Iditarod Update – Race Day 14
The race is winding down with only 20 teams left to go and everyone on the north coast.
Latest Finishers:
52 William Hanes (74)
53 Zoya DeNure (89)r
54 Benedikt Beisch (64)r [Germany]
55 Matt Calore (30)
56 Karen Ramstead (19) [Alberta]
57 Joe Gans (12)r
58 Rick Holt (20)
59 Jeff Deeter (50)r
60 Sam Deltour (63)r [Belgium]
Sam Deltour of Belgium just arrived in Nome, but he arrived with all 16 dogs still in harness, something no one else has done this year. He’s a rookie, and if he’s going to continue to race, he just completed a hell of a training run. Veteran dogs are in some ways more important than a veteran musher, so if he can keep this team together and healthy, he will be very competitive in long distance racing for a while.
Of passing interest, while most people are struck by the fact that Zoya DeNure was a former fashion model, she also has a blog, which is obviously more important, because catblogging is more important than catwalking.
The end of the race is on the trail out of Koyuk where 78th Molly Yazwinski (62), 79th Liz Parrish (75), and 80th Deborah Bicknell (21) have just left for Elim.
2 comments
Seriously, all sixteen dogs?!
I think he has earned the title of “Dog Whisperer”.
Jeff King, an acknowledged great dog handler only managed 14, which is what the best are doing this year. Lance Mackey had the bad luck of having a female go into heat, which led to a fight and injuries to at least two of his dogs, including his senior lead dog, a consequence of the warming.
It’s really a very good thing for Sam, because the value of every dog that completes a major race significantly increases, no matter what place they finish.