Iditarod 2013 – Day 15
Christine is having a terrible time getting over the finish line. It took her 15½ hours to get to Safety, and she had to drop a puppy, which probably explains part of the speed loss. It isn’t certain that she will make it, but you have to admit she is certainly giving it her best effort. I definitely would not want to be the first patient she sees [she’s a dentist] after this, unless she has a solid week of recuperation built into her plans.
The trail from Safety to Nome is mostly downhill and the temperature is above 20°F, but there is 20 knot wind and blowing snow. At least the wind is out of the East, so it is pushing the team towards Nome, rather than hitting them in the face.
Christine made it in around 1:30Pm local time after a decent run from Safety, and has taken the Red Lantern. She has about an hour to clean up before the banquet starts.
Finished At Nome
50 Mikhail Telpin (63)Q
51 Cindy Gallea (17)
52 James Volek (66)R
53 Bob Chlupach (43)
54 Christine Roalofs (37)R Φ
The Mushers in bold are former winners of the Iditarod, while italics indicates Yukon Quest winners. The numbers in parentheses are their Bib numbers. The small “R” indicates a total rookie, while the small “Q” indicates an Iditarod rookie who has completed a Yukon Quest.
These are the official standings. That means they are official, not that they are correct. Things jump around a lot as people decide to update the standings. This problem is especially bad in the back of the pack, as no one bothers to update those standings when the lead is changing.
This post will be updated during the day, and the map changed on all posts to reflect the current situation.
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4 comments
If there was ever anyone to deserve the Red Lantern, it’s got to be Christine. She had loads of reasons to drop out if she had been so inclined, but kept going. Tough lady. She’s a good example of why the Iditarod is interesting right through to the Red Lantern, and why everyone that makes it to Nome should be proud of what they and their dogs have accomplished.
I’m not sure, however, that an hour is going to be enough time to get ready. She’s going to be dragging…
Also, Bryan, many thanks for once again keeping all the updates here. It’s much appreciated.
You can’t in good conscience have a Siberian or Malamute down here, even with air conditioning. They need the cold, a lot of space, and something to do, because they are working dogs. We had German Shepherds when I was a kid, and every one of them found something to herd – my brothers and me, cows when we lived in rural New York, even chickens. Working dogs have to work or they get into trouble. I like big dogs, but I only have cat-sized space in my house and yard.
I follow the races, because I like the dogs.
Yep, it’s all about the dogs for me, too.
I have two dogs, one of which has some Siberian in her (she’s the smaller dog actually). And you’re absolutely right about their needing a lot of activity. I feed her moderately, run her up and down mountain hills on every day for about 45 mins (with the big dog) except when we’re having a hard rain or snow, and she STILL is overweight. I can’t seem to get enough exercise for her. I call her Miss Pork Bellies in jest, but really I’m not happy about it.
I’ve never had an overweight dog before, and the other one is fine. So, after thinking about your comments, I’m wondering if maybe her heritage is just requiring even more activity. Where am I going to find the time, I ask myself.
Actually, the as long as she isn’t acting up it isn’t too bad. Our last German Shepherd would really cause trouble if she didn’t get enough exercise. She would clear out book shelves and chew on everything.
She may be getting too much fat, which she will store rather than use. It is a problem with sled dogs. They will gain weight in the autumn and not use it until spring. With two dogs, you will have a terrible time trying to put one of them on a diet, especially if the chubby dog is female and the other dog a male. He is more likely to share than she is [this varies a lot by breed].
Three-quarters of an hour should be a good run, so she’s probably getting more than her share of food.