Paul Gebhardt made it into Ruby before any other musher, claiming the prize of a seven course meal prepared over a camp-stove and an “after-dinner mint†of $3,500 in one dollar bills.
This is the second year in a row that the chefs from the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage have prepared a meal for Gebhardt, last year he was the first musher to reach Anvik, the first checkpoint on the Yukon River on the trail’s even-year route. I’m starting to wonder if Paul isn’t just running the race for the large meal, last year before leaving Anchorage Gebhardt told the Millennium’s head Chef that when he reaches the checkpoint in first position, all he wanted was a cheeseburger. Last year Gebhardt shared his meal with number two into Anvik, Martin Buser. It’s unclear for those of us not on the trail to know right away if he’ll wait the 11 or 12 hours for another musher to join him for dinner, its not like he doesn’t have the time to wait, if he is taking his 24-hour layover, he won’t be leaving until just after midnight tomorrow. The only time someone hasn’t shared the meal with another musher was the only time someone decided to pass on the whole thing completely, Doug Swingley on the way to winning one of his four victories blew through Anvik with grabbing only a slice of cheesecake.
Jeff King took an voluntary 8 hour layover in Cripple, he was the only musher there at the time who had already completed his 24-hour layover, and even with the extended break managed to leave a few hours before former race leader Doug Swingley, or DeeDee Jonrowe who was the next scheduled to leave.
To hear more about Jeff King, listen to the Bio & Interview I recorded on the trail last year (click here)