Quest is great race; I've run downriver 50 miles with my dogteam when its minus 55 and forever mittens in mouth, so you can chip ice off eyelids or they freeze shut. Couldn't imagine doing it for over a week.
Quest runs thru our village, and locals volunteer for a couple weeks, but actually the crowds only 2-3 days. I have broken trail 100 miles up to canadian border on 40 mile, knee on seat of skandic wide open to stay on top of 5 foot deep snow. Helped break trail down to Biedermans cabin on Kandik; the circle/central people come up to there; pretty good bunch of old goldminers. Stay overnight at mormon's homestead near Nation river. Last time we all pulled in, entire family run out to greet us; first people they had seen in 4 months. Nice to meet real River Alaskans; still living how it once was.
Ya know Race people always promise fuel, ect but I never have seen any and don't really expect it. Glad to break trail and put a few people up if it helps the race; and its awful nice to look over quality dogs.
You never know what the weather will be. It could be 60 below and the trail lost in blowing snow north of Fairbanks and plain mud by Whitehorse. That's part of the experience. You're out there in nature, just you and your dogs and ready to camp out for months if necessary. I know a couple dog mushers who ran the race. One finished one year and couldn't finish next year because of weather. The dogs don't care.