Race Day 16 – Iditarod Finish
Timothy Hunt (64)R 03/24 04:06AM AKDT 15 days 14 hrs 6 mins 22 secs
67 teams started with 1072 dogs; 52 teams with 575 dogs finished including 8 rookie teams.
7 rookies and 8 veterans had to drop out.
Weather was a major factor, with heavy snows just prior to the start of the race, followed by relatively warm weather, and then the brutal wind chill along the southern route and up the coast. There was a 50° temperature swing, not counting the wind chill.
Update: List of Awards for this year’s race.
The City of Nome Lolly Medley Golden Harness Award Winner– Originally presented by the late Lolly Medley, Wasilla harness maker and one of two women to run the second Iditarod in 1974. The award honors an outstanding lead dog, chosen by the mushers. This year’s recipient was Kuling a 9 year old member of Jessie Royer’s team from Fairbanks Alaska. Kuling has completed seven Iditarods and led her team to an 8th place finish in 2009. She was Jessie’s lead dog for all seven of her Iditarods.
