Two mushers scratch in McGrath, Nils Hahn and Alan Eischens

Veteran Iditarod musher Nils Hahn (bib #56) of Nome, Alaska, scratched at 8 a.m. today at the McGrath checkpoint. Hahn made the decision to scratch “in the best interest of our dogs.” Hahn had 13 dogs in harness at the time he made the decision to scratch.

Alan Eischens at the 2020 Iditarod Restart in Willow.

Veteran Iditarod musher Alan Eischens (bib #49) of Wasilla, Alaska, scratched at 8:59 a.m. today at the McGrath checkpoint. Eischens made the decision to scratch in the best interest of his dogs. Eischens had 11 dogs in harness at the time he made the decision to scratch.