 1,000-mile race, I’ll tell you that.”

When Gatt rounded the bend and became visible to the onlookers at the finish line, he was using a ski pole to help his team across.

“It’s a mutual thing and without that, you aren’t going to win,” said Gatt.

Upon reaching the finish, Gatt said he was going to take care of the dogs before enjoying a beer. Then, he was going to watch his fellow mushers arrive.

He didn’t have to wait long for second-place finisher Hopkins to glide into the finish through a fog that drifted across the Yukon River.

Hopkins said his dogs were aware that a team was ahead of them.

“It was hard work,” said Hopkins. “It was pretty exciting. I was coming down the Takhini River and it almost felt like the dogs were chasing something, picking something up but there are so many bends in the river.

“I had the feeling that something must be close. We got to the Takhini River bridge and their ears picked right up. There was Hans going around the corner.

“I think we saw each other at the same time and our eyes met in the middle and it was game on.”

Hopkins said he had to break trail as well but it didn’t bother him nor his team.

When he finished, Hopkins spoke about the race format.

“Challenges come in different definitions,” said Hopkins. “It was a mathematical race. You need to know where everyone is, who is in play, who is manipulating the table.”

Once the dogs are taken care of, Hopkins said, he planned to “light up the sauna.”

The mushers had arrived at time station three in the wee hours of this morning. Hopkins was the first to arrive at the last stop before the finish line at 3:33 a.m.

Hot on his heels had been Gatt, who was the first musher to leave the last stop. Because of how the two broke up their mandatory rest, Hopkins had three hours to stay while Gatt only had 2:30. Gatt was the first to leave toward Whitehorse, at 6:20 a.m.

Hopkins left 13 minutes after, accurately promising to set up a close race to the finish.

Jason Biasetti is also on the trail toward the end line, having left at 6:52 a.m.

Martine Le Levier, the first musher to arrive in Braeburn, departed at 7:35.

Nathaniel Hamly got to the final stop at 5:01 and had 3 1/2 hours of rest to take before leaving.

Connor McMahon arrived at time station three at 5:31 a.m. and had three hours of mandatory rest to take.

Jacob Heigers and Marcelle Fressineau have scratched.

Race officials warned that five miles before the finish line, there is overflow on the Yukon River, and a trail detour.

It leaves the south bank and crosses to the north bank for half a mile before heading back to the south bank.

For about a quarter-mile, there is overflow with no way around it.