The 2020 Granger Grind challenged the eight mushers and their teams who left Mount Lorne toward Skye High Wilderness Ranch last weekend with blowing winds, drifting snow, overflow and steep ascents.

When the mushers reached Skye High, they were required to take a five-hour layover after the 50-mile run. Once their break was over, they travelled back to the Mount Lorne Community Centre.

Jonathan Lucas and his team were the first team to depart from the start line and reached the checkpoint first in five hours, 23 minutes.

It was a close race up front between Lucas and Nathaniel Hamlyn, who arrived at the halfway point eight minutes after.

That is all the battle for the lead would give, Lucas scratched at Skye High.

Hamlyn, a two-time Yukon Quest 1,000-mile finisher, was the first musher back to Mount Lorne, arriving at 5:51 a.m. Sunday morning. His total run time was 11 hours, seven minutes.

When Hamlyn left the start, he said he was confident he could have a winning run.

“I thought I could win,” said Hamlyn. “I did the Silver Sled last weekend and thought the team did well. I had confidence in the team this race.”

Hamlyn choose the YQ300 this year instead of the larger race. The team he used for the Granger Grind reflected the one that ran the 300-miles at the beginning of February.

“Most of the team did the YQ300, only three sat out,” said Hamlyn. “I have a couple of younger dogs and the Granger Grind is good training. It’s a good format and I really like the area.

“I’d much rather give the dogs the experience in a race like this. You are not somewhere too remote and it’s still challenging conditions.”

Hamlyn also said it was important for the new dogs to the team to run with other teams around.

“I always have my best runs in races,” said Hamlyn. “I moved out to the Ibex Valley and it’s rare to see other dog teams. The excitement is good for them and me.”

At the front of the team was Aquilla, who Hamlyn said is becoming quite the leader.

The trail conditions Hamlyn said are what he was expecting.

“There isn’t a lot of traffic there through the winter,” said Hamlyn. “The way up there was some paddle track, the person must have ridden along the trail, it was stirred up and super soft.

“On the way back it was dark and the trail set up hard.”

The next race on Hamlyn’s schedule is the Percy DeWolfe on March 19.

He said the Silver Sled and the Granger Grind helped him determine who his team would be for the Percy.

“Both events were good,” said Hamlyn. “They basically confirmed who I would take. I started the season with 15 dogs. It’s still a small kennel with 21 dogs including puppies.”

Hamlyn arrived ahead of the second-place finisher, Madeline Rubida, however, Rubida’s battle with Ed Hopkins for the remaining top spots was a close one.

Rubida and Hopkins were the fifth and sixth mushers to depart from Mount Lorne - the mushers departed the start chute in two-minute intervals.

Throughout the duration of the race, mere minutes separated the two mushers and that’s all that separated them in the end.

Rubida and her team’s total run time between the two legs was 11 hours, 46 minutes, only one minute quicker than Hopkins.