Posts from — March 2022

Hanna Lyrek (13) at 22nd is leading for Rookies this morning, while Lisbet Norris (43) and her pedigreed Anadyr Siberian Huskies are carrying the Red Lantern.

It is possible that some of the teams are taking their 24-hour stops.

Standings at 9:00PM CST (6:00PM AKST):
At Cripple
1 Brent Sass (27)
Beyond Ophir
2 Dallas Seavey (20)
3 Ryan Redington (17)
4 Mitch Seavey (30)
5 Hugh Neff (50)
At Ophir
6 Richie Diehl (18)
7 Mille Porsild (33)
8 Jessie Holmes (7)
9 Paige Drobny (5)
10 Michelle Phillips (4)
11 Travis Beals (42)
12 Aaron Peck (21)
13 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (12)
14 Deke Naaktgeboren (25)
15 Kristy Berington (24)
16 Anna Berington (9)
Beyond McGrath
17 Jeff King (3)
At McGrath
18 Aaron Burmeister (23)
19 Peter Kaiser (37)
20 Lev Shvarts (16)
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

Takotna, a very popular spot for taking the 24-hour mandatory stop, isn’t a check point this year because of Covid. All of the teams are required to be vaccinated to race, are tested throughout the race, and masked when around people inside.

Standings at 9:00PM CST (6:00PM AKST):
At McGrath
1 Aaron Burmeister (23)
Beyond Nikolai
2 Brent Sass (27)
3 Dallas Seavey (20)
4 Ryan Redington (17)
5 Richie Diehl (18)
6 Mille Porsild (33)
7 Mitch Seavey (30)
8 Michelle Phillips (4)
9 Hugh Neff (50)
10 Paige Drobny (5)
11 Jessie Holmes (7)
12 Lev Shvarts (16)
13 Matt Hall (31)
14 Peter Kaiser (37)
15 Dan Kaduce (28)
16 Riley Dyche (15)
At Nikolai
17 Travis Beals (42)
18 Matthew Failor (10)
19 Jeff Deeter (34)
20 Aaron Peck (21)
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

Mitch & Dallas Seavey and Kristy & Anna Berington are paired, but Jeff Deeter has left KattiJo behind. Most teams are in the 9 to 10 mph range.

Standings at 10:00PM CST (7:00PM AKST):
At Rohn
1 Ryan Redington (17)
Beyond Rainy Pass
2 Dallas Seavey (20)
3 Paige Drobny (5)
4 Brent Sass (27)
5 Jessie Holmes (7)
6 Michelle Phillips (4)
7 Mille Porsild (33)
8 Mitch Seavey (30)
9 Richie Diehl (18)
10 Dan Kaduce (28)
11 Jeff Deeter (34)
12 Hugh Neff (50)
13 Matt Hall (31)
14 Lev Shvarts (16)
15 Ramey Smyth (8)
16 Riley Dyche (15)
17 Aaron Peck (21)
18 Martin Massicotte (6)^Q
19 Mats Pettersson (11)
20 Chad Stoddard (46)
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

And they’re off. The temperature is forecast to be in the low to mid 30s F which can lead to heat stroke in sled dogs, not great conditions and can lead to weak ice on the rivers. There’s about 5 hours of sunlight left at the starting time and teams leave at two minute intervals, so the last team out is over an hour and a half after the first team, which means Hugh Neff has higher temperatures and less sunlight to use.

Update: The Deeters, Lisbet Norris & Yuka Hondo left with 13 puppies, the rest left with 14.

Standings at 10:00PM CST (7:00PM AKST):
Beyond Yentna
1 Martin Massicotte (6)^Q
2 Paige Drobny (5)
3 Jessie Holmes (7)
4 Jeff King (3)
5 Sean Williams (2)^R
6 Ryan Redington (17)
7 Hanna Lyrek (13)^R
8 Anna Berington (9)
9 Mats Pettersson (11)
10 Matthew Failor (10)
11 Michelle Phillips (4)
12 Aaron Burmeister (23)
13 Brent Sass (27)
14 Lev Shvarts (16)
15 Dan Kaduce (28)
16 Kristy Berington (24)
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

This is the starting grid for the racing. Jeff King is replacing Nicholas Petit who has been side-lined by Covid.

Standings at 4:30PM CST (1:30PM AKST):

At Willow
1 Sean Williams (2)^R
2 Jeff King (3)
3 Michelle Phillips (4)
4 Paige Drobny (5)
5 Martin Massicotte (6)^Q
6 Jessie Holmes (7)
7 Ramey Smyth (8)
8 Anna Berington (9)
9 Matthew Failor (10)
10 Mats Pettersson (11)
11 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (12)
12 Hanna Lyrek (13)^R
13 Eric Kelly (14)^R
14 Riley Dyche (15)
15 Lev Shvarts (16)
16 Ryan Redington (17)
17 Richie Diehl (18)
18 KattiJo Deeter (19)^R
19 Dallas Seavey (20)
20 Aaron Peck (21)
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

Anchorage & Campbell Airstrip
Willow
Skwentna & Yentna, Finger Lake, Rainy Pass, Rohn
McGrath & Nikolai, Takotna, Ophir
Ruby
Galena
Nulato
Kaltag
Unalakleet
Shaktoolik
Koyuk
Elim
Golovin
White Mountain
Nome & Safety

It is the first Saturday in March which is Susan Butcher Day in Alaska and marks the Iditarod ‘parade’ from Anchorage to the airport. The actual race is set to start on Sunday in Willow.

The trail and distances between checkpoints:

Willow – Start
Yentna Station – 52 miles [84 km]
Skwentna – 34 miles [55 km]
Finger Lake – 45 miles [72 km]
Rainy Pass – 30 miles [48 km]
Rohn – 48 miles [77 km]
Nikolai – 75 miles [121 km]
McGrath – 54 miles [87 km]
Takotna – 18 miles [29 km]
Ophir – 25 miles [40 km]
Cripple – 59 miles [95 km]
Ruby – 112 miles [180 km]
Galena – 52 miles [84 km]
Nulato – 52 miles [84 km]
Kaltag – 42 miles [68 km]
Unalakleet – 90 miles [145 km]
Shaktoolik – 42 miles [68 km]
Koyuk – 48 miles [77 km]
Elim – 48 miles [77 km]
Golovin – 28 miles [45 km]
White Mountain – 18 miles [29 km]
Safety – 55 miles [88 km]
Nome – 22 miles [35 km]

The distance is from the previous checkpoint. Some teams in the early going will travel at 12 mph [20kph] or better with all dogs eager to go. There are reasons not to do this.

[Read more →]

It’s Saint David’s Day, and, as he is their patron saint, it is a national holiday in Wales. The Welsh wear leeks or daffodils [called Peter’s leek in Welsh] on this day.

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].

In Britain, Ireland, and many of the Commonwealth countries Shrove Tuesday is celebrated as Pancake Day.

This year there have been limited parades on different than normal routes. Things aren’t back to normal yet and many are still leery of crowds.