FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GERRY WILLOMITZER WITHDRAWN IN SHAGELUK

Nome, Alaska – Sunday, March 10, 2013 – Iditarod Veteran Gerry Willomitzer (Bib #21) has been withdrawn from the 2013 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race by Race Marshal Mark Nordman at 22:20 AK Time.  After many hours of searching for his lost teammate, which was returned to the previous checkpoint of Iditarod, Willomitzer was unable to check-in at the Shageluk Checkpoint causing the withdraw.

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UPDATE ON GERRY AND MONTEGO:  It was earlier reported that Willomitzer had recovered his missing teammate, Montego on the trail between Iditarod and Shageluk, when in fact someone not affiliated with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race found Montego and took him back to the Iditarod Checkpoint.  When Gerry received word that Montego had been found, Gerry thought the Iditarod Sweeps had the dog and were continuing to his location, only to find out Montego was in Iditarod.  By this time, Gerry had fallen too far behind to return to Iditarod to retrieve Montego and continue in the race in a competitive nature.

Good news is, all are safe and will be headed back to Anchorage soon.