One of the most highly-anticipated battles in Klondike Trail of ’98 Road Relay history finally played out on the big stage this past weekend.

Anchorage’s Team Raven: Take No Prisoners beat Whitehorse’s Scarecrow to the finish line by more than 10 minutes Saturday morning, providing an emphatic answer to the question burning in race fans’ minds for the last four years.

Absent from the last four road relays, Raven returned to claim victory in a race they dominated from 2003 to 2009. On the way, the team defeated its upstart Yukon rivals, Scarecrow, winners of the past four 176.5-kilometre races.

With only eight runners enlisted, both Corbyn Jahn and Dylan Peterson ran two legs for the Alaskan victors.

“It was so much fun,” said Jahn, a 23-year-old race rookie. “It was just beyond exciting from Leg 1 on ... I plan on being back – rain or shine.

“Anchorage is a phenomenal running community,” Jahn added. “I run semi-competitively in Anchorage and this just seemed like a really fun event. You hear so much about it.”

Team captain Andrew Richie and speedster Eric Strabel were the only returning runners from the last Raven dynasty, but the new group appears ready to kickstart a new one.

“We know how it originated,” said Peterson, 22. “The Scarecrow team from Whitehorse was formed to combat the Skinny Raven team, and then we didn’t show up to face them.

“We wanted to do that. We were forming the team to rise to the challenge ... I hope they rise to the occasion next year so they can challenge us again.”

With staggered start times in effect in Skagway, Raven and Scarecrow were the last two teams to start the 2014 relay, leaving at midnight.

Right from the start, Raven went to work, with their first two runners carving out a multi-minute lead.

While Logan Roots and Ray Sabo were able to gain some of that time back on legs six and seven, Raven’s Eric Strabel was able to pull away from Scarecrow’s Aidan Bradley on the 20-km eighth leg.

Stellar performances from Graham Nishikawa and Logan Boehmer in legs nine and 10 would not be enough for Scarecrow to catch the leaders.

“On a lot of the legs, they were taking a minute and a half here, a minute and a half there, even off guys whom I wouldn’t have expected it,” said Scarecrow captain David Eikelboom, 27. “Even on some of our really good runners, they matched us well. It’s testament to their team that they did that.”

Loss or not, Eikelboom said the elite-level competition meant higher stakes and more enjoyment along the way.

“Last year, we won by 45 minutes,” he said. “It just makes for a way more real race when you’re facing an A-level team. And that’s what they brought. It made the race exciting again and kind of makes people hungrier too.

“To have some of these guys show up who we don’t know too well and put down some impressive times, it kind of lights the fire under us a little bit. So I think it’s great for the race.”

Rainy conditions did not affect times, Eikelboom told the Star.

This year’s relay featured a record 178 teams, and a total of 1,661 participants in 11 different categories.

The event, which doubles as Sport Yukon’s annual fund-raiser, got underway Friday night in Skagway and finished Saturday afternoon at Rotary Peace Park in Whitehorse.

An awards ceremony took place in the rain directly after the race, followed by a dance at the High Country Inn.

Broken into 10 legs that vary in distance from nine to 25.8 km, the race begins at sea level and climbs more than 1,000 metres in the first two legs.

Teammates found unique ways to inspire each other along the route. Some formed tunnels with their hands for participants to pass through, while others ran alongside teammates during tough uphill slogs.

With much of the race occurring in the dark, RVs decorated with lights, disco balls, and grill-mounted speakers were a common sight along the South Klondike Highway.

When dawn broke, walkers and runners were treated to some breathtaking fall vistas on the roadside mountain ranges.

“The team aspect is nice,” said Eikelboom. “You win and lose as a team. There’s also the personal glory – winning the legs. This was the last big race on my calendar for the year, and there’s something about being able to empty the tank a little bit.”

In the women’s category, the Anchorage-based Team Raven Sistas defeated last year’s Yukon champions, Ladies Worth Freezin’ For, by more than one hour in 13:08:22.

Juneau’s Team 8 won the mixed division with a time of 12:12:49, while the Vancouver-based Horny Goats won the corporate crown in 15:39:06.

Meanwhile, the Cabriolet Xcelerators (open), Charlie’s Angels (women) and Whitehorse Renegades (mixed) made it a Yukon sweep in the Masters categories.

Juneau-based Batteries Not Included won the youth division, while the Alkan Air Flyers from Whitehorse and Club 5:01 of Skagway split the walking titles.

And for the first time in history, two Juneau runners completed the route’s entire 176.5 kms, in the Trail of ’98 Ultra category.

Juneau Empire sports editor Klas Stolpe and friend Houston Laws completed every step of the race, finishing in less than 24 hours.

Stolpe competed in honour of the late Glenn Frick, who died in June. Frick competed in the event every year since its inception in 1983.

See Tuesday’s Star for more coverage of the Klondike Road Relay.

Raven vs. Scarecrow: how the race was won