Saturday's start of the 30th Yukon Quest certainly lived up to the hype.

Thousands of spectators flocked to Shipyards Park for the beginning of the 30th annual international sled dog race.

And the stars of the show would not disappoint.

Fans pressed two and three deep against the chainlink fence lining the starting chute, all the way from the start line to the Yukon River, to catch a glimpse of some of the worldʼs top sled dogs up close.

Dawson Cityʼs Brian Wilmshurst was the first musher to hit the trail at 11 a.m. The 31-year-old Quest sophomore left to thunderous applause and cheers, braking hard as his excited dogs strained ahead in their harnesses.

Twenty-five teams would follow him out the chute, each leaving at three-minute intervals behind a chorus of barking dogs.

Rookie Norwegian Markus Ingebretsen was second out of the gate, followed by British musher Rob Cooke, who emotionally pumped the air several times with his fist as he departed. Running the Quest has been at the top of Cookeʼs checklist for the last decade.

Defending champion Hugh Neff would follow Cooke, sporting a blue and yellow Cat in the Hat hat.

One by one, the mushers followed, with Carcross resident Crispin Studer the last to hit the trail.

The action at Shipyards Park started long before the sun crested the horizon, however.

Neff was the first musher to enter the parking lot turned dog yard, and was his usual relaxed self.

"Even if I donʼt win this race, Iʼll always look at it as my race,” the 45-year-old Alaskan told the Star after feeding his dog team a pre-race meal of fish.

"Everything I do, in a strange way, Iʼm trying to promote this race. For me, the Quest is really what old school mushing is all about.”

With temperatures hovering around -4 C, Neff said many of the mushers would likely take it slow out of the gate.

"No rush,” he said. "Thereʼs always other spots in the race you can make up time. Hopefully, we get a little wind at least. We need something out there.”

Four-time champion Lance Mackey said he was feeling some nerves prior to the race. Mackeyʼs fourth straight Quest victory came in 2008, and heʼs hoping to return to the winnerʼs circle again this year.

The 42-year-old Alaskan will attempt to do so by running an all-male sled dog team.

"My season was basically ruined last year by female dogs in heat,” he said matter-of-factly.

"My prize leader is a female, and itʼs really hard to leave dogs like that at home. But I donʼt want to get to the finish line this year in third or 15th or 26th place and have 40 reasons why it happened.

"If I get beat, itʼs legitimately.”

This yearʼs race marks Mackeyʼs seventh Quest, and the star musher said the nerves and excitement never get old.

"Itʼs still a dream come true,” he said. "Last year was my worst performance in six years, and I came in third. Most people would be ecstatic with that. Myself, I find some room for improvement.”

Mackey wore bib No. 6 of the start chute, the same number he wore in 2006, when he won his second Quest.

"I just hope thatʼs not a bunch of pressure all of a sudden,” he said. "I wanted a top-10 draw, and I got that. That doesnʼt mean anything at the end.

"The guy who goes out 26th could be the first one to the finish line, easily. The outcome remains to be seen.”

Whitehorseʼs Susan Rogan said despite months of anticipation, her mind was completely blank prior to the race. The 46-year-old rookie admitted the pre-race jitters got to her Friday night, however.

"I just couldnʼt sleep,” she said. "Iʼm sure when I get up there and I see my first dog stretch his foot out for the step in 1,000 miles, Iʼm going to be glad Iʼm out of there so people donʼt see me losing it.”

Rogan is one of five Yukoners and one of six women in this yearʼs race, and has four-time Quest champion Hans Gatt handling her dogs.

"Heʼs one of the best handlers, obviously. I donʼt have to worry about anything,” she said.

As for Cooke, the 46-year-old said a busy two weeks full of preparation and meetings meant he hadnʼt had time to fully comprehend the completion of a dream that began 10 years ago when he was watching the Quest in England.

On Friday, after packing his sled ready for the trip to Dawson City, he and his wife, Louise, did share a special moment.

"The sled was packed and we just stood in the yard and hugged each other and cried for a bit,” he said.

"We couldnʼt believe itʼs finally happened. (Friday) was when it really hit us that we were finally here.”

With time ticking down toward his start time, Cooke said he wasnʼt sure he could wait any longer.

"I know at 11:06, itʼs just going to be the best feeling in the world,” he said. "And then itʼs just us and the dogs, and then weʼll just see how it goes.”

The mushers hit the trail for Braeburn and then Carmacks (a further 124 km) Saturday. A mandatory four-hour layover is required at one of the two checkpoints.