Seventy-one miles separates the champion who is likely resting right now in White Mountain from the finish line in Nome. Jessie Holmes is in the lead. Matt Hall has joined him in White Mountain and Paige Drobny is soon to follow. They’ll prepare for the final push to Nome with an 8 hour required rest.
So, as long as we’re thinking Nome, the live cam is active and this is what is visible of the burled arch, version III. The unveiling will certainly happen before the winner makes Front Street. From various sources, we’ve seen glimpses of burled arch III. The first stage of felling the Sitka Spruce near Exit Glacier and hauling the tree back to Willow were very impressive. Then came the peeling and shaping of the iconic arch. Northern Air Cargo (NAC) transported the finished product to Nome. During transport the new arch was wrapped in blankets and padding nothing less than what a newborn infant would be swaddled in. Now as the arch awaits the first musher of 2025, it’s still a secret to be revealed upon the removal of the blue tarp.
Creator of the new arch, Ramey Smyth has family ties with Iditarod going back to his mother in 1974 being the second woman to ever finish the race. His father Bud, brother Cim and wife Becca Moore are all Iditarod veterans as is Ramey. Add them all up and the Smyth family has taken to the Iditarod trail for 51 runs. Ramey has accumulated twelve top ten finishes and Cim has one. With his ties to Iditarod and his profession of log home builder, Smyth was the person to call after the demise of burled arch II.
Jessie Holmes arrived in White Mountain on Thursday morning at 08:39. As the first musher to reach White Mountain Holmes earned the Northrim Bank Achieve More Award. Holmes will receive a check for $2,500 and unique plaque which will be presented at the finisher’s banquet. Now is the time to test your skills in predicting the time when the 2025 champion and top contenders will arrive in Nome. Mushers have an 8 hour rest then 71 miles to the finish line. Ah, but don’t forget, those miles are through the blow hole, a section of trail that has derailed many a race.
Unalakleet, the first checkpoint on the Bering Sea Coast is the divider between the front half of the pack and the back half of the pack on Thursday afternoon. Anna Berington, Jason Mackey and Lauro Ecklund arrived mid-morning and will likely rest 6 hours before heading out to take on the Blueberry Hills and the trail to Shaktoolik, a distance of 42 miles. Beware, Shaktoolik is where the wind starts!
Yesterday as Jessie Holmes, Matt Hall and Paige Drobny left Shaktoolik they had plans for how they’d divide the remaining miles to White Mountain, plans that were likely changed due to the wind they encountered out on Norton Sound. Plans are made and changed on what the dogs need. Holmes said the wind was 20 miles an hour – head on! Drobny rated it at 30 mph. When Jessie arrived in Koyuk, he looked like he’d endured a lot of wind for several hours as did Paige. He decided to camp in Koyuk rather than go to his planned rest stop 15 miles beyond. Matt Hall went through while Paige Drobny chose to rest in Koyuk. For a few minutes around 16:30, the three top contenders were in Koyuk at the same time – Hall passing through, Holmes preparing to depart and Drobny checking in.
Mitch Seavey was the next musher to arrive in Koyuk but not until 06:00 the next morning, Thursday. Seavey went on through as did Bailey Vitello and Travis Beals. Michelle Phillips and Ryan Redington took rest in Koyuk and have departed. Mille Porsild who arrived at 02:19 on Thursday is still resting. Nicolas Petit is out on Norton Sound and Matthew Failor is on his way to Shaktoolik.
Rookie mushers LaLonde, Ford, Loebrich, McMahon and Daugherty have departed Kaltag North and are traversing the ageless portage trail between the Yukon River and the Bering Sea Village of Unalakleet. These mushers most likely will break the 81 mile run up by stopping at either Tripod Flats or Old Woman Cabin. Rookies Ebbe Pedersen, Dane Baker and Jenny Roddewig, the trio at the back of the pack, are resting in Kaltag in preparation for their run to the coast.
Yesterday, Rookie Justin Olnes decided to scratch. Justin had departed Eagle Island – North with 10 dogs in harness then returned shortly thereafter, feeling that his team needed more rest. He decided to scratch in the best interest of his dogs.
Rookie Sydnie Bahl was withdrawn from the race on Wednesday. She wished to continue however the decision was made based on rule 36 – A team may be withdrawn that is out of the competition and is not in a position to make a valid effort to compete. Bahl had 13 dogs in harness.
Quince Mountain was withdrawn from the race on Wednesday. He wished to continue but the decision to withdraw was based on rule 36 – Competitiveness. Mountain, from Mountain, Wisconsin had 10 dogs in harness and was a second year rookie.
Withdrawal is a process (Rule 51) that must be imposed by a three-judge panel thru a majority or unanimous vote. It has the effect of involuntarily eliminating the musher and team from the race but does not imply any deliberate misconduct of violation. The challenges of the trail are ever present and Iditarod supports and respects these dedicated athletes for their hard work and determination.
