Iditarod

Eye on the Trail: Takotna, Mackey, Teaford & Eklund

A dozen rookies, all in the back of the pack are either in Takotna or will arrive yet tonight.  They are soon to find out what all veterans know. Takotna is the friendliest little checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail.  The checkpoint is one of the favorites for doing the long 24-hour rest.  There’s a woodfired …

Eye on the Trail: Seavey Wins GCI Halfway Award

Dallas Seavey arrived in Cripple at 20:09 on 3/6 to be first to the Halfway Award checkpoint.  Seavey of Talkeetna earned the Dorothy G. Page Award presented by race sponsor GCI.  He has his choice of either $3,000 in gold nuggets or a smartphone of his choice with a year of free GCI mobile service.  …

Eye on the Trail: Siri Pics – Rohn to McGrath

Photographer Siri Raitto is out of Rainy Pass headed to Cripple via Iditarod Air Force.   The weather eased up in Rainy so  dogs and volunteers could be flown back to Anchorage.   Siri shares some photos taken along the way of Rohn and the trail to Nikolai.   See more Siri photos in the …

Dallas Seavey wins GCI Dorothy G. Page Halfway Award

   Veteran musher Dallas Seavey  (bib #7), of Talkeetna, Alaska, is the first musher to reach the Cripple checkpoint, which is halfway point of the Northern Route in Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race®.  Seavey  arrived at 8:09 p.m. with 15 dogs in harness.     By arriving first in Cripple, Seavey wins the Dorothy G. Page …

Eye on the Trail: Resting from McGrath to Ophir

Insider interviews with mushers today in McGrath has revealed a common thread – mashed potatoes.  If they had been talking about dinner that would have been a good thing but they weren’t.  The mushers were talking about the trail – soft trail that slowed teams down heading into Nikolai and again from Nikolai to McGrath.  …

Dallas Seavey penalized for Rule 34 infraction regarding dispatch of moose

  Iditarod Race Marshal, Warren Palfrey, convened a three-person panel comprised of race officials today to discuss (bib #7) Dallas Seavey’s encounter with a moose early Monday morning enroute from Skwentna to Finger Lake.  After further investigation, the details of the event are as follows:   A moose was dispatched approximately 14 miles from Skwentna on …

Eye on the Trail: Nikolai to Ophir

Nikolai to Ophir accurately describes the position of teams on the trail – EXCEPT, Dallas Seavey has departed Ophir for Cripple and is resting out of Ophir.  Maybe the extra/unplanned rest his dogs got while he dealt with the previously mentioned moose 14 miles beyond Skwentna set him up for a longer run to his …

Eye on the Trail: Winner Has Likely Reached Nikolai

It’s mid-afternoon on Tuesday.  While Insiders Greg Heister and Bruce Lee gave an update from Nikolai, they both agreed that the champion for 2024 would likely come from the group of 12 mushers that have reached Nikolai at this time.  Statistics from past races support that statement.  Time will tell but I did take a …

Eye on the Trail: Posild Wins Alaska Air Transit Spirit of Iditarod Award

As the first musher to arrive in Nikolai, Mille Porsild received the Alaska Air Transit Spirit of Iditarod Award.  Mille, wearing bib #12 arrived in Nikolai at 09:09 on Tuesday March 5th with 14 dogs in harness. Mille received beaver fur musher’s mitts with beadwork on moose hide (handmade by Loretta Maillelle of McGrath), a …

Mille Porsild wins Alaska Air Transit Spirit of Iditarod Award

  Veteran musher Mille Porsild (bib #12), of Denmark  was the first musher to reach the Nikolai checkpoint at 9:09 a.m. today with 14 dogs in harness, winning the Alaska Air Transit Spirit of Iditarod Award.  First presented in 2019 and given to the first musher to reach the McGrath checkpoint, this award will now …