The stories of the day have run along three threads. The first and most unsuspected was how the sand storm affected the mushers ten miles outside of Tanana. The second is the list of teams than have decided to rest longer at Tanana before heading out on the 117 miles run to Ruby. 117 miles is the longest run of any Iditarod configuration. The third is the teams who are on their way to Ruby.
Anna Berington’s face shows the remnants of the sand storm. The mushers interviewed by insider in Tanana all talked about the storm – the black cloud they followed the trail into and how they managed to find the trail when there were no standing markers. Think of driving in a snow storm or in fog. The headlights don’t cut through the snow or the fog to illuminate the way, the light simply reflects off the snow or fog and in this case sand back at you. The sand swirled into their eyes, into their mouths and into their sleds. It’s not anything they want to repeat!
Several teams who had camped thirty-miles outside of Tanana and were expected to go 30 miles beyond Tanana before resting again, decided to rest in Tanana. Jeff Deeter, Quest 550 Champion, rested in Tanana then departed but thought he detected some soreness in his dogs so he returned and is still resting. Smart plan to re-evaluate so as not to end up putting a dog in the sled for the long miles to Ruby. Deeter said, the sugar snow has thrown them off as it’s not something they’ve been able to train in.
Currently nineteen of the thirty-three mushers are beyond Tanana, heading to Ruby. They’ll likely break the 117 mile run into 60 miles segments. Paige Drobny is 40 miles from Ruby. Her race analytics show she’s been running about 6 hours and resting 4 to 5 hours. The first mushers are expected to arrive in Ruby yet tonight. The leaders of the pack will make Galena Thursday morning.
By the way, the first official Iditarod sponsor award will be given at Galena – Feast on the Yukon – sponsored by Top Chefs from Locally Grown Restaurants. The winning musher will receive a gourmet dinner.
Mushers are adjusting their brains and their schedules to the longer route. The normal southern route would cover 998 miles. This Fairbanks route adds 150 miles. So as Greg Heister suggested, that would be like running the southern route but upon reaching Nome running back out to White Mountain and then returning to the burled arch. Another way to consider the extra length would be running out From Willow to Skwentna then returning to Willow and starting the southern route. Mushers will be making adjustments all along this trail to account for the added mileage.
As afternoon turns to evening on Wednesday, it’s mostly the rookies who are resting in Tanana. Matthew Failor and Jeff Deeter are the sole veterans.
Matthew Failor wearing bib 31, ran his first Iditarod in 2012. He apprenticed with Martin Buser and took the puppy team to Nome. He has 12 finishes in 13 starts with his best being 8th place in 2023. His only scratch was due to overflow outside of Safety in 2020. Failor, Tom Knolmayer and Sean Underwood requested emergency assistance from the situation. All the dogs and the mushers were in good health thanks to the efforts of Alaska State Troopers and Nome Search and Rescue.
Jeff Deeter in bib 33, and his wife Katie Jo Deeter operate Black Spruce Dog Sledding. Deeter ran his first Iditarod at the age of 19 in 2008 finishing in 59th place. He took ten years off to focus on building his home and business. He came back with a 43rd place finish in 2018 and broke into the top 20 in 2019. Deeter who is the current Quest 550 champion Claimed fourth in the 2024 Iditarod.
The mushers will reach familiar trail within the next day but not for an odd numbered year. They’ll be running the northern route from Ruby down the Yukon River. We’ll not know who is actually leading the race until mushers park for their 24 hour plus differential break. Normally that happens at McGrath and Takotna – mile 311 to 330. Ruby is at mile 319, Galena 369 and Nulato at 420. Let’s see how this plays out.
Iditarod has announced the first scratch of the 2025 race. Rookie Brenda Mackey scratched at Tanana with 14 dogs in harness. She decided to scratch in the best interest of her dog team.
