Posts from — March 2018

The next 10 finishers showed up overnight and the race has moved to the coast as the Red Lantern left Kaltag.

Rob Cooke gave up his battle with a stomach flu and scratched at Kaltag. He has been fighting it for some time to keep his Siberians on the trail.

Alan Eischens scratched at Koyuk after an arm injury that restricted his ability to care for his team.

Marcelle Fressineau has scratched at Shaktoolik. She left but returned to the checkpoint in the best interests of herself and her team.

Bad News: “At approximately 12:15a.m. today, Blonde, a five-year-old male from the race team of Katherine Keith (bib #51), died at the Koyuk checkpoint. Blonde had been dropped there earlier in the day and was being treated by veterinarians for signs of pneumonia.”

Standings at 9:30PM CDT:

Finished at Nome
11 Matt Hall (15)^Q
12 Aaron Burmeister (64)
13 Matthew Failor (55)
14 Ketil Reitan (54)
15 Aliy Zirkle (31)
16 Jessie Royer (36)
17 Kelly Maixner (52)
18 Mats Pettersson (3)
19 Michelle Phillips (18)
20 Lars Monsen (61)
21 Hugh Neff (68)
22 Anna Berington (4)
23 Michi Konno (63)^R
24 Jeff King (40)
[Read more →]

3/14 is Albert’s birthday and

Π Day.

I assume you have all shopped for the perfect gift.

To start: Π ≅ 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399
3751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679….

Joar made it in at 6:00AM CDT for a total time of 9 days and 12 hours. Nicolas was at Safety when Joar went under the arch.

Jessie Holmes’s 7th place finish is good enough for rookie honors.

Standings at 9:00PM CDT:

Finished at Nome
1 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (33)
2 Nicolas Petit (46)
3 Mitch Seavey (13)
4 Ray Redington Jr (17)
5 Peter Kaiser (30)
6 Richie Diehl (29)
7 Jessie Holmes (41)^R
8 Ramey Smyth (21)
9 Travis Beals (60)
10 Linwood Fiedler (8)
[Read more →]

Joar has about about an hour lead over Nicolas. Both of them will be heading for Nome from White Mountain today

Joar’s lead is 3:01 leaving Elim, but he will probably need to rest on the trail to White Mountain.

Joar made it to White Mountain just before 11AM CDT and collected the new prize – $2500 and a Marianne Wieland print. He will head to Nome at about 7PM CDT.

Nicolas lost the trail and his lead between Koyuk and Elim and had to backtrack. There is blowing snow on the trail for that stretch.

Joar has a 3½ hour lead over Nicolas and 5 hours over Mitch. 5PM CDT marks 9 days since the start of racing.

Wade Marrs, Tom Schonberger, and Allen Moore all scratched today. It would appear, in the absence of official information beyond “best interests of the team”, that the mushers are experiencing health problems.

Standings at 9:15PM CDT:

Beyond White Mountain
1 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (33)
At White Mountain
2 Nicolas Petit (46)
3 Mitch Seavey (13)
4 Ray Redington Jr (17)
Beyond Elim
5 Peter Kaiser (30)
6 Richie Diehl (29)
7 Travis Beals (60)
8 Linwood Fiedler (8)
9 Ramey Smyth (21)
10 Jessie Holmes (41)^R
[Read more →]

The race is compressed to the Yukon and the coast. Nicolas has a 2½ hour lead on Mitch, so it’s down to rest as both teams seem to be maintaining the same approximate speeds.

Ryan Redington scratched at Kaltag, leaving Ray Jr the only Redington left in the race after an earlier scratch by Robert.

Joar pulled it off and took the lead for the moment at 4:30PM CDT.

Standings at 10:00PM CDT:

Beyond Koyuk
1 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (33)
2 Nicolas Petit (46)
At Koyuk
3 Mitch Seavey (13)
Beyond Shaktoolik
4 Peter Kaiser (30)
5 Ray Redington Jr (17)
6 Travis Beals (60)
7 Wade Marrs (11)
8 Ramey Smyth (21)
9 Linwood Fiedler (8)
10 Richie Diehl (29)
[Read more →]

We are now on Daylight Saving Time and headed for the coast. Joar and Mitch are cutting rest to reduce Nicolas’ lead by an hour. That might work in the short term, but it also reduces rest for the puppies and it’s still a long way to Nome.

By being the first to Kaltag, Nicolas picked up 25 pounds of salmon and $2000. Nicolas is first to the coast.

Standings at 9:00PM CDT:

At Unalakleet
1 Nicolas Petit (46)
Beyond Kaltag
2 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (33)
3 Mitch Seavey (13)
4 Richie Diehl (29)
5 Peter Kaiser (30)
6 Ray Redington Jr (17)
7 Wade Marrs (11)
8 Matthew Failor (55)
9 Travis Beals (60)
10 Matt Hall (15)^Q
[Read more →]

The NRA sues as Florida enacts its gun-control law. The NRA claims raising the age to purchase all guns to 21 and imposes a 3 day waiting period for all firearm violated the Constitutional rights of 18 to t0 20-year-olds.

You have had to be 21 and wait to purchase a handgun for years, so this is moving all guns to the same standard. Given that Pam Bondi is the Florida attorney general, the NRA might win at the trial court level but their argument is bogus. Florida isn’t the only place you have to be 21, and the biggest retailers are already moving in that direction.

Spring forward, Fall back.

Just to screw up your life, don’t forget that Congress has stolen 2:00 to 2:59AM Sunday from you. They should at least have the decency to wait until the equinoxes to do this sort of thing. There’s barely enough daylight to do what needs to be done, much less save.

It’s a government conspiracy to make you late for church 😈

Nicolas has a five hour lead out of Grayling while Mitch and Joar are less than 15 minutes apart.

Because the weather prevented aircraft from landing there the ITC has removed Eagle Island as a checkpoint. It is now a dog drop, but there are no supply drop bags, so Grayling to Kaltag is now the longest run. I guess dropping the supplies at Grayling and ferrying them to Eagle Island was too complicated for the ITC.

Robert Redington scratched at Shageluk “for the good of his team”. He was down to 11 puppies after dropping one at Iditarod. His team may have been suffering from the relatively high temperatures [for sled dogs] in the upper 20s.

Standings at 9:30PM CST:

Beyond Grayling
1 Nicolas Petit (46)
2 Mitch Seavey (13)
3 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (33)
4 Ray Redington Jr (17)
5 Peter Kaiser (30)
6 Richie Diehl (29)
7 Aaron Burmeister (64)
8 Travis Beals (60)
9 Wade Marrs (11)
10 Jessie Royer (36)
[Read more →]

Nicolas Petit is definitely the real leader of the race, but there is a long way to go. Having an hour lead on Mitch Seavey is not anything to make you comfortable.Joar is back on the trail with all 16 puppies rested and ready to race.

Nicholas won first to the Yukon which is a 5 course meal and $3500 in one dollar bills.

Scott White became the third team to scratch. He decided to scratch at Takotna and will run his team back to McGrath to be picked up. He was down to 10 puppies and the trail in front is isolated from civilization.

Standings at 9:30PM CST:

Beyond Grayling
1 Nicolas Petit (46)
At Grayling
2 Mitch Seavey (13)
3 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (33)
Beyond Shageluk
4 Richie Diehl (29)
5 Peter Kaiser (30)
6 Ray Redington Jr (17)
7 Wade Marrs (11)
8 Jessie Royer (36)
9 Linwood Fiedler (8)
10 Aaron Burmeister (64)
[Read more →]

Joar made it to Iditarod and the Half Way prize and is settling in for a 24 hour+ layover as Nicolas, Mitch, Aaron, and Wade have finished theirs and are back in the race.

It looks like Joar’s bet isn’t going to help him much in the overall race as Nicolas and Mitch showed up while he has time to go on his layover. They can rest for 5 hours and still leave before he can.

Standings at 10:00PM CST:

At Iditarod
1 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (33)
2 Lars Monsen (61)
3 Nicolas Petit (46)
4 Mitch Seavey (13)
5 Jeff King (40)
6 Larry Daugherty (14)
Beyond Ophir
7 Aaron Burmeister (64)
8 Ray Redington Jr (17)
9 Jessie Royer (36)
10 Aliy Zirkle (31)
[Read more →]

It looks like the flu is affecting the race. It is suspected in the early scratches of veterans DeeDee Jonrowe and possibly the cause of zoya DeNure’s early departure. Colds and the flu were rare in Alaska. The cold and isolation tended to keep them at bay. Climate change and global movement have made the spread of disease easier.

It looks like Joar is going for the Halfway money and will take his 24-hour stop at Iditarod.

Standings at 9:00PM CST:

Beyond Ophir
1 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (33)
2 Lars Monsen (61)
At Ophir
3 Hugh Neff (68)
4 Ketil Reitan (54)
5 Martin Buser (28)
6 Jessie Holmes (41)^R
7 Tom Knolmayer (43)
8 Jeff King (40)
9 Anna Berington (4)
[Read more →]

The BBC reports Florida shooting: State lawmakers pass gun control measures.

Actually the Florida senate passed several measures: the age to buy any gun was raised to 21 and there is a 3-day waiting period for all guns; the sale or possession of “bump stocks” is illegal; and teaching personnel are exempt from the new armed school marshal program. The marshal program requires local school board approval.

This still has to pass the house and be signed by the governor. Marion Hammer is probably having a fit, but this is a tiny move in the direction that the legislature needs to take.

About a third of the teams are beyond the Alaskan Range and beginning to think about their 24-hour stop. The ITC discovered Tara Cicatello in their paperwork so that team is back in the running.

DeeDee Jonrowe has said this is her last Iditarod and she is taking it easy. She may have decided to pick up the Red Lantern. Update: She decided to scratch. She didn’t feel she would be able to care for her puppies with her own health problems. Her vivid pink wardrobe will be missed.

Standings at 9:00PM CST:

Beyond Nikolai
1 Mitch Seavey (13)
2 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (33)
3 Ryan Redington (7)
4 Nicolas Petit (46)
5 Aaron Burmeister (64)
6 Wade Marrs (11)
7 Ray Redington Jr (17)
8 Jessie Royer (36)
9 Aliy Zirkle (31)
10 Linwood Fiedler (8)
[Read more →]