As we check in on Tuesday evening, the competitive teams are spread out a distance of 95 miles from Rohn to where Jessie Holmes and Riley Dyche were camped 27 miles before McGrath. Jessie is now on the move. Riley is still camped. Page Drobny, Ryan Redington, Bailey Vitello and Mille Porsild are running about 10 miles behind Jessie. It would appear that Holmes will be the first musher to McGrath.
At the back of the pack, the mushers that were featured this morning have all conquered the Dalzell Gorge, have passed through Rohn and are resting just beyond the famed BLM Rohn Safety cabin. Bruton, Lindenmuth, Lindquist, Potts-Joseph and Paperman have likely heard horror stories about the Buffalo Tunnels and the Farewell Burn from previous Iditarod competitors. They might be dreading the snowless, moguled, rock strewn run to Nikolai. But once they leave their camping spot, they are going to be pleasantly surprised. Pete Kaiser, Matt Hall and Rohn Buser, all at the front of race, raved about the trail saying it was the best they’ve ever seen. Pete Kaiser has a few more runs through the Burn under his belt than Matt and Rohn so if he says it’s the best, we have to believe him. The trio also said the Gorge was in great shape too.
Richie Beattie, a re-rookie is making his way through the Farewell Burn this evening. Beattie is a veteran of the Yukon Quest, being Rookie of the year in 2006. He completed the Quest again in 2007 and 2020. Beattie’s first Iditarod attempt was in 2019 so he’s back to take care of unfinished business. Richie told Insider that his run this time was with rookie dogs so he was running a more laid-back schedule. He’s pleased with the energy of his young dogs. He managed the Steps until the end when he did a slow motion face plant into a snow bank. While many mushers complained about the wind, Beattie said it wasn’t any worse than what he’s used to at home. He was expecting a wild run through the Gorge but he might be surprised with how great the trail is.
Earlier today, Insider Jody Bailey advised fans to sit back and relax for the early part of the race. She emphasized that most of the teams that get to Skwentna first don’t go on the win the race. Well there’s always the exception that makes the rule. Back in 2023, Ryan Redington was the first musher to Skwentna and he did win the race. Bailey is a veteran of the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest. She emphasized the importance of holding the speed back in the early stages to keep fuel in the tank for further down the trail.
So what about getting to McGrath first? How many of the first to McGrath award winners in the past twenty races that have gone through McGrath have gone on to win the race? The number is just 6 out of 20 which is 30%. The strategy of holding back at mile 311 to keep gas in the tank has paid off for 70% of the mushers since 2002. The race didn’t go through McGrath in 2003, 2015, 2017 and 2025.
Insider interviewed a numbered of the mushers in the front of the pack in Nikolai. Pete Kaiser said he’s got some young dogs that are doing a really nice job and he was really thankful for the snow pack that made the run through the Gorge, Buffalo Tunnels and Burn really nice. Rohn Buser is sitting in Nikolai with a full line of 16 dogs. He also said the trail was great. Matt Hall was camped outside of Nikolai and couldn’t believe how great the trail was through the Burn. Ryan Redington, also camped outside of Nikolai said the trail through all the usual infamous sections has been really great this year. Will the trail hold up for the rest of the field? If the snow pack is as good as these mushers say it is, it should survive 37 sleds.
Jessie Royer has upped her number of sled losses to three. While she’s never lost her team in her previous 21 Iditarod experiences, she confessed to Insider Greg that not only did she lose her team between Skwentna and Finger Lake, but also twice in the Happy River Steps. She laughed and said she’s making up for the 21 perfect runs.
Mille Porsild didn’t enjoy the Gorge as much as some of her fellow competitors. She crashed and her sled went into the water. The result was a wet sleeping bag, frozen boots, and frozen zippers around her sled bag which made it impossible to get to dry mittens. So in her words, everything went wrong, except when she was able to borrow mittens from Thomas Waerner. Even so, she’s one of the first teams into Nikolai and is certainly in a good position in the race.
Lauro Eklund arrived in Nikolai with 16 dogs. He’s very happy with his team saying they have really gelled and are working well together. He made it to Nikolai in 5 runs, right on plan and figures to take two more runs to get to Ophir where he plans to take his 24 hour rest. He told Insider, “It’s been a beautiful race. The cold weather has been very dog friendly.”
Hey folks, if you’re on the fence about subscribing to Insider, go for it. The interviews with the mushers are really informative. Jody Bailey adds great commentary thanks to her many Iditarod and Yukon Quest runs. You won’t want to miss Gruce, when Greg and Bruce sit down and talk strategy and try to predict what moves the mushers will make. There’s loads of content that’s waiting for you!
