Category — Iditarod

According to the press release:

Veteran Iditarod competitor Anja Radano (bib #26), of Talkeetna, Alaska,
scratched at 9 p.m. tonight at the Nikolai checkpoint.
Radano made the decision to scratch in the best interest of her race team.
Radano had 12 dogs with her at the time she made the decision to scratch.

A lot of teams spent yesterday in their mandatory 24-hour rest stops. The top 5 are resting at Cripple.

Standings at 8:00PM CST (5:00PM AKST):
Beyond Cripple
1 Brent Sass (27)
At Cripple
2 Dallas Seavey (20)
3 Hugh Neff (50)
4 Ryan Redington (17)
5 Mitch Seavey (30)
Beyond Ophir
6 Richie Diehl (18)
7 Aaron Burmeister (23)
8 Mille Porsild (33)
9 Travis Beals (42)
10 Jessie Holmes (7)
11 Paige Drobny (5)
12 Michelle Phillips (4)
13 Aaron Peck (21)
14 Peter Kaiser (37)
15 Chad Stoddard (46)
16 Lev Shvarts (16)
17 Matt Hall (31)
18 Dan Kaduce (28)
19 Jeff Deeter (34)
20 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (12)
[continued below the fold] [Read more →]

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 →]

Victoria Hardwick (48) turned out the Red Lantern at 22 minutes and 6 seconds after Midnight AKDT after 10 days 9 hours 22 minutes and 6 seconds of racing. She finished 2 seconds after Dakota Schlosser (39)^R.

Standings at 3:30AM CDT (0:30AM AKDT):
Finished At Deshka Landing S
1 Dallas Seavey (23)
2 Aaron Burmeister (36)
3 Brent Sass (21)
4 Wade Marrs (25)
5 Mille Porsild (28)
6 Nicolas Petit (10)
7 Ryan Redington (20)
8 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (41)
9 Richie Diehl (6)
10 Ramey Smyth (9)
11 Michelle Phillips (26)
12 Jeff Deeter (7)
13 Jessie Royer (24)
14 Aaron Peck (2)
15 Jessie Holmes (44)
16 Dan Kaduce (40)
17 Lev Shvarts (38)
18 Ryne Olson (14)
19 Paige Drobny (42)
20 Cody Strathe (37)
21 Matthew Failor (29)
22 Kristy Berington (4)
23 Chad Stoddard (18)^R
24 Anna Berington (13)
25 Travis Beals (33)
26 Matt Hall (17)
27 Martin Buser (34)
28 Joshua McNeal (30)^R
29 Joanna Jagow (22)^R
30 Sean Underwood (47)^R
31 Susannah Tuminelli (31)^R
32 Hal Hanson (12)^R
33 Larry Daugherty (43)
34 Will Troshynski (27)^R
35 Dakota Schlosser (39)^R
36 Victoria Hardwick (48) Φ

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 or clicking on the Sled Dog graphic.

Standings at 6:30PM CDT (3:30PM AKDT):
Finished At Deshka Landing S
1 Dallas Seavey (23)
2 Aaron Burmeister (36)
3 Brent Sass (21)
4 Wade Marrs (25)
5 Mille Porsild (28)
6 Nicolas Petit (10)
7 Ryan Redington (20)
8 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (41)
9 Richie Diehl (6)
10 Ramey Smyth (9)
11 Michelle Phillips (26)
12 Jeff Deeter (7)
13 Jessie Royer (24)
14 Aaron Peck (2)
15 Jessie Holmes (44)
16 Dan Kaduce (40)
17 Lev Shvarts (38)
18 Ryne Olson (14)
19 Paige Drobny (42)
20 Cody Strathe (37)
[Read more →]

Dallas Seavey won the Iditarod for the fifth time at 8:08:57AM AKDT. He is now tied with Rick Swenson’s record for the most wins. He finished the 848 mile Gold Trail Loop in 7 days, 14 hours, and 8 minutes.

Jeremy Traska (5) made the decision to scratch at Nikolai ‘in the best interests of his team”. Jeremy was down to 9 puppies.

Standings at 9:45PM CDT (6:45PM AKDT):
Finished At Deshka Landing S
1 Dallas Seavey (23)
2 Aaron Burmeister (36)
3 Brent Sass (21)
4 Wade Marrs (25)
5 Mille Porsild (28)
6 Nicolas Petit (10)
7 Ryan Redington (20)
8 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (41)
9 Richie Diehl (6)
10 Ramey Smyth (9)
11 Michelle Phillips (26)
Beyond Skwenta S
12 Jeff Deeter (7)
13 Jessie Royer (24)
14 Aaron Peck (2)
15 Jessie Holmes (44)
At Skwenta S
16 Lev Shvarts (38)
17 Dan Kaduce (40)
18 Ryne Olson (14)
19 Paige Drobny (42)
20 Cody Strathe (37)
21 Matthew Failor (29)
[Read more →]

[[!!Don’t forget the time change!!]]

Dennis Kananowicz (8) made the decision to scratch at McGrath ‘in the best interests of his team”. Dennis was down to 11 puppies.

I’m going to shut down early because they are only interested the front of the race and that won’t change until the morning.

Dallas has a mandatory 8 hour rest before making the final run to Deshka Landing.

Standings at 7:30PM CDT (4:30PM AKDT):
At Skwenta S
1 Dallas Seavey (23)
2 Aaron Burmeister (36)
3 Brent Sass (21)
Beyond Finger Lake S
4 Mille Porsild (28)
5 Wade Marrs (25)
6 Ryan Redington (20)
7 Nicolas Petit (10)
8 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (41)
9 Richie Diehl (6)
10 Michelle Phillips (26)
Beyond Rainy Pass S
11 Jeff Deeter (7)
12 Ramey Smyth (9)
13 Jessie Royer (24)
14 Aaron Peck (2)
Beyond Rohn S
15 Lev Shvarts (38)
At Rohn S
16 Paige Drobny (42)
17 Ryne Olson (14)
18 Dan Kaduce (40)
[Read more →]

Peter Kaiser (3) made the decision to scratch at McGrath ‘in the best interests of his team”. Peter was down to 10 puppies.

Riley Dyche (16) made the decision to scratch at Iditarod ‘in the best interests of his team”. Riley was down to 9 puppies.

Standings at 10:00PM CST (7:00PM AKST):
Beyond Rohn S
1 Dallas Seavey (23)
At Rohn S
2 Aaron Burmeister (36)
3 Brent Sass (21)
4 Ryan Redington (20)
5 Wade Marrs (25)
Beyond Nikolai S
6 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (41)
7 Richie Diehl (6)
8 Michelle Phillips (26)
9 Mille Porsild (28)
10 Jessie Royer (24)
11 Nicolas Petit (10)
12 Travis Beals (33)
13 Jeff Deeter (7)
14 Aaron Peck (2)
15 Ramey Smyth (9)
16 Jessie Holmes (44)
At Nikolai S
17 Paige Drobny (42)
18 Ryne Olson (14)
19 Lev Shvarts (38)
20 Cody Strathe (37)
[Read more →]