News

Eye on the Trail: Unalakleet back to Ruby

As expected with the pace at the front of the pack picking up, the distance from leader to the final musher has lengthened.  Unalakleet (you-na-la-kleet) sits at mile 714 with teams about two-thirds of the way there from Kaltag.   Tracker shows seven top contenders resting at mile 676.  Tracker also shows  Erin Altemus and Bryce …

Eye on the Trail: Fish First to Beals in Kaltag

Veteran musher Travis Beals of Seward was the first musher to arrive in Kaltag.  Beals received the Bristol Bay Native Corporation Fish First Award from Carol Wren, BBNC’s Senior VP of Shareholder Development.  The award consists of 25 pounds of fresh Bristol Bay Salmon filets, $2,000 and a wood burned art piece created by artist …

Eye on the Trail: Yukon River Ice Road

Cripple checkpoint population is down to volunteers – trail crew, vets, comms and a few returned dogs.  The final mushers – Benjamin Good, Jeff Reid, Connor McMahon, Lauro Ecklund, Bryce Mumford and Joshua Robbins are making their way out of the interior to the Yukon River village of  Ruby, located at mile 495.  Once they’re …

Eye on the Trail: Beals to Robbins = 157 miles

Travis Beals after taking his 8-hour Yukon rest in Galena has checked into Nulato at mile 582.  Back of the pack mushers, Bryce Mumford and Joshua Robbins have just departed Cripple at mile 425.  Like yesterday, roughly 150 miles separates the leaders from the wheel dogs.  Again, the rookies of 2024 are a very strong …

Eye on the Trail: Travis Beals Into Galena

Travis Beals is out of Ruby and soon to arrive in Galena.  Matt Hall and Dallas Seavey are following approximately 30 and 40 miles back respectively.  Travis is pondering where/when to take his 8-hour Yukon rest.  Wisdom says take it while the dogs are running well.  Nic Petit is the only racer that hasn’t completed …

Eye on the Trail: Tracker Tells All

You’re a serious race fan if you check tracker before email in the morning.  What you found this morning was a rather amazing sight.  There were mushers moving again so green versus orange flags AND they were all between Ophir and Ruby.  Roughly 143 miles separates the leader from the 38th team.  That’s right 38 …

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 …

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.  …