Iditarod 2014 – Day 4
The trail is in better shape after the Burn, so mushers can get off the brake pad and let their teams run. Everyone has been doing their best to keep speeds down to prevent injuries to the dogs and themselves.
At Takotna
1 Aliy Zirkle (10)
Beyond McGrath
2 Nicolas Petit (29)
3 Aaron Burmeister (23)
4 Robert Sørlie (22)
At McGrath
5 Sonny Lindner (70)
6 Jeff King (17)
7 Hugh Neff (61)
Beyond Nikolai
8 Paul Gebhardt (35)
9 Mitch Seavey (6)
10 Dallas Seavey (14)
11 Hans Gatt (58)
12 John Baker (53)
13 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (47)
14 Cim Smyth (28)
15 Ray Redington Jr (51)
16 Jessie Royer (27)
17 Katherine Keith (63)R
18 Richie Diehl (11)
19 Michelle Phillips (15)
20 Abbie West (69)Q
Both DeeDee Jonrowe and Linwood Fielder got mugged by the Dalzell Gorge and scratched at Rohn. The Burn is worse than ever, so they are well out of it.
So far people and equipment are suffering the damage. The current leader, Martin Buser has a badly sprained ankle, Aaron Burmeister has a dislocated knee, Jim Lanier thinks he pulled his Achilles tendon, etc.
Jim Lanier decided to scratch at Rainy Pass, while Gus Guenther & Mike Santos made the same decision at Rohn. Jan Steves made it to Rainy Pass and scratched.
Jake Berkowitz is currently stranded in the Burn with his sled smashed and unrepairable. He punched the emergency button on his GPS, as there is no way of taking care of his team without the supplies on the sled, and no way of bringing them along if he tried to walk out with the team.
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.
All posts on the Iditarod can be seen by selecting “Iditarod” from the Category box on the right sidebar.
4 comments
Just as you suspected, Bryan. Lots of people falling out early on this one, and with all those injuries, perhaps could be quite a few more.
Just this minute found that Scott Janssen has broken his leg after a bad crash. Apparently Newton Marshall came by and got him to a shelter.
I really miss Colleen Robertia and Penny. Penny was fun to keep up with because of her small size. I didn’t see Zoya DeNure’s name this time either. So, with DeeDee and Jim Lanier out, a lot of the people that I’ve kept up with in prior years is out.
Ordinarily, I’m not much of a booster club for any one person, but I have to admit that this year, it would be great for Aliy to win, but there’s just so much competition that it’s anyone’s bet. And the weather is another competitor – who knows what that will bring.
So far the trail is ice, and the improvements only lasted for the first team through. Hopefully things will improve when they get to the Yukon at Ruby.
Zoe’s team with her partner, John Schandelmeier, on the sled finished fifth in the Yukon Quest this year, so they are doing good work, but can’t afford to run two races. Colleen had a little girl in the spring of last year and is staying close to home for a while.
Newton uses strays and rejects in Jamaica to pull carts for tourists when he isn’t in the Iditarod. Jamaica is not very humane towards stray animals, so Newton is a rescue source.
Poor Scott. He took a bounce and hit his head, knocking himself out. When he came to and starting getting his team and sled in order he discovered that one of the dogs had slipped loose. It was while he was following the dog that his foot broke through the ice on a creek and he broke his ankle when he fell. The Burn was just vicious without snow.
This was Jim’s first scratch in the 17 Iditarods he has entered. That’s how bad it is. He was wearing professional hockey pads and a helmet, but the tendon popped.
If Aliy wins, then Allen will get the A team for the Iditarod, so he can go for a win. That’s what they did for the Quest, and he has won the last two.
Yes, I’ve always been surprised at what a tough guy Jim Lanier is. I’m thinking he’s the oldest person competing, is that right? Lot of wounded being carried off the field this time.
The fact that Newton comes back from Jamaica year after year is interesting to me. That’s a loooong way to go every year. I spent a vacation in Jamaica about this time of year once, and I can tell you, there’s not much that could induce me to go to Alaska if I were basking in the sunny days there.
I just this minute checked and it’s 75 degrees at Montego Bay at 11:00 pm., and it’s 10 degrees in McGrath (which is where he’s just left, I think). I mean…really? That wouldn’t be any kind of a decision for me! But you gotta love the fact that he does it. And seems to help someone (or several someones) every single year.
Yes, at 73, Jim was the oldest competitor in the field, and has been for several years. He has finished the race with a broken ankle, but the whole world was trying to convince him not to continue, including his family. Even so, it took him a long time to make up his mind. I think he finally realized he wouldn’t be able to take care of his dogs on one leg.
Newton Marshall is sponsored in the Iditarod by Jimmy Buffett, the singer/song writer, who owns a hotel in Jamaica. Also, when the race is over, he gets to go home and soak out the cold, unlike most of the competitors who live in the Great White North.