Posts from — March 2019

Peter arrived at the Burled Arch at 06:39:06 CDT with a race time of 9 days 12 hours 39 minutes 6 seconds. Joar came in 12 minutes 16 seconds later.

Sebastien Dos Santos Borges (46) scratched at Unalakleet in ‘the best interest of his team’.

Blair Braverman’s GPS unit hasn’t updated for 24 hours and there is no indication that anyone is checking on her.

Standings at 9:45PM CDT:

Finished at Nome
1 Peter Kaiser (9)
2 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (28)
3 Jessie Royer (14)
4 Aliy Zirkle (19)
5 Travis Beals (51)
Beyond Safety
6 Paige Drobny (40)
7 Matt Hall (3)
Beyond White Mountain
8 Ramey Smyth (6)
9 Aaron Burmeister (38)
10 Mitch Seavey (32)
11 Richie Diehl (29)
12 Linwood Fiedler (15)
At White Mountain
13 Jeff King (23)
14 Wade Marrs (36)
15 Jeff Deeter (25)
Beyond Elim
16 Mats Pettersson (4)
17 Kristy Berington (26)
18 Anna Berington (10)
19 Seth Barnes (45)
20 Matthew Failor (17)
21 Aaron Peck (47)
[Read more →]

After leading for half of the race Nicolas Petit (20) scratched at Shaktoolik essentially exhausted.

Lev Shvarts (13) scratched at Unalakleet in ‘the best interest of his team’.

Brett Bruggeman (35) at Shaktoolik and Niklas Wikstrand (42) at Kaltag have scratched in ‘the best interest of their teams’.

Ryan Redington (22) has scratched at Shaktoolik in ‘the best interest of his team’.

Standings at 8:30PM CDT:

Beyond White Mountain
1 Peter Kaiser (9)
2 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (28)
At White Mountain
3 Jessie Royer (14)
Beyond Elim
4 Aliy Zirkle (19)
5 Matt Hall (3)
6 Travis Beals (51)
7 Paige Drobny (40)
8 Mitch Seavey (32)
At Elim
9 Aaron Burmeister (38)
Beyond Koyuk
10 Jessie Holmes (5)
11 Ramey Smyth (6)
12 Richie Diehl (29)
13 Jeff King (23)
14 Mats Pettersson (4)
15 Linwood Fiedler (15)
At Koyuk
16 Wade Marrs (36)
17 Kristy Berington (26)
18 Anna Berington (10)
19 Seth Barnes (45)
20 Jeff Deeter (25)
[Read more →]

Robert Redington (34) scratched at Kaltag ‘in the best interests of his team.

Standings at 9:45PM CDT:

Beyond Koyux
1 Peter Kaiser (9)
2 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (28)
3 Jessie Royer (14)
Beyond Shaktoolik
4 Nicolas Petit (20)
5 Mitch Seavey (32)
6 Jessie Holmes (5)
7 Aliy Zirkle (19)
8 Matt Hall (3)
9 Travis Beals (51)
10 Matthew Failor (17)
11 Aaron Burmeister (38)
12 Paige Drobny (40)
At Shaktoolik
13 Ryan Redington (22)
14 Mats Pettersson (4)
15 Richie Diehl (29)
16 Jeff King (23)
17 Ramey Smyth (6)
18 Linwood Fiedler (15
Beyond Unalakleet
19 Wade Marrs (36)
[Read more →]

It isn’t just my Congresscritter, but my Senators: Wow, Marco Rubio Is Dumb.

Rubio is the Trump lead in Congress on Venezuela. He is English/Spanish bilingual. Germán, a form of Herman, is not an uncommon given name in Latin America. A quick scan by a search engine would have located Senor Dam’s Twitter account.

I am truly cursed…

[[!!Don’t forget the time change!!]]

Cindy Abbott has scratched at Iditarod. I’m not surprised as she has been taking longer rest stops and slowing. Cindy has climbed Mount Everest and completed the Iditarod. During one race she went 600 miles with a broken pelvis because she lives with the pain of Wegener’s Granulomatosis 24/7 and thought the pain was part of her condition. She continues until she doesn’t believe she can take adequate care of her team.

Standings at 8:30PM CDT:

Beyond Unalakleet
1 Nicolas Petit (20)
2 Peter Kaiser (9)
3 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (28)
4 Jessie Royer (14)
Beyond Kaltag
5 Mitch Seavey (32)
6 Matt Hall (3)
7 Jessie Holmes (5)
8 Aliy Zirkle (19)
9 Matthew Failor (17)
10 Paige Drobny (40)
11 Ryan Redington (22)
12 Aaron Burmeister (38)
13 Mats Pettersson (4)
14 Travis Beals (51)
15 Richie Diehl (29)
16 Linwood Fiedler (15)
17 Ramey Smyth (6)
[Read more →]

According to Sebastian Schnuelle at Kaltag: lots of wet snow and overflows [water over the ice] on the river. The temperature is in the mid 30s. The snow is deep and teams will have to break trail from Eagle Island to Kaltag and on to Unalakleet.

Emily Maxwell (18) and Marcelle Fressineau (27) both scratched at Iditarod “for the good of their teams.” The trail conditions are “warm & wet” with occasional rain in addition to wet snow.

[[!!Don’t forget the time change!!]]

Standings at 8:30PM CST:

At Kaltag
1 Peter Kaiser (9)
2 Nicolas Petit (20)
Beyond Eagle Island
3 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (28)
4 Jessie Royer (14)
5 Matthew Failor (17)
6 Mitch Seavey (32)
7 Aliy Zirkle (19)
8 Ryan Redington (22)
9 Jessie Holmes (5)
10 Richie Diehl (29)
11 Ramey Smyth (6)
12 Paige Drobny (40)
13 Matt Hall (3)
14 Linwood Fiedler (15)
15 Travis Beals (51)
At Eagle Island
16 Aaron Burmeister (38)
17 Mats Pettersson (4)
18 Lev Shvarts (13)
[Read more →]

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 😈

Almost every team has finished their 24-hour mandatory stop which included the start differential, meaning that their current position reflect their actual positions. Nicolas has reached the Yukon in the middle of a winter advisory for heavy snow and blowing snow with minimal visibility.

Standings at 9:10PM CST:
At Grayling
1 Nicolas Petit (20)
2 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (28)
3 Jessie Royer (14)
4 Peter Kaiser (9)
5 Mitch Seavey (32)
Beyond Anvik
6 Aliy Zirkle (19)
7 Richie Diehl (29)
Beyond Shageluk
8 Ryan Redington (22)
9 Matthew Failor (17)
10 Paige Drobny (40)
11 Aaron Burmeister (38)
12 Matt Hall (3)
At Shageluk
13 Jessie Holmes (5)
14 Mats Pettersson (4)
15 Travis Beals (51)
16 Linwood Fiedler (15)
17 Lev Shvarts (13)
18 Michi Konno (43)
19 Jason Campeau (12)
20 Brett Bruggeman (35)
[Read more →]

The forecast for the lower Yukon Valley [the trail ahead] is for winds, snow, ice and temperatures in the 30s – miserable weather for sledding.

Standings at 8:30 PM CST:

Beyond Iditarod
1 Nicolas Petit (20)
2 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (28)
At Iditarod
3 Aliy Zirkle (19)
4 Martin Buser (21)
5 Jessie Royer (14)
6 Peter Kaiser (9)
7 Richie Diehl (29)
Beyond Ophir
8 Ryan Redington (22)
9 Mitch Seavey (32)
10 Matthew Failor (17)
11 Wade Marrs (36)
12 Paige Drobny (40)
13 Matt Hall (3)
14 Travis Beals (51)
15 Sarah Stokey (52)
16 Mats Pettersson (4)
17 Linwood Fiedler (15)
18 Jessie Holmes (5)
19 Aaron Burmeister (38)
20 Lev Shvarts (13)
[Read more →]

After 14 hours Nic changed his mind and hit the trail. Many others are beginning to take their 24-hour stops at Takotna.

Shaynee Traska (7) has scratched at Nikolai. A lot of people got beat up by the trail from Rohn, which is not unusual.

Standings at 10:15 PM CST:

Beyond Ophir
1 Aliy Zirkle (19)
2 Martin Buser (21)At Ophir
3 Nicolas Petit (20)
4 Jessie Holmes (5)
5 Aaron Burmeister (38)
6 Anna Berington (10)
7 Kristy Berington (26)
At Takotna
8 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (28)
9 Jessie Royer (14)
10 Peter Kaiser (9)
11 Matt Hall (3)
12 Richie Diehl (29)
13 Ryan Redington (22)
14 Mitch Seavey (32)
15 Matthew Failor (17)
16 Paige Drobny (40)
17 Mats Pettersson (4)
18 Travis Beals (51)
19 Linwood Fiedler (15)
20 Jeff King (23)
21 Jason Campeau (12)
22 Charley Bejna (31)
23 Michi Konno (43)
24 Ed Hopkins (33)^Q
[Read more →]

Nicolas Petit is taking his 24-hour break at McGrath.
Standings at 9:15PM CST:

Beyond McGrath
1 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (28)
At McGrath
2 Nicolas Petit (20)
Beyond Nikolai
3 Jessie Royer (14)
4 Peter Kaiser (9)
5 Aliy Zirkle (19)
6 Matt Hall (3)
7 Ryan Redington (22)
8 Travis Beals (51)
9 Richie Diehl (29)
10 Mitch Seavey (32)
11 Jessie Holmes (5)
12 Matthew Failor (17)
13 Aaron Burmeister (38)
14 Wade Marrs (36)
15 Paige Drobny (40)
16 Mats Pettersson (4)
[Read more →]

The last day before the beginning of Lent on the Gulf Coast that once belonged to France, it is Mardi Gras, “Fat Tuesday”: Laissez les bon temps rouler!

It was first celebrated in Mobile, Alabama, but the big show these days is in New Orleans, and it is a holiday in the state of Louisiana, because people wouldn’t show up for work anyway, so why fight it.

The tradition is to serve King cake, which is a circle of cinnamon bun dough with a white frosting on top sprinkled with sugar colored purple, gold, and green. If that weren’t bad enough, they put the figurine of a baby in the dough, and whoever finds it in their piece is supposed to be lucky. Actually if you find it and don’t choke on it, I guess you are lucky. You should use a small ceramic figurine, as some of the cheap plastic versions melt in the oven [yummy].

Things are starting to sort themselves out. Keep in mind that the higher bib numbers started after those with lower numbers and that will be equalized at the 24-hour stop.

Standings at 9:20PM CST:

Beyond Rohn
1 Nicolas Petit (20)
Beyond Rainy Pass
2 Peter Kaiser (9)
3 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (28)
4 Ryan Redington (22)
5 Aliy Zirkle (19)
6 Matt Hall (3)
7 Jessie Holmes (5)
8 Jessie Royer (14)
9 Aaron Burmeister (38)
10 Linwood Fiedler (15)
11 Mitch Seavey (32)
12 Mats Pettersson (4)
13 Richie Diehl (29)
14 Jason Campeau (12)
15 Travis Beals (51)
16 Kristy Berington (26)
17 Anna Berington (10)
18 Wade Marrs (36)
19 Matthew Failor (17)
20 Ramey Smyth (6)
21 Sarah Stokey (52)
22 Paige Drobny (40)
[Read more →]

The real racing starts at 5PM CST with a team leaving the gate every couple of minutes. The high temperature is in the 30s which is not good for the puppies – overheating will be a problem especially for young teams. There is no help for running at night because the moon is a waning crescent and the skies are cloudy.

Everyone is on the trail as of 6:42PM CST [3:42PM AKST]. With the exceptions of Jeff Deeter & Jeremy Keller with 13 dogs and Cindy Gallea with 15, the rest of the field have gone with 14 puppy teams, like the Quest.

Standings at 10:00PM CST:

Beyond Yentna
1 Jessie Holmes (5)
2 Matt Hall (3)
3 Linwood Fiedler (15)
4 Jessie Royer (14)
5 Jason Campeau (12)
6 Ramey Smyth (6)
7 Lev Shvarts (13)
8 Anna Berington (10)
At Yentna
9 Mats Pettersson (4)
10 Matthew Failor (17)
11 Peter Kaiser (9)
12 Blair Braverman (11)^R
13 Martin Buser (21)
14 Jeff King (23)
15 Ryan Redington (22)
16 Nicolas Petit (20)
Beyond Willow
17 Anja Radano (2)
18 Shaynee Traska (7)
19 Kristin Bacon (8)
20 Cindy Abbott (16)
[Read more →]