Gerhardt Thiart on the Trail to Nikolai (Photo: David Poyzer)

With the arrival of Gregg Vitello in Nikolai, all but one of the mushers of Iditarod 51 have successfully traversed the Steps, the Gorge and the Burn!  Jennifer LaBar scratched in Rainy Pass after injuring her hand on the first Step.  Gregg is likely breathing a big sigh of relief in knowing those challenging segments of the trail are in his rearview mirror.  Vitello arrived in Nikolai at 05:27 almost 6 hours behind Gerhardt Thiart.  Mike Williams, Jr. remains in Nikolai as does Nicolas Petit.  Petit will be finishing his 24-hour plus differential layover and taking the trail yet this morning.  The forecast suggests warm temperatures, 10 mph winds from the SW and snow/freezing rain.

On the fifty-four mile trail to McGrath, six teams are sandwiched between the leader Deke Naaktgeboren and caboose Jason Mackey.  The six-some includes Watkins, Smyth, Kelly, Jagow, Stephensen and Bailey Vitello. Deke took the shortest rest of 4 hours in Nikolai while Jason stayed almost 8 hours.  The other teams rested five to six hours.  They all departed during the night so will take advantage of the lowest temperatures of the day as they make their way to McGrath and beyond.

Twenty teams have signed into McGrath, the first being Ryan Redington who received the Spirit of Iditarod Award presented by Alaska Air Transit.  Of those twenty teams only two remain, Kelly Maixner and Riley Dyche.  Kelly has declared his 24- hour rest and it appears that Riley might be doing the same.

Takotna from the Air (Photo: David Poyzer)

Another eighteen miles ahead, Takotna has twelve teams parked.  Takotna has always been famous for their pie.  Even though eighteen sounds like a huge number to prepare pie for, there will be plenty enough for all thirty-two mushers who pass through.  During the COVID years, the race passed by Takotna.  Mushers are happy to be invited back into the village.  Even when not acting as an official checkpoint, Takotna residents prepared sack lunches and handed them out as the mushers passed by.

Takotna Specialty – Pie (Photo: David Poyzer)

Jessie Holmes reached Ophir at 23:45.  Brent Sass followed 35 minutes later.  They indicated earlier in interviews with Iditarod Insider that Ophir would likely be their choice for the 24-hour layover.  Very quiet up there compared to Takotna.  Aaron Peck is the sole musher on the trail between Takotna and Ophir.  He spent only 4 minutes in Takotna.  Perhaps he ordered pie to go.

Currently there are two mushers running with 14 dogs, Peter Kaiser being one.  Insider Analyst and Iditarod veteran Bruce Lee has commented a couple of times on how good Kaiser’s team looks.  Kaiser won the race the last time it followed the Southern Route in 2019.  This is Kaiser’s 14th race.  He scratched in 2021 on the Gold Trail Loop, has seven top ten finishes including five in the top five.  In 2019 he was the first musher to Kaltag to receive the Fish First Award and the first to White Mountain to receive the Achieve More Award.  Kaiser was born in and still resides in Bethel, Alaska.  He says, “Our family has always had dogs and I’ve been mushing since I was a kid.”  He has watched and participated in the Kusko 300 and credits that race as his inspiration to try long distance mushing.  Kaiser has won the Kusko seven times. 

Joanna Jagow, a second year Iditarod veteran is also running with 14 dogs.  Jagow did her rookie run on the Gold Trail Loop in 2021.  She’s had the honor of going “Up the Down Staircase” in the Gorge and also on the Steps as that route returned to Deshka Landing on the same trail.  Now she’s looking forward to going beyond Iditarod to experience the winds of the mighty Yukon, then run along the coast from Unalakleet to Nome, mushing down Front Street and standing under the burled arch.   Jagow grew up running dogs with the family on their trap line and says she has never quite gotten rid of the mushing bug.  Joanna holds a nursing degree and works as a Pediatric nurse at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.  Joanna has participated in many mid-distance races including the Yukon Quest 300, the Willow 300, Copper Basin 300 and the Kusko 300 where she received the Vet’s Choice award.

As the race slows down while mushers complete their 24-hour mandatory rest, the tracker and the standing page won’t change much.  That gives race fans a rest too because once the teams are back onto the trail this race will become intense.  We’ll see how strategies play out and what teams are really in the front of the pack.  

There is one wild card – Nicolas Petit.  While everyone else is resting, he will take the trail.  Nic has been very much under the radar while he parked in an out-of-the-way spot in Nikolai.  Bruce Lee has been commenting on how good some of the dog teams look but hasn’t said anything about Nic – oops – he sort of forgot about the guy resting early in Nikolai.  If my calculations are right and he does what I think he might, I see him getting to Ophir and heading off to Iditarod before Holmes or Sass finish their long rest.  Keep an eye on this one.

Here’s little side story about the students of Nikolai.  Back in 2012, under the coaching of their teachers, eight of the nine students skied the fifty-four miles from Nikolai to McGrath.  They trained all winter long in preparation.  Parents supported the skiers by hauling gear and cooking meals.  The kids experienced real outdoor education, lesson every day on the trail and a real sense of accomplishment.