Category — Iditarod

The leaders are beyond Skwentna coming into the “interesting” section of the trail – mountain climbing followed by moose and stump dodging.

Update: Beyond Rohn

1 Lance Mackey (17)
2 Hugh Neff (35)
3 Sebastian Schnuelle (31)

At Rohn

4 Robert Bundtzen (10)
5 Paul Gebhardt (34)
6 Ray Redington, Jr (3)
7 Martin Buser (11)
8 Hans Gatt (23)
9 Gerry Willomitzer (33)
10 Bruce Linton (13)

Beyond Rainy Pass

11 Mitch Seavey (28)
12 Michael Williams, Jr. (41)
13 Sonny Lindner (52)
14 Nicolas Petit (14)^R
15 John Baker (53)
16 Judy Currier (29)
17 Jessie Royer (58)
18 Ramey Smyth (30)
19 Aliy Zirkle (18)
20 Rick Swenson (49) [Read more →]

DeeDee Jonrowe (2) left the chute at 2PM AKST [5PM CST] and is headed towards Yentna. Every two minutes another team leaves, with Justin Savidis (63) leaving just after 4PM local [out at 4:02PM].

No last minute scratches were announced and no position changes will be official until the teams check in at Yentna.

The trail is good for the leaders, but there is deep snow this year and after the packed trail breaks down it will be like sledding through sand.

Update: DeeDee was first through Yentna at 8:21PM CST, but she was followed by Trent Herbst (4), the school teacher from Ketcham, Idaho. Ray Redington, Jr (3) must have had a problem.

Update: 11PM: Beyond Yentna

1 DeeDee Jonrowe (2)
2 Trent Herbst (4)
3 Robert Bundtzen (10)
4 Ray Redington, Jr (3)
5 Melissa Owens (12)
6 Martin Buser (11)
7 Kristy Berington (7)
8 Allen Moore (5)
9 Bruce Linton (13)
10 Zoya DeNure (9)
11 Lance Mackey (17)
12 Nicolas Petit (14)^R
13 Aliy Zirkle (18)
14 Paul Gebhardt (34)
15 Dallas Seavey (21)
16 Mike Santos (27)^R
17 Jodi Bailey (16)^R
18 Judy Currier (29)
19 Billy Snodgrass (24)
20 Gerry Willomitzer (33)
21 Hugh Neff (35)
[Read more →]

I’ll be throwing out things about the mushers as the race goes on, because a list of names isn’t very exciting.

First out, some of these people should have familiar names if you followed the Yukon Quest.

1 Dallas Seavey (21)
2 Sebastian Schnuelle (31)
3 Ken Anderson (43)
5 Kelley Griffin (20)
6 Allen Moore (5)
7 Jodi Bailey (16)^R

These six people just finished the Quest and those are their finishing positions.

Three others started the Quest but had to scratch:

Hans Gatt (23)
Hugh Neff (35)
Michelle Phillips (39)

Another group of three finished the Yukon Quest 300:

1 Gerry Willomitzer (33)
4 Aliy Zirkle (18)
10 Jessie Royer (58)

Jody Bailey is attempting to do something for the first time, running rookie races in the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod in the same year. Given the conditions that had to be overcome in this year’s Quest, the smart money has to be on her achieving her goal.

While Hans Gatt has the worse case of frostbite, Sebastian Schnuelle and Hugh Neff didn’t get off much better. They will definitely feel it on the trail.

The newest addition to my Iditarod “widget” on the right sidebar is the Anchorage Daily News‘s Iditarod Blog, which, among other things, is running a series on mushers and their dogs.

This year it is the Southern Route, that actually goes through Iditarod.

OK, so tomorrow is really a parade and the real race starts on Sunday.

The 62 teams in starting order: [Bib 1 is no longer used, as it is considered Susan Butcher’s bib and is carried during the parade by an honoree who isn’t racing.]

1 DeeDee Jonrowe (2)
2 Ray Redington, Jr (3)
3 Trent Herbst (4)
4 Allen Moore (5)
5 Newton Marshall (6)
6 Kristy Berington (7)
7 Kris Hoffman (8)^R
8 Zoya DeNure (9)
9 Robert Bundtzen (10)
10 Martin Buser (11)
11 Melissa Owens (12)
12 Bruce Linton (13)
13 Nicolas Petit (14)^R
14 Bob Storey (15)^R
15 Jodi Bailey (16)^R
16 Lance Mackey (17)
17 Aliy Zirkle (18)
18 Angie Taggart (19)^R
19 Kelley Griffin (20)
20 Dallas Seavey (21) [Read more →]

Rookie Celeste Davis (58) of Deer Lodge, Montana got to the burled arch in 13 days, 5 hours, 6 minutes, and 40 seconds. Her finish was the fastest for the last competitor in the Iditarod, and would have been the record for the race prior to 1981.

Seventy-one teams and 1,136 dogs started the race, but only 55 teams and 550 dogs passed under the “arch”.

Among the 16 that didn’t make it: Karen Ramstead has personal reasons; Justin Savidis had a dog decide to go off on his own; Karin Hendrickson & Kathleen Frederick had equipment problems; Pat Moon & Judy Currier had injuries; Zoya DeNure & Michael Suprenant had medical problems; and the other eight had unhappy puppies. This is a sled dog race, and if the puppies aren’t happy, the racing stops.

Bruce Linton (65) was concerned that he might have to scratch when his insulin pump froze on the run through the Yukon River valley. Fortunately, he was able to get what he needed at the next checkpoint.

I am happy to report that no dogs have died this year, which is the first time this has occurred in the race’s history. After last year’s sad losses, there has been more effort in ensuring that rookies are doing effective dog care. The other plus was that the warmer weather occurred at the start of the race when the dogs were in much better shape to tolerate the heat. The experienced mushers ran at night to reduce overheating problems.

Below the fold are the final standings

[Read more →]

The Red Lantern is at White Mountain Nome so the three to four marathons a day the puppies have been running are about over.

Scott White stopped at Safety. That doesn’t normally happen, 22 miles from the end, so I hope he doesn’t have a problem this close to the end. He left White Mountain with only 7 dogs on his team, so he is on the edge. [Scott moved on, but the Scot, John Stewart felt he had to scratch at White Mountain in the best interests of his 7 dogs. 🙁 ]

While Jane Faulkner arrived a half hour before Celeste, I suspect she will wait until Celeste can leave to finish the race. [Jane waited, as I expected.]

There are light winds, scattered snow, and temperatures in the twenties, so it will be a pleasant spring day, for Nome, to finish the race.

At Nome
45 Wattie McDonald (4)^R
46 Lachlan Clarke (63)
47 Newton Marshall (14)^R
48 Billy Snodgrass (70)
49 Trent Herbst (60)
50 Chris Adkins (33)^R
51 Dave DeCaro (52)^R
52 Ross Adam (18)
53 Jane Faulkner (22)^R
54 Scott White (13)^R [16 hours to travel 22 miles]
55 Celeste Davis (58)^R Φ 8:06PM local

At White Mountain
56 John Stewart (69)^R [Scratched only 77 miles from his goal]

[Read more →]

Looks like Ross Adam decided to get some extra sleep [or needed an extra lantern] and went to the back. Wattie has all 16 puppies at White Mountain [is there single malt involved in the puppies’ happiness?]. The Iten family has its newest Iditarod veteran. Kristy Berington gets to unbend after leaning her 6-foot frame over the sled for two weeks [tall is not good in mushing unless you can afford a custom sled]. Sam Deltour can go to med school in Belgium knowing he is one of a handful of people who has finished the Quest and Iditarod in the same year.

The race is confined to the north coast of the Norton Sound and should be over tomorrow.

At Nome
24 Jim Lanier (43)
25 Bruce Linton (65)
26 Michael Williams, Jr. (59)^R
27 Michelle Phillips (36)^R
28 Peter Kaiser (67)^R
29 Thomas Lesatz (62)
30 Gerald Sousa (48)
31 Robert Nelson (32)
32 Jason Barron (71)
33 William “Middie” Johnson (16)^R
34 Matt Hayashida (12)
35 Allen Moore (54)
36 Colleen Robertia (61)^R
37 William Pinkham (40)
38 Quinn Iten (28)^R
39 Kristy Berington (38)^R
40 Cindy Gallea (39)
41 Sam Deltour (66)
42 Blake Freking (11)
43 Tamara Rose (26)^R
44 Art Church, Jr (24)
45 Wattie McDonald (4)^R [with all 16 puppies!]
46 Lachlan Clarke (63)
47 Newton Marshall (14)^R

[Read more →]

Dan Kaduce is the first rookie at Nome, and Jim Lanier proves you can do this at 69 years of age.

Cim Smyth and the persistent half dozen made it and moved up several places in the process. Wattie McDonald still has all 16 of the dogs that started, and Colleen Robertia is at White Mountain with 14 of her “3Rs” still ready to run. Blake Freking is down to 11 Siberians.

At the back Celeste Davis handed Jane Faulkner the Red Lantern, but it was only a matter of a minute, and it is highly likely that they will settle the issue after Safety with their own race.

At Nome
15 Jessie Royer (6)
16 Aliy Zirkle (50)
17 Sven Haltmann (42)
18 Sonny Lindner (44)
19 Paul Gebhardt (7)
20 Rick Swenson (57)
21 Dan Kaduce (64)^R
22 DeeDee Jonrowe (31)
23 Cim Smyth (3)
24 Jim Lanier (43)
25 Bruce Linton (65)
26 Michael Williams, Jr. (59)^R
27 Michelle Phillips (36)^R
28 Peter Kaiser (67)^R
29 Thomas Lesatz (62)
30 Gerald Sousa (48)
31 Robert Nelson (32)
32 Jason Barron (71)
33 William “Middie” Johnson (16)^R
34 Matt Hayashida (12)
35 Allen Moore (54)
36 Colleen Robertia (61)^R [14 “runts, rejects, rescues”]

[Read more →]

Jeff King arrived in Nome in 9 Days 2 Hours 22 Minutes 17 Seconds, the four-time winner’s best time ever, and it is only good enough for third this year.

Cim Smyth (3) is sitting in White Mountain hoping that every dog on his team is a happy puppy – he only has the minimum 6 dogs left, and will be withdrawn if they aren’t all ready to go.

The Scot, Wattie McDonald (4), is on the trail beyond Unalakleet with 16 happy puppies, the only full team that can make it to Nome this year.

At Nome
3 Jeff King (15)
4 Ken Anderson (51)
5 John Baker (8)
6 Ramey Smyth (21)
7 Sebastian Schnuelle (35)
8 Dallas Seavey (19)
9 Hugh Neff (56)
10 Mitch Seavey (41)
11 Ray Redington, Jr (9)
12 Zack Steer (47)
13 Gerry Willomitzer (55)
14 Martin Buser (37)
15 Jessie Royer (6)
16 Aliy Zirkle (50)
17 Sven Haltmann (42)
18 Sonny Lindner (44)
19 Paul Gebhardt (7)
20 Rick Swenson (57)
21 Dan Kaduce (64)^R

[Read more →]

Lance Mackey will leave White Mountain this morning with a two hour lead over Hans Gatt in the sprint to Nome. Jeff King will be 20 minutes behind Hans. Lance has one fewer dog on his team than the dozen on the teams of Hans and Jeff, but that’s not much of an advantage for the final 77 miles of the race. Barring a disaster the winner will be known this afternoon. It is mostly cloudy and -7°F [-22°C] in Nome.

At the back, Emil Churchin scratched at Ruby when his team decided it wasn’t worth the effort. There are currently 57 teams competing with Hank Debruin the heir presumptive for the Red Lantern.

Lance made it to Nome at 2:59PM and Hans showed up an hour and five minutes later. With this win, Lance becomes the first musher with win the race in four consecutive years. Lance’s race time was 8 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 9 seconds, the second fastest time for the race.

At Nome
1 Lance Mackey (49)
2 Hans Gatt (20)

Beyond Safety
3 Jeff King (15)

[Read more →]

Good news: Whitey, the 3-year-old dog of rookie Justin Savidis, was found late Sunday and the two are on their way home.

The news is not so good for Judy Currier (72), who had to scratch at Galena because she can’t take standing on the runners and taking care of her dogs with a back injury from earlier in the race.

Unalakleet is waiting to greet its mayor, William “Middie” Johnson (16), who is currently running 35^th in his rookie race. Middie is a Native Alaskan and the grandson of Henry Ivanoff, a musher in the 1925 diphtheria serum relay to Nome which is considered the founding event for the Iditarod.

In the front, Lance wants to be the first to win 4 in a row; Jeff wants to be the second to win 5 overall; and Hans wants to be the second to win the Quest and Iditarod in the same year. Meanwhile, 69-year-old Jim Lanier (43) is consolidating his hold on being the oldest musher to finish the race is in 28^th place.

Beyond Elim
1 Lance Mackey (49)
2 Hans Gatt (20)
3 Jeff King (15)

[Read more →]

More unhappy puppies to report on, this time in Galena.

Warren Palfrey (27), the only Métis in the race, scratched at Galena. He moved his kennel and family from Yellowknife, NWT to Quesnel, BC last year which makes it easier to participate in races. There were 10 dogs on his team when he made the decision. Palfrey made his decision “based on his team’s inability to continue to compete” [they weren’t having fun any more].

Ryan Redington (25) of Wasillia also scratched at Galena. He is letting his brother, Ray, continue the family tradition of running the Iditarod because “some members of his team were not feeling well” [the puppies weren’t happy].

Their teams didn’t come back after the 24-hour layover, and they are both experienced mushers and dog handlers with solid long-distance bloodlines in their kennels. The warm and relatively snowless first half must have discouraged the dogs. If their eating habits change, you know you have a problem. In general they eat everything in sight and want more. If they start getting picky, something is wrong.

Beyond Shaktoolik
1 Lance Mackey (49)

At Shaktoolik
2 Jeff King (15)
3 Hans Gatt (20)

[Read more →]

The field is shrinking. Linwood Fiedler (2) scratched at McGrath with 11 unhappy dogs. They just didn’t want to continue, so there was no point.

Tom Thurston (68) made it to Ophir with 9 dogs left but they weren’t happy puppies, so he scratched and went back to McGrath where there is a good road to load them on his truck.

Karen Ramstead (29) scratched at McGrath with 14 happy purebred Siberian Huskies, that are considered the best looking team on the trail, for personal reasons.

Rookie Justin Savidis (10) had a 3-year dog, White, slip his harness between McGrath and Nikolai on March 10, and can’t go on until the dog is located. There is a search underway, but it looks like Justin’s Iditarod is probably over. He assumes that the wheel dog got spooked by something, because he is normally a happy, friendly dog.

Beyond Kaltag
1 Lance Mackey (49)
2 Hans Gatt (20)
3 Jeff King (15)
4 Hugh Neff (56)

[Read more →]