Michelle Phillips following Jessie Royer into Nikolai.

It’s Wednesday morning, day three of the 2021 Iditarod. Teams are spreading out and strategies are becoming apparent.  By the way, you know you’re a serious race fan if you have 5 or more books authored by mushers in your personal library.  Again Dave Poyzer has captured some fantastic images of teams at Nikolai.

Weather for the McGrath area shows a chance of snow, temps rising into the low 20’s with 10-15 mph winds.  But, here’s the news the mushers have been waiting for – those double-digit highs will soon be in the rearview mirror.  From now through Sunday the highs will be in the stingy single digits and the nights will be well below zero!  Bring on the great sled dog weather and Joar gets his wish of wearing his heavy warm clothes rather than carting them in the sled.

Rick Casillo has departed Rohn after competing his twenty-four hour rest.  It’s an old race strategy to take the long rest after completing the run over the range and down into the interior of Alaska.  Rohn sits at mile 188.  Casillo raced in 2004 then took ten years off to establish his kennel, Battle Dawgs Racing Kennel.  The kennel goal is racing and raising awareness for combat veterans.  Casillo and his wife Jennifer have established a non-profit organization, Battle Dawgs, which provides year round camps for warriors featuring Iditarod dog mushing, rafting, hiking and hunting.  A crew of warriors usually brings Rick’s team to the start line.

Seven teams are resting in Nikolai.  That number includes rookies Hanson, Troshynski, Mackey and Parker.  Veterans in Nikolai include Hardwick, Daugherty and Johnson.  Both Troshynski and Mackey took their 8-hour interior rest at Rohn.  It’s a different strategy to complete the eight before the 24-hour rest but that’s due to rest rules.  In previous races ending in Nome, the eight was considered a Yukon river rest and was taken between Shageluk and Kaltag.  Now the eight has to be taken between Rohn and returning to Rohn.  The long rest has to be completed before departing Iditarod outbound.

Up ahead, rookie mushers Tuminelli, Schlosser, Underwood and veteran Kananowicz are on the river run to McGrath.  Almost half of the field is currently resting in McGrath at the hanger turned checkpoint.  That number includes some very high powered teams – Seavey, Kaiser, Diehl, Ulsom, Petit and Royer to mention a few.  McGrath is the most luxurious of the checkpoints this year with a large indoor space available for the mushers to sleep in and dry their clothes.

Ryne Olson Talks With Insider Guys While Camping Along the Trail (Insider Video)

Still ahead of that group, eight veterans are passing by Takotna on the way to Ophir.  They know what they are missing as they glide by the little town with 55 residents.  All of them have taken their twenty-four hour rest their in past races.  Takotna has been called the “Friendliest little checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail.”  In passing, mushers can’t help but think of the great pie and wonderful hospitality they’ve experienced in Takotna.  Community bakers began making fruit pies in January and freezing them to be baked in March and they made the cream pies as needed during the race.  With Takotna not designated as a checkpoint for 2021, I’d bet residents of the community are standing on the high bank of the river waving and cheering the teams on as they pass.  They (mushers and community) are looking forward to the 50th race of 2022.

Brent Sass is on his way to Iditarod with 14 dogs.  Ryan Redington with 11 dogs and Aaron Burmeister with 14 dogs are resting in Ophir.  Sass has portioned his rest out along the trail between checkpoints.  Redington and Burmeister completed the 8-hour interior rest at Nikolai.

Insider is posting some incredible video footage.  One that I particularly enjoyed this morning was an interview with Ryne Olson as she camped along the trail.  Ryan has a warm smile and during the interview it was evident she embraced the racing lifestyle and the opportunity to spend quality time with her dogs in the most beautiful place on earth.  Olson said the race is going well, it’s a little warm so she’s resting during the heat and running when it’s cooler.  Her dogs are doing well and she picks her camping spots for their scenic value.  To me, Ryne exudes the racing persona of Zirkle, Riddles and Butcher.  She’s the real deal!