Defending Champion Joar Leifseth Ulsom is pretty much in the driver seat right now. He set the stage with his nothing short of phenomenal run from Rohn to Nikolai. His actual runtime was 8hours, while resting 4hrs of the trail. That was a blistering fast run and his teams speed has not really dropped off …
From Rohn, we made it out to McGrath. McGrath is one of the 2 major logistic hubs along the Iditarod Trail ( Unalakleet the other ). Flying over the trail is giving me a whole new perspective after usually being on a dog team or snowmachine. Right out of Rohn is the dreaded farewell burn. …
3 Days in the Rohn Checkpoint
Nicholas Petit was the first team into Rohn shortly before 6 p.m., followed closely by a number of teams. Rohn is a bit like going back in time; the Internet is marginal and barely allows for sending in and out times. So, we never really know who arrives and when. The crew in Rohn consisted …
Musher Rivalery
The big day is here. The Restart of Iditarod 2019 in Willow. Light snow fell in the morning and skies are clearing up. Teams are not parked on Willow Lake due to potential overflow with all the added weight on the ice. Lots of snow this year. Race judges just finished the mandatory gear checks …
Ceremonial Start! Fun times!
And they are off !!! Conditions could not have been nicer for the 52 Teams running 11 Miles from 4th Avenue to the Campbell River Airstrip. Unlike other years, where snow was sparse in Anchorage, this year trails are in great shape. Temperatures are kind on spectators and dogs alike. Not too warm, not too …
Musher Interviews
Iditarod is kicking into high gear. Yesterday afternoon was the Mushers Meet and Greet, followed by the official Mushers Banquet, where the bib numbers were drawn. The Yukon Quest has taken to a similar format, although at the Quest the 2 events are on 2 separate days. The goal is to give fans an opportunity …
Hello Race fans, Armchair Musher Sebastian here. Same as in 2018 I am going to be a race judge during Iditarod. I am hoping to keep you race fans up to date on the happenings in the checkpoint I will be stationed at. Likely the stories will be more of the ” back of the …
Shipping out the snow machine, the gas tank has to be near empty. Plus I was wondering how things were going for Nathan Schroeder, so late yesterday afternoon I went for a snow machine ride out to Safety with Dave Brenholm. En route we passed several teams who were headed to the finish line. Ed …
Teams Continue to Arrive in Nome
The siren continues to announce mushers at all hours of the day. The dog yard is getting pretty filled up. And I did it again, taking picture with no card in the camera….. Some teams arrive with large and nice looking strings of 13 dogs like Mats Pettersson or 10 barking dogs of Lars Monsen …
It is always nice to have a race within the race. When coming into Safety Noah Burmeister was still ahead of Scott Smith. Those 2 had been competing for Top 10 for a while. Only on the final stretch, 22 miles , to Nome, did Scott Smith pass Noah Burmeister. It’s a friendly rivalry, as …