Joe Runyan
Professional fans offer tips
Professional Fan offers Tips By Joe Runyan The true Iditarod fan embraces am unapologetic curiosity days before the March 2 start. I once asked an AP reporter why he requested the Iditarod assignment, “Few sporting events change and evolve over a period of days. It doesn’t even matter to me who wins, because the individual …
Friday March 16—? by Joe Runyan
Friday, March 16, Nome—- Tents coming down—View to the future——Can you see Russia from here? By Joe Runyan Mushers wandering about the community center, eating lunch at beach side restaurants, snacking their dogs in the dog lot, and seen in fresh street clothes now outnumber the mushers on the trail. The carnival tents are coming …
8PM Nome—Beach weather, relax in Nome—by Joe Runyan Finding the weather balmy, my work station stuffy, and desperately needing a contemplative walk, I put on my parka to retrace the trail for several blocks to a slip which communicates the mushers from a well used trail following the Bering sea beach to Main Street. The stroll should …
10 a.m. Thursday, March 15 —Busers use finish chute as canine playpen—Fans from Eugene—by Joe Runyan Finding that reporting reality has its limitation, since you can’t report Mushdom without exceeding the speed of light, I brush off a few criticisms from fans who hoped for more coverage of their favorite musher and happen to catch …
4 a.m. WED, Nome finish, time it right and welcome three mushers, Jonrowe top ten by Joe Runyan
4 a.m. WED, Nome finish, time it right and welcome three mushers by Joe Runyan A stream of mushers follow in the tracks of 2012 Champ Dallas Seavey, filter into Nome at unconscionable hours. My hotel room phone rings at 4 a.m. and Dave Olson, a good friend of mine and also the 2012 Honorary …
5PM Tuesday Nome— Dallas widens gap on following Pack—by Joe Runyan Dallas Seavey through Safety, and expected Nome after 6PM. In a flurry of activity, the city of Nome blankets mainstreet with snow, then levels with a grader. The entry chute and the famous Burled Arch—recall statements and cliches in previous year’s such as “John …
8:22 a.m.- Seavey out of White Mountain with Nine huskies, Guiness in lead Uneventfully, nine year old female leader Guiness (spelling, don’t count on me) takes the Seavey team out of White Mountain in direction Nome. Here’s what happened in the dark of morning: Reliable and consistent, Dallas booted his dogs, loaded going to make …
7 a.m. Tuesday in White Mountain—Wake up call – Half Moon on Western Horizon by Joe Runyan With the half moon orange in the clear arctic horizon, our camp at the White Mountain city building comes to life. The trail breakers, personified in their leader Roger Ashcrafts’ tough comic style, rise from the tiled floor …
Very Early a.m. reporting—–Aliy Zirkle in at 1:25AM, Ramey Smyth surges and now third into White Mountain by Joe Runyan We are now in early a.m. reporting, after noting that Aliy Zirkle is now in at 1:25 AM. Her lead dogs Pocito and Dingle, impressively alert and crowd favorites, followed Aliy’s every move a s …
0014 a.m. White Mountain, Dallas Seavey and team into White Mountain as Leader of Iditarod by Joe Runyan Dallas Seavey’s team trotted seriously up the Fish River, a church bell ringing to alert villagers, and arrived in White Mountain. “Bones” Carl Brown welcomed Dallas to White Mountain and promptly signed him in. Andy Anderson, race …
