GPS Tracker Shows Lighter Traffic on the Ophir to Iditarod Highway

This morning, 40 of 41 teams were on the trail between Ophir – Iditarod – Ophir!  Dallas Seavey was the single musher who had made it through the two-way traffic and was beyond Ophir heading to McGrath.  Tonight the traffic has thinned dramatically as there are twenty-one mushers on the 80-mile stretch of trail but it’s still a highway with two-way traffic and according to some mushers, some stretches are better suited for one way traffic.

Wondering what Larry Daugherty has been doing sitting in McGrath all day?  His tracker isn’t tracking him!  Was it transferred when he switched sleds?  Larry left McGrath at 15:36 on 3/11, arrived in Ophir at 20:26 on 3/11 then spent 5 hours resting and departed Ophir for Iditarod at 01:36 on 3/12.  Hope he gets reunited with his tracker.  Larry is carrying empty COVID-19 vaccine vials to honor the work of the scientists who created the vaccine as well as the brave mushers who carried the diphtheria serum to Nome in 1925.  

We have another scratch.  Rick Casillo of Battle Dawgs out of Talkeetna scratched at Iditarod today out of concern for his dogs.  Rick and his wife, a combat veteran, run a camp for warriors with the motto ‘helping our warriors one step at a time.’  Casillo first ran Iditarod in 2004.  Out of ten starts he has eight finishes and a personal best of 26th place.  Forty mushers remain in the 2021 Iditarod.

Taking a quick look at the front of the pack, Dallas Seavey reached McGrath first and is leading the racel.  Brent Sass followed 3 hours later.  Both men say this is when the racing starts!  Wade Marrs came into McGrath an hour behind Brent.  None of the trio have taken the required floating interior 8-hour rest.  Seavey and Sass both plan to complete that rest before heading to Nikolai. 

Ryan Redington Has Taken His 8-Hour Interior Rest (Insider Video)

Ryan Redington wearing his neon green parka and frost on his eye lashes will be the fourth musher to arrive in McGrath on the southbound (inbound) run.  Ryan has completed the floating 8-hour rest so he gains some time on Seavey, Sass and Marrs.  Insider analyst, Bruce Lee says Ryan will gain four hours on the three guys in front who have yet to complete their required rest.  The big question will be the pep factor.  Will Seavey, Sass and Marrs come off that longer rest with enough pep to negate the time Ryan gained?

Joar Leifseth Ulsom Shared His Method of Keeping his Feet Warm (Insider Video)

It was 52 degrees BELOW zero last night out in Ophir and Iditarod.  Even the mushers who grew up in Fairbanks and above the Artic Circle felt the cold.  Jeff Deeter was ever so grateful to Joar Leifseth Ulsom for sharing his secret on keeping his feet warm.  Joar put plastic bags over his socks then slid his feet into his boots.  The plastic bag prevents the sweat from wicking into the boot liner which improves the insulation factor immensely.  Joar is looking forward to taking a trip to Florida with his family in a couple of weeks.  Thinking of that got him through the frigid night.

The Berington twins, Kristy and Anna have made the turnabout at Iditarod and are approaching Ophir.  They are currently in 26th and 27th place.  There was some talk about having an A team and a B team, thus the A team would get up and run and the twins would not be racing together.  That’s not what’s going down.  Anna and Kristy are staying true to the majority of their previous races and running together.  Kristy has run Iditarod 12 times and Anna is not far behind with 10 starts.  Last year the twins scratched due to a death in the family.  Kristy’s personal best finish is 16th and Anna is one spot behind at 17th.  

Four back of the pack mushers – Larry Daugherty, Victoria Hardwick, Will Troshynski and Hal Hanson have yet to make Iditarod.  Once they do, the traffic will turn to one-way going back to Ophir.  It’s going to get cold out there again tonight but not as cold as last night!