An analysis of the statistics shows we have quite a dog race on our hands coming into this final chapter of the 2012 Iditarod. Dallas Seavey left Koyuk this morning with Aliy Zirkle in hot pursuit. It’s obvious that they are going to fight this out to the end. Both teams trotted out of the checkpoint nicely and both teams looked great. Aliy has 2 little leaders that seem unfazed by the distance they traveled and are always attuned to her every movement.

Besides the exciting contest for first, there is an incredible battle taking place for positions 3 – 7^th. Ramey Smyth has now recovered from his bad luck early in the race and made a remarkable run up into the top 5. One of the most outstanding teams in the top 10 pack is Peter Kaiser’s. I felt, observing him, that he has the strongest overall team of any that I witnessed last night in Koyuk. All the other mushers around them are aware of Ramey and Peter’s strength and many commented to me that they are really concerned about the speed and strength of Peter Kaiser’s team. Although all the mushers were tired arriving in Koyuk after the run across Norton Sound, Peter and Ramey seemed the most alert. Sleep deprivation is hitting the mushers right now. Mushers seem like they are mentally moving through a fog and outwardly go about their chores in slow motion at times. As tired as they are, it is remarkable to me that they seem so focused on the care of their dogs, are polite to the fans along the trail as well as their fellow mushers. We’ll see how this all plays out as the mushers pull into White Mountain for their mandatory 8hr layover. Who wins some of these top positions will most likely be decided on the final run to Nome.