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Rest on the River Pays Off

Looking Back at Various Strategies

by Andy Moderow

03/14/2006

Tonight, in the early morning hours, the town of Nome will converge of Front Street, welcoming the winner of Iditarod XXXIV. Excited family and friends, die-hard race fans, locals and race personnel will be on hand to welcome whomever the winner is, all admiring the champion and their dogs. A representative from Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Center will give the winner keys to a new Dodge Truck, and the media will converge for an interview. Local children, still awake despite it being way past their bed time, will eagerly wait for the musher to toss them used dog booties, a small memento from the race. Luckily, no one around the world has to miss the action, as Iditarod Insider will provide live coverage of the finish via the internet.

After everyone departs from Front Street, talk of who will win will change to how the winner won. Most evaluations will center on race strategy: Where the musher ‘made their move’, how long they rested on the coast, etc. But those closest to the winner will know that it was the dedication, hard work and smart training before the race that set the stage for the stellar performance. While the Iditarod itself is a solitary event, each musher depends on many to make it to the starting line: Many of those who got each musher to the start will be under the arch waiting for their return.

It does appear that one strategy paid off big for some competitors: In the top 6, all the teams moving up in the standings rested longer than their nearest competitors at checkpoints along the Yukon River. Jeff King, since leaving Kaltag, has managed to gain a 3-hour lead over the nearest competition. While on the Yukon, he rested 2 hours longer than Doug Swingley and DeeDee Jonrowe. Bjornar Andersen and John Baker have also been cruising along at a fast pace: They are traveling roughly the same pace as King, and are likely to move up should anyone in front of them falters. Interestingly, Andersen and Baker both rested more than Swingley and Jonrowe on the river.

The biggest gainer from a Yukon River strategy may well be Paul Gebhardt, though his statistics shouldn’t necessarily be taken at face value. Paul, who took a gamble by waiting to ‘24’ until Galena, should certainly be happy with the speed he is traveling at now. Between Kaltag and Elim, Gebhardt’s pace was two hours faster than King’s, putting him in a position to challenge DeeDee Jonrowe for third. However, remember that at Cripple, before taking his 24-hour layover, Paul won the GCI Dorothy G. Page Award for being the first musher to reach the halfway point. Thus, his last minute gains on the coast may have more to do with his retaking of a position he temporarily gave away then an actual jump in the standings, as he lost some time before taking his ‘24’ because he had to rest longer then those who were just getting off their layovers. Regardless, he should be quite pleased with how his innovative strategy has played out.

King noted in Unalakleet that, should Swingley win, fans would credit his victory to the bold move he made on the Yukon. Jeff also noted that, should Swingley falter, it would be credited to the same bold move. There is little question that a lot was determined on the Yukon River during Iditarod XXXIV: Slowly, the payoffs of the various strategies are being revealed.