For two years in a row spectators have seen double in the chute on Front Street. Identical twins, Anna and Kristi Barington have come off the Bering Sea and approached the burled arch nearly side by side. Last year Anna’s lead dog broke the plane of the arch first by one minute. This year Kristi won the race between the twins. Nice that they share. There was quite a crowd to greet the Baringtons including students with a welcome sign. The race went well for the twins although there were some tough spots with trail conditions, rain, wind and broken sleds. Anna’s brake and handle bar broke before the Dalzell Gorge. With advice from Kristi and Gerald Sousa, Anna got it put back together well enough to run the Gorge, Buffalo Tunnels and the Burn. Anna was plenty glad to have a sled to have a sled waiting at a Kuskokwim checkpoint. Mushers are allowed three sleds during the race. The sled used at the restart counts as the first sled. Two sleds can be shipped out to the trail. McGrath is a popular place to ship a sled as the Steps, Gorge and Burn can cause plenty of damage. Unalakleet is another popular place to ship sleds to as mushers often change to a lighter sled for the run along the coast. Anna and Krisit who shared hugs under the burled arch have come a long way from their first mushing experience with the family collie and great pyreneese.

Born to Run,

Sanka