Eight teams have departed Unalakleet since Brent Sass arrived just before mid-night last night.  Sass was greeted by many villagers and the Wells Fargo people who presented the Gold Coast Award to Brent.  The award includes $3,500 in gold Nuggets.  Sass stayed nearly five hours then headed up the trail to Shaktoolik.  Many folks commented on how good Brent’s team looked coming off the river into the checkpoint.

Dallas Seavey arrived 25 minutes into the new day and rested an hour shorter than Brent.  Aliy followed an hour later and rested a little more than four hours.  Wade Mars rolled in at 0324 and rested for nearly five hours.  Mitch Seavey rested outside the checkpoint and arrived at a couple minutes past 5 this morning.  He stayed in the checkpoint for only 12 minutes then headed to Shaktoolik.  

Mitch made Shaktoolik in 4 hours and 57 minutes.  He’s currently resting there.  Dallas Seavey made the run to Shaktoolik in 4 hours 56 minutes.  He took supplies and headed out toward Koyuk.  Most likely he’ll rest between checkpoints.  Brent Sass took nearly an hour longer than the Seaveys to cover the 40 mile distance.  To round out the top five at noon on Sunday, Aliy Zirkle is 5 miles from Shaktoolik moving at 7.3 miles and hour.  Wade Marrs is 10 miles behind moving at 6.4 miles an hour.  

The race is on.  Time, rest management and speed are strategic decisions the mushers have thought about for months.  While they continually evaluate according to trail and weather, their race strategy was the basis for their training plan.  How they train is how they run.  Yes, the race is on.

Mean time, back on the slough in Unalakleet there’s plenty of activity with teams coming and going.  Many village residents and some tourists are on the ice mingling with the mushers as they work with their teams.

Jeff King parked right around 1000 hours this morning.  Ever efficient King had booties off, straw down and brunch cooked in a very short time.  King’s efficiency is boosted by his newest cooker invention.  It works on the same principle as the heet fueled cookers everyone uses but his is higher efficiency.  He can heat enough water for his team in no time at all.  Posters and signs honoring Nash and encouraging Jeff awaited him in Unalakleet.

Pete Kaiser began booting his dogs for departure at about the time King arrived.  With Pete being from Bethel, his dogs feel right at home on the coast.  I’m not privileged to Kaiser’s schedule but I’m betting Pete and his dogs put the pedal to the metal over the final 300 miles to Nome.  Pete had a leader up front who seemed a little shy of the river Ice.  Pete very quickly changed out leaders and headed off toward the wind chargers over looking Unalakleet.  Kaiser has raced Iditarod since 2010.  His rookie finish was in 28th place.  For the next two years he broke the top ten followed by three top twenty runs.

Michelle Phillips was feeding her dogs who were dug right into their kibble.  More or less, they devoured breakfast while still in bed.   Phillips says she grew up in a very athletic family.  She trained as a figure skater and once she was introduced to sled dogs and the sport of mushing, she found she really enjoyed working with the talented and hard working athletic sled dog.  Phillips completed the Yukon Quest and realized her calling was long distance racing.  Phillips has run 6 Yukon Quest races and has received the Vet’s Choice Award.  She’s run Iditarod annually since 2010.  She’s had four top twenty finishes and has yet to break into the top ten.

There’s a large sign across the slough on the Dragon’s Back windbreak for all the 2016 Norwegian Teams.  I’ll get a photo of that later when the sun is in a better position.  Ralph Johannessen and Joar Leifseth Ulsom were both in the checkpoint this morning.  Ulsom’s leaders were wearing some pretty nice fur.  Specifically, note the harness.  Its hand made from canvas and then fur lined.  If a dog has trouble with a traditional harness “rubbing,” this harness solves the problem.  Also note the button adjustment on the side.  Miriam Osredkar uses the same harness for a few of the dogs she’s running.

Scott Smith is also resting here.  Scott has a large white dog up front in has team by the name of Harpoon.  Most mushers wear insulated bibs of some sort.  Not Scott, he is wearing Insulated chaps.  Seems like they’d give him a lot more flexibility.  He confirmed that staying he’s never particularly liked insulated bibs and prefers the chaps for ease of movement and less bulk.  Smith is a veteran of the Yukon Quest as well as the Iditarod.  He says he’s looking forward to another 1,000 mile race.  in his most recent Iditarod in 2015, Smith finished in 26th place with a time of 10 days, 6 hours and 12 minutes.  Right now sitting in Unalakleet, Scott is in 16th place.  Good luck Scott in making the next miles stone of a top twenty finish.

Ray Redington, Jr is resting in the checkpoint and Hugh Neff has also arrived.  There are many teams in route from Kaltag.  It’s roughly a 90 mile run from Kaltag to Unalakleet.  Mushers generally rest at either Tripod Flats or Old Woman cabin.  There’s an age old practice of leaving food for the Old Woman or she will cause you bad luck on the rest or your run.  Hope the folks who stay there honor her.