The 36th Iditarod Sled Dog Race

[Tonichelle]

I'm glad you're enjoying the updates, ToePick!


Just a small update - Lance Mackey is out of Nikolai! The teams are just flying through the first part of the race, I hear the trail has been awesome.

There's a big debate going now that there are too many teams and that the trail suffers with so many dogs going through and that after about 50 teams the people living in the checkpoint communities are tired of the noise and the clean up and all of that... so we might be seeing a more on that as the race's popularity continues to grow. I can understand both sides, though... so it will be interesting to follow.

The Iditarod is #10 of ESPN top ten sports of the week...

 

[Tonichelle]

Photos from the Ceremonial Start - http://alaskanmagic.smugmug.com/gallery/4266314

 

[laceup]

I appreciate all the updates too .... thank you. The pictures are great to see!!! I love all the dogs tongues hanging out - lol !!!

 

[Tonichelle]

yeah it was a little warm for them (even though it was under 0 with windchill and I was FREEZING) that and they work themselves up before they even start running. They'd run all day if the mushers would let them. They love to just go.


Here's the update from late last night and this morning

Mackey, King, Backen roll through - http://iditarodblogs.com/news/2008/03/05/mackey-king-backen-roll-through/

Lance, Jeff, and Kjetil are booking along the trail, the race right now is not to Nome but to the Checkpoint of Iditarod, which is the half way mark of the race. First one there gets a nice little purse....

OMG! I just looked and Mitch Seavey has once again taken the lead out of Takotna! The email I read this morning had him down in 10th! I LOVE this year's race! It's a massive leap frog! It's great!

Mackey is currently second as he was first into Takotna - but as the article said he plans to rest the dogs there. Mitch rested the dogs earlier apparently as he was in the check point no more than 2 minutes! Long enough to hop off the sled sign in and release teh brake and head out!

Jeff King is 3rd, Kjetil Backen is in 4th (he's the one who wore the viking hat in my photos lol)

DeeDee is in 13th....

Martin and Rohn Buser have moved up since last night Martin is in 18th, Rohn in 21st (That he's so competitive this year as a rookie is really impressive... I just figured his dad would use him like Mitch uses his boys and have him train a puppy team and just hold back, I like being wrong)

Sweson is in 20th, Scdoris is now in 71st place, she's really moving along I'm impressed!

I am seriously loving this year's race... its anyone's game!


if you want to see photos from the trail here's the link to Jeff Shultz's photos. I applied to work for him this past winter but he'd already filled the position by the time I submitted my resume... he liked what he saw and has kept my name on file! - http://www.iditarod.com/learn/imagesfromthetrail/gallery.html

 

[Tonichelle]

Mitch Seavey is the first into Ophir... another exciting bit of info - Martin Buser has jumped to 7th!!!!

Anyway I need to fix a bit of info I gave this morning, I accidently said Iditarod was the half way point, that is true in the odd years when they take the southern route, since they're on the Northern Route this year CRIPPLE is the half way point and the purse is $3,000 in gold nuggest this year!

It is aprox. 105 miles from Ophir to Cripple, and the Mushers are told to expect it to take anywhere from 12 to 18 hours to make it to that checkpoint. Mitch is still in Ophir, I assume he's resting his dogs as it's mid day and that's normally when he likes to take a break as the dogs do better in the colder temps of nightfall.

Though with Buser and King - two of the fastest teams ever, Buser still holds the record for shortest time on the trail and that was back in the 90s! - he might not take a very long rest... but the typical strategy of the teams is run for six rest for six...

in those six hours the dogs sleep, eat, and get needed attention from the vets and the mushers. They get to rest for 6 hours, the musher is lucky if he gets an hour of rest. typically in a 24 hour period a Musher will get 1-3 hours of sleep.

 

[Tonichelle]

Well two more mushers have scratched, and Paul Gebhardt has taken the lead. While Seavey is still resting in Ophir, Paul took only ten minutes at the check point before heading out. Seriously this is worse than watching Evan and Johnny go at it at Nationals

Martin Buser has made it to Ophir, but has not left yet, and surprisingly Rohn is now in 9th! place and is enroute to Ophir! who could have guessed!

Jeff King is down in 13th place, Lancey Mackey in 12th....

DeeDee's in 21st and Rick Swenson's in 35.

Rachel is in 75th at teh moment....

this is so much fun!

 

[ManyCairns]

Wow, quite a race!

 

[Tonichelle]

I'm wondering if the Iditarod website isn't keeping it as up to date race wise as possible because we really are seeing a lot of jumping around... from mushers who are incredibly far back all of a sudden making a jump to the head of the pack... it's weird.

it's also odd that some mushers have taken their manditory breaks, and it's been reported in teh news, but not on the current standings chart... weird.

Anyway lol

Paul Gebhardt is currently in the lead leaving Ophir behind and heading on to cripple...

DeeDee Jonrowe is now in 5th (which is why I think they aren't keeping us as updated as they should...)

Martin Buser is in 6th. Both DeeDee and Martin are also out of Ophir.

Mitch is still at the check point and is currently 9th.

Rohn Buser is now in 12th

Jeff King is in 16th and still in Takotna, he is reportedly taking his manditory 24 hour break there.

Lance Mackey is in 15th and is also reportedly taking the 24 hour break... in face most mushers that are in Takotna are taking the 24 hour layover there.

Read an article that stated that the trail is actually slower going this year because it is warmer and some of the teams are getting sick because they're over heated... Jonrowe's dogs were sick to their stomachs yesterday but apparently they're feeling well enough to hit the trail hard today.

The weather is also pretty sour, it's raining in the area where the mushers are now. So we'll see... I honestly feel that it's no different than the last few years. Last year was EXTREMELY slow at the beginning beause of the horrible conditions (little snow) and all of the pile ups on their way to Rainy Pass.

Here's hoping the interior will be better going!

 

[Tonichelle]

Well, Backen, Mackey and King are all out of Takotna and eating up the trail. They all took their 24 hour layover and now they're ready to get back in the race. A great article this morning on Lance Mackey - http://iditarodblogs.com/news/2008/03/05/is-lance-mackey-getting-his-groove-back/ - it gives you an idea of what a true musher feels about his dogs.

Mitch is still in Ophir and as such has dropped to 14th... Rohn and Martin have both left Ophir, with Martin now in 6th and Rohn in 9th.

DeeDee has also overtaken Mitch, she's in 5th.

Rick Swenson also took his 24 hour layover and is in 51st.

There's a stomach bug hitting a lot of the teams, so this could be why we're seeing a lot of resting from the teams....

Cripple is VERY far from Ophir so it'll be a while before we see who makes it first to the half way mark....

 

[Tonichelle]

"Dodging Disaster" - http://www.adn.com/iditarod/2008/story/336399.html

great article and exciting read!

and in a surprising twist of events DeeDee Jonrowe is the first one into Cripple! Paul Gebhardt got lost on the trail, and I have no idea what happened to the others ahead of her!

Maybe this will be her year and she'll be the third lady winner!

 

[Tonichelle]

Well, I was right, Mitch took his 24 hour layover in Ophir and around noon he headed out to Cripple!

the placements haven't really changed among the top, those who are in Cripple have apparently decided to take a break, perhaps the 8 hour break, I don't really know. With the weather being so warm they could be giving the dogs a break before going through the next section of the trail...

I just wanted to update on Mitch's progress, because I could.

 

[laceup]

Thanks for keeping us posted, it's all very interesting! What temp. is best for the dogs to run in?

 

[Tonichelle]

according to Mitch Seavey best temps to run the dogs are around -15 or -20..... because they are running and working hard they don't have to worry about getting cold (and when they are resting most wear jackets so that they don't cool down too fast)

Well, Lance Mackey was first into Ruby - which means he's first to the Yukon and he won the 7 course meal from Millenium Hotels. Yum!

He's not going to have a lot of time to himself in Ruby, though. Jeff King, Han Gatts, and Kjetil Backen are right on his tail!

Jeff is third, Backen 5th... Gatts 2nd...Rick Swenson in 4th

Mitch has pulled up quite a few places and is on the trail to Ruby in 7th.

Martin Buser and DeeDee Jonrowe are still in Cripple taking their 24 hour layover. It's all about strategy at this point for everyone....Martin has some of the fastest dogs in the Iditarod, though, it's something he's known for... but this year Jeff King is the one who's blowing everyone away on the trail. The ride from Takotna to Cripple should have taken him upwards of 12 hours this year (by all aprox.) and he came in around 9 and a half hours!!

I'm also assuming that Rohn Buser is taking his 24 hour layover in Cripple.

here are a couple of articles worth checking out

http://iditarodblogs.com/news/2008/03/06/king-lays-his-cards-on-the-table/ - this one is about Jeff King's run to Cripple, but also has a sweet little blurb on Martin and Rohn. Some nice snapshots of the dogs and mushers too.

http://www.adn.com/2693/story/337833.html - Mackey talks about his trouble early into the race...

 

[Tonichelle]

I swear Jeff King is the most hilarious person on the Iditarod Trail... this article had me in stitches. His antics always amaze me, and after watching and reading up on him since the 90s you'd think they wouldn't! Eye on the Trail » Mackey, King appear headed for a duel

Mackey is in first, King second... Seavey's in 4th

Mackey and King have LEFT Ruby and are on the Yukon. This part of the trail scares me this year, with the warm weather and the fact that they are running ON the river in places... well... it's dangerous!

The dogs know when and where to get out of the way, however sleds are not as quick to move out of harms way, and if the musher isn't careful he and part or all of his team could end up in the water.

Swenson is in 7th and is in Ruby

DeeDee Jonrowe is in 12th and is still in Cripple though she is passed her 24 hour layover.

Martin Buser is in 14th, Rohn Buser is in 28... both are also still in Cripple and have taken their 24 hour layover...

not much in the way of movement by the big names today... I'm sure the news will explode in teh morning as most of the action always happens in the middle of the night.... dogs run better by the light of the moon

 

[laceup]

What a great article. Nice to hear what good sportsmanship they have towards each other!

 

[dorispulaski]

Toni, Thanks for all your effort writing this up! Doris P

 

[Tonichelle]

sorry I didn't do a morning update. Had a family emergency and we ended up with my 2 year old neice this weekend... and I had to watch her today... I am exhausted as I was up at 5am :no: I am not a happy camper at the moment.

anyway

the top ten hasn't really changed in standing. Lance and Jeff are in Nulato... Mitch is out of Galena and headed their way still in 4th.

Rick, Martin, DeeDee, and Rohn are all in Galena or have just left...

the media hype is for a King Mackey showdown/duel... but last year it was all about Buser and King (they were rivals in the 90s and really have always been neck and neck in most races) and then Mackey came up to win (which is what Buser is hoping to do this year)

Mitch's team seems to have slowed down a bit, they're not hitting the same speeds as they were earlier... Jeff is still hitting huge mph!

Jeff still has all 16, Mitch is down to 11 dogs...

everyone in the top 10, but Paul Gebhardt (in third at the moment) and Ken Anderson (9th) has taken both the 24 and 8 hour layovers.

Here's the newest article - http://iditarodblogs.com/news/2008/03/08/the-races-within-the-race/

can't wait to love on Mitch's dogs some this summer!

 

[Tonichelle]

Mitch's team is fading fast it seems. He has dropped in mph severely and is now in 9th place. I'm a little worried as the last update does not produce a number of how many dogs he has coming into the checkpoint. If he's planning on dropping more dogs he will have a hard time staying in the mix! :no:

Jeff King and Lance Mackey are still one and two, and Jeff still has 16 dogs, though he's debating dropping a couple at the next checkpoint (the front runners have made it to Kaltag)

here's an article on the status of the trail and all that - http://iditarodblogs.com/news/2008/03/09/a-game-of-hide-and-seek/

Martin Buser is in 7th, Rohn's in 27th....

here's hoping all of the mushers can keep the pace and that the trail is more merciful...

 

[Tonichelle]

Jeff King is first into Unalakleet... http://iditarodblogs.com/news/2008/03/09/lead-changes-hands-on-way-to-unalakleet/

 

[Tonichelle]

Good morning!

Well, Lance Mackey is first out of Shaktoolik. Jeff King was right on his tail getting into the checkpoint, but at this time has not left. Jeff decided to keep all 16 dogs after all, but it doesn't seem like he is letting his big team go all out as he's actually running slower than Mackey (though not by much).

A very good write up by Jon Little from Unakleet is here - http://iditarodblogs.com/news/2008/03/09/chess-game-heads-up-the-coast/

In a surprising twist Mitch Seavey is back in 6th after being down in 23rd last night! I honestly thought he'd be fighting for a top 20 placement He only has 9 dogs on his team, though I know that's the strategy he seems to favor, but with everyone else trying to keep the bigger teams I'm not sure if that will work for him. Oh well, I have faith that he can hang on with teh rest of the Past Champs....

maybe (don't tell him I said that )

Buser and Swenson are right behind him in 7th and 8th

DeeDee is in 12th


I have been bad about updating the scratch list - as of right now, 10 have scratched. John Stetson scratched in Cripple after one of his dogs died from pnuemonia. He originally dropped the dog at a checkpoint with vets who flew the dog back to anchorage where the dog passed away. A necropsy was performed and the cause of death determined. At this time this is the only dog to die on the trail this year.

that's this morning's update