Jed Stephensen Boots to Leave Anvik (Photo: David Poyzer)

There are three teams running at the back of the pack and three teams grouped at the front of the pack.  Eric Kelly and Jed Stephensen are sticking together in the back even tighter than Ryan Redington and Peter Kaiser up front.  Jason Mackey is the third team in the back, a few miles ahead of the other two just like Richie Diehl  is a few miles behind Ryan and Pete.  It’s likely we’ll see Eric, Jed and Jason rest at Kaltag and it seems that Ryan, Peter and Richie will rest at Elim before pushing on to White Mountain and the required 8 hour layover.

Richie Diehl Near UNK (Photo: David Poyzer)

The three guys up front include Ryan Redinton the grandson of race founder, Joe Redington, Sr along with 2019 Champion Peter Kaiser and up and coming Aniak Musher and Kusko 300 champ, Richie Diehl,  Together these guys have 29 Iditarod finishes and 13 top ten finishes.  Pete has a fastest time from Safety to Nome Award, Ryan has a most improved musher award and Richie has received the Herbie Nayakpuk award and a most improved musher award.  Together they have a great deal of knowledge and expertise when it comes to sled dogs and racing.

The guys in the back of the pack represent a variety of race experience.  Jason Mackey has finished Iditarod in six of seven starts. Rookie Jed Stephensen who hangs his hat in Idaho, is a celebrated musher on the Idaho-Montana circuit.  Eric Kelly is a second year Iditarod veteran. 

Eric Kelly met Jamaican musher, Newton Marshall in 2013.  From there his path to Iditarod accelerated as he helped Newton prepare for the 2014 Iditarod.  Eric spent the next few winters working with and training Kathleen Fredrick’s Shameless Huskies.  In 2018 Eric established Daybreak Kennel in Knik.  He now has over 30 dogs to select his race team from. 

Kelly has lived in Connecticut, Vermont and Arizona before relocating to Alaska.  He and his wife vacationed in Alaska then sold/packed their belongs and headed to the Last Frontier.  Eric works as a sprinkler fitter for Taylor Fire Protection.  He has a great love for music, especially the Grateful Dead.  He has a Deadhead sticker on his sled and his playlist contains a lot of their music. 

Unalakleet is quiet right now with only one musher, Riley Dyche, parked on the slough.  Enjoy the quiet time because nine mushers are running on the Kaltag portage toward the Bering Sea.  Two teams sit in Shaktoolik and two teams sit in Koyuk.  Temperatures are much colder than during the first week of the race.

Looking back in the race archives, it was 2002 when there was a tight race for Rookie of the Year between top ten finishers.  Norwegian mushers Robert Sorlie and Kjetil Backen stood under the burled arch together in 9th and 10th place.  Sorlie finished with a time of 9 days, 13 hours and 44 minutes.  Six minutes behind was Kjetil Backen.  Time will tell how the race plays out between current rookie of the year contenders Hunter Keefe and Eddie Burke, Jr.

Check out the Redington and Kaiser times against the record run of John Backer in 2011.  When leaving Kaltag Ryan is still ahead of Backer’s pace by 40 minutes.  Peter is ahead by only 5 minutes.  There are many miles and many weather scenarios to play out between Koyuk and Nome.  When will the Champion be arriving in Nome?  Well based on Baker’s arrival in Nome in 2011, Tuesday between 0900 and 1030 would be a respectable guess at this point.