Martin’s interview at the finish in Nome

Wearing bib #48 Martin Buser arrived in Nome in 37th place at 0231 on St. Patrick’s Day.  Martin was preceded to the burled arch by Tore Albrigtsen who arrived at 0205.  Tore is featured in a previous story, Norwegian Nine in Nome.

When asked at the arch about the challenges of the race, Martin cited her personal health.  He started the race with pneumonia.  Then coming out of Unalakleet he took a tumble with his sled and injured his hamstring.  I admitted the dogs had to get him up the Blueberry Hills between Unalakleet and Shaktoolik.  Martin said he called this race the sympathy race, referring to thinking about the pain and challenges his son Nikolai faces is while in rehab from injuries sustained an auto accident.  When he was asked how is race was, he laughed and said, “What race.  It was a camping trip.  A long slow camping trip.”  Martin snacked his dogs and moved down the line talking to each of his athletes with little name rhymes.  Being the Martin’s wife Kathy is with Nikolai in Seattle, friends brought pictures of the two and held them, one on each side of Martin for a picture under the arch.  When asked what was next, Martin replied, “Seattle to see Nikolai.”  Martin has completed 33 Iditarod runs since his first in 1980.  He is a four time champion (1992, 1994, 1997 and 2002) and has finished in the top ten nineteen times. 

Ninety minutes later, Karin Hendrickson came up Front Street followed by the Berington Twins.  Karin completed her race in 10 days, 13 hours and 55 minutes.  Add three minutes for the Beringtons.  While it was just before 0500 many fans, Family and friends were on hand to welcome the trio.  With three teams – mushers, sleds and a total of 28 dogs as well as vets, checkers and media, it was a little “busy” in the chute and under the arch.

Karin Hendrickson set her snow hook in Nome

Karin missed the 2015 Iditarod recovering from a spinal injury received when a car spun out on ice and hit her on a training run.  The recovery has been a slow process but in finishing Iditarod, she feels she’s reached a milestone in the process.  She’s been able to get herself back on track but not a painless track quite yet.  Shorter races scheduled for earlier in the year were going to be her test ground for herself and her younger dogs.  All but one of those races was cancelled due to lack of snow.  Back in January during the Northern Lights 300 is when the 7.1 earthquake hit southern Alaska.  Karin describes her experience while running toward the finish to reporter Joseph Robertia of the ADN, “The ice was rippling and waving like a waterbed when someone jumps up and down on it.  That went on for two minutes.  I was having a hard time keeping my feet. As the ice rolled and jumped, it cracked and snapped all around me. Water came shooting up through the cracks, and I was trying to figure out if we were all going to wash away.”   Once the ground and the ice stopped quivering and shaking, Hendrickson and team continued on vigilant for newly opened leads.  Hendrickson had participated in seven Iditarod runs completing five.  Her finish time in 2016 of 10 days, 13 hours and 55 minutes is a personal best.

The Berington twin with the blue and black sled bag brought her team to a stop in the center of the arch.  Only a few seconds later, the twin with the red and black sled bag parked on the far right hand side of the arch.  As I learned at vet check before the race, the blue and black sled bag belonged to Kristi, the red and black bag belonged to Anna.  Today, like in the first couple of years the twins ran Iditarod together, they finished the race almost simultaneously.  

Kristi (83) and Anna (23) Berington

Kristi, a seven year veteran, said the trip is really indescribable whether it’s your first trip or your seventh.  She had one young dog and that dog matured over the race and performed very well and made it all the way to Nome.  Her two leaders pretty much lead the whole way and were awesome together.  Kristi finished with nine dogs.  

Anna said her leaders Bison and Razor really stepped into the lead position after she dropped her most dependable and experienced leader at Finger Lake.  At first that felt like a real devastating blow for the team but those two dogs filled the void.  Anna dropped several dogs early in the race and was a little worried about how small her team was getting.  Anna finished with nine dogs.  That’s not surprising for identical twins.

BTW, Iditarod rules require that a musher have a minimum of five dogs on the towline at the finish line.  In this race, Dallas Seavey and Travis Beals finished with six and Ketil Reitan finished with five.

Richard Beneville, the Mayor of Nome is wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day