Nicolas Petit Uses a Garbage Bag as a Rain Coat in the Rain/snow mix (Photo: Iditarod Insider)
All eyes are on Nicolas Petit. He completed his layover in Nikolai and took the trail at 07:47 on Wednesday morning. What’s his plan? Where will he rest? One thing about Nic, he says he doesn’t have a plan. If he had a plan, he’d only change it anyway so he’s decided the best plan is no plan. Well, take that or leave it but Petit will read his dogs and the trail to make a plan as he goes that’ll work best for his dogs. Nic passed on thru McGrath. Unmistakably, he was wearing a garbage bag over his coat. That certainly works in the rain/snow mix!
Nic was born in France, raised in New Mexico and now has his kennel in Big Lake, Alaska. He ran his first Iditarod in 2011 with a team of Jim Lanier Northern Whites. He’s started Iditarod eleven times and has finished eight. He would have been on the trail in 2022 had Covid not caught up with him. At the last minute, he recruited Jeff King to take Team Petit to Nome. His best finish so far, was runner-up behind Dallas Seavey in 2018. He has six top ten finishes. Nic took 5th place in the 550 mile 2023 Yukon Quest Alaska. Earlier in 2023, Petit earned his fifth Copper Basin 300 and 5th Willow 300 championships.
Wade Marrs departed McGrath at 04:47 Wednesday after a 5 hour rest. He went through Takotna as well as Ophir and is now camped about 9 miles beyond Ophir. That sets him up for a seventy mile run to Iditarod and his long layover. A lot of folks would like to hear from him on how the trail is. Quite likely no one, except the trail breakers have been over the route to Iditarod since the 2021 Gold Trail Loop. It looks like Wade camped four hours and is again on the way to Iditarod.
Wade grew up in Knik and has since moved to Solon Springs, Wisconsin where he’s learned some new training and feeding protocols. Wade describes himself as a quiet kid who spent plenty of time with the Redingtons to learn everything he could about the sport he aspired to take up. He also credits his late uncle with providing much support and knowledge about mushing. Wade came to the Iditarod through the path of the Jr Iditarod, participating in 2007 and 2008. Marrs has 11 Iditarod starts, the first being in 2009. He’s crossed the finish line in 9 of those starts with his best finish in 4th place. He’s finished in the top ten 4 times. He’s served on the Iditarod Board of Directors and the Rules committee and has been president of the Iditarod Official Finisher’s Club. Earlier in February, Marrs earned 3rd place in the Yukon Quest Alaska.
With Marrs leaving Ophir, three teams remain, all veterans – Jessie Holmes, Brent Sass and Aaron Peck. Ophir, now a ghost town, was named for a nearby creek that supported placer mining. The name, given by Bible-reading prospectors is a reference to the biblical Ophir, the source of King Solomon’s gold. The checkpoint is at the Forsgren cabin. Many mining items and artifacts still remain in the area.
Jessie Holmes grew up in Alabama. Upon turning 18 he headed for Alaska but stopped for a few years in Montana to work as a carpenter. He made it to the last frontier in 2004 and met up with sled dogs while running a trap line on the Yukon River. He took up residence in Nenana and began his mushing career while using his carpenter skills and enjoys a subsistence lifestyle. For folks who enjoy the TV series Life Below Zero, Jessie Holmes is a friend of the family. Holmes now resides in Brushkana and is constructing a new homestead and dog kennel. Holmes earned rookie of the year honors with seventh place in 2018. He’s five for five on starts and finishes. He has three tops ten runs with his best being 3rd place last year. In his spare time Holmes enjoys running ultra-marathons and likes to hunt and fish.
Brent Sass has one Iditarod win under his belt along with three Yukon Quest 1,000 victories plus two 550 mile Quest Victories. He’s no stranger to success and he’s also no stranger to disappointments. There was a Quest a few years back when he fell asleep during a run, fell off his sled and suffered a concussion which not only took him out of the Quest but he also withdrew from Iditarod. The next year he returned with a helmet. There was the year he had an iPod Touch along to enjoy music however the device was capable of two-way communication so Sass was disqualified from Iditarod. The next year, he was the third musher into White Mountain. After his required eight hour rest, Sass realized his dogs weren’t interested in leaving. He waited them out and finally when they said let’s go, he was ready. From a potential third place finish he slipped to 20th place. Through all of this, he has learned a great deal about mushing and about himself.
Sass grew up in Minnesota and moved to Alaska more than 20 years ago. He Loved the Eureka country and eventually acquire a homestead in 2012. Sass is the recipient of the Vet’s Choice Award in the 2015 and 2019 Yukon Quest. Mushing is a way of life for Brent. It allows him to explore Alaska and get to know each and every one of his dogs. He says, “Getting to know each dog’s behavior and personality is what makes dog mushing such an adventure. Everyday is exciting, whether it is learning something new about the dogs or traveling a new trail.” Sass has seven start and six Iditarod finishes. He has finished in the top five in three races. He is the 2022 Champion and hopes to defend that championship successfully.
Aaron Peck from Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada is one of the four mushers who hail from outside of the United States competing in the 2023 Iditarod. Peck’s rookie Iditarod was in 2000 when he finished 51st. Since that time he’s climbed the ladder of success, finishing seven of nine races. His first top ten finish came last year – 10th place. Peck and the Elevation Huskies focus on excellence in long distance mushing. He Says, “The Iditarod has the toughest competition in the sport so that is where we need to be in order to challenge ourselves against the best.”
Just a quick observation from the back of the pack, Gregg Vitello is heading toward McGrath while Mike Williams, Jr. remains in Nikolai likely serving his 24-hour required rest.
