• The final 2010 standings
• Hank Debruin forced to scratch
• Awards re-cap
• Records broken all over the place
• and we share YOUR favorite parts of this years race.
• Using our Iditarod community for good

A big thanks to the tens of thousands of you who downloaded the shows this year, we appreciate your support.

Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes | Browse the Podcast Archives

On a personal Note:
This year’s race makes the 5th consecutive Iditarod I’ve covered exclusively for this website. I do this because of my love for the sport and because of the incredible feedback from our readers and listeners. As we spend dozens and dozens of hours every March creating this content, I’ve made it a point never to ask you, our followers for anything in exchange…and we’re going to be working to ensure that it stays that way.

But I do have one request.

I’m working towards a goal of raising $2000 help fight extreme global poverty before my birthday next month, and I need all the help I can get. I’m raising these funds in the honor of our new son Jonas who has been born into so much opportunity compared to others in our world. I strongly believe that each of us can work together to end the hunger and poverty that plague 3 billion people around the world who live on less than US$2/day. I’m partnering with an amazing organization, One Day’s Wages who work with select groups on the ground in these areas where poverty is rampant and who have real-world solutions to solving this problem one person at a time.

If you’ve enjoyed the coverage on Iditablog this year, or the last few years; please consider clicking on the link below and reading about the specific project that I’ve identified to raise support for. Let’s use our Iditarod community to change lives.

http://bit.ly/ODW-Josh-Birthday

Thanks again everyone, for all your support

-Josh Rogers
Iditablog.com

A BIG thanks to Iditablog.com’s friend Nate who recorded the whole thing for us.  Look for the second portion to be posted in a seperate podcast in the next few days.

ALSO, we’ll be recording our last live podcast of the season on Thursday evening, look for specific times to be posted in the coming days, but we’re taking your voicemails and email questions as we put together our final show of this year’s Iditarod.

To see pictures of the event (click here)
For a complete list of Iditarod 2010 Award Winners (click here)

The 2010 Musher’s Banquet was held Sunday night, March 21st at the Nome Recreation Center.  Packing the place out once again over 800 volunteers, fans and locals alike gathered to hear stories of the trail as all finishing mushers were well into Nome by the time the banquet began, which means there will be no “Red Lantern Banquet” in 2010.  Frugal Nomeites will often skip the long and expensive ceremony and opt for the cheaper and shorter “Red Lantern Banquet” a few days later during years in which there are teams still out on the trail.  The “big show” sunday night gives each dog driver the opportunity to speak to the crowd and tell stories about their journey to Nome.  The highlight of the evening is always the awards portion, achievements earned on the trail are re-presented at this time and there are a handful of honors which are voted upon by different groups before the banquet begins and presented for the first time.  Mushers vote for items such as”Best Checkpoint” and “most helpful Vet on the Trail,” awards are also given for “Fastest time from Safety to Nome” and “Most Improved Musher” among others.  The highest honor of the evening comes in the form of the “Alaska Airlines Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award” and is given to a top twenty team who best demonstrates outstanding dog care while remaing competitive.

Big News from the event includes Lance Mackey saying he might skip the 2011 Iditarod in order to compete in another, international race.  Mackey also declared that Jeff King wouldn’t be staying in retirement, saying that King would be the “Brett Favre of mushers.”  We have more fun highlights the evening and will share them with you as the audio is posted in the next few days.

Congratulations again to Lance on his fourth consecutive Iditarod victory, congratulations also to all those who walked away with a special recognition this year, and to all those who made it to Nome – it’s an amazing feat.

To see pictures of the event (click here)
To hear audio from the 2010 Banquet (click here)

List of 2010 Iditarod Awards and recipients.

Special Iditarod Awards in Order of Presentation along the Trail

McGrath Checkpoint

PenAir Spirit of Alaska Award – Won by Jeff King

• Original “Spirit Mask” presented to the first musher into McGrath
• $500 PenAir credit towards travel or freight shipments also awarded

Halfway Point of the Iditarod – Cripple Checkpoint

GCI Dorothy G. Page Award – Won by Dallas Seavey

• Presented In honor of Dorothy Page, the “Mother of the Iditarod” to the first musher into Cripple (Iditarod in odd years)
• Trophy and $3,000 in gold nuggets

First to the Yukon River- Ruby Checkpoint

Millenium Hotel First Musher to the Yukon Award – Won by Jeff King

• Presented to the first musher that reaches the Yukon River (Ruby even-numbered years, Anvik in odd-numbered years).
• Awarded a 7-course meal, cooked on a camp stove by a Millenium Hotel staff, at the checkpoint and $5,000 as an ‘after-dinner mint’
• Musher receives the same 7-course meal for 2 anytime of their choosing at the Millenium Hotel.

Unalakleet Checkpoint

Wells Fargo Gold Coast Award – Won by Lance Mackey

• Presented with a trophy and $2,500 in gold nuggets to the first musher to reach the Bering Sea’s “Gold Coast”

End of the Race – First to Nome

Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Official Truck Award – Four Time Champion Lance Mackey

• 2010 Dodge Ram 4×4, Quad Cab Pickup Truck Presented to Iditarod winner for almost 20 years

Wells Fargo Winner’s Purse Award

• The big cash payout…

Wells Fargo Red Lantern Award – Presented to Celeste Davis

• Presented for 17 years to the last finisher of the Iditarod.
• Trohpy made from a red lantern

Banquet

Alaska Airlines Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award – Presented to Sebastian Schnuelle

• Presented to a top 20 team who best demonstrates “outstanding dog care while remaing competitive” throughout the race
• Given a Lead crystal cup and 2 free round trip tickets on Alaska Airlines

Fred Meyer Sportsmanship Award – Presented to Ray Redington, Jr

• Engraved trophy and $500 Fred Meyer gift certificate Presented to a participant chosen by fellow mushers

Horizon Lines Most Improved Musher Award – Presented to Sam Deltour

• Engraved trophy and $2,000 presented to musher who betters their previous finish by the greatest number of places

Nome Kennel Club Fastes Time From Safety to Nome Award – Won by Paul Gebhardt

• $500 presented to a top-20 musher with the fastest time from the Safety checkpoint to the finish line.

Rookie of the Year Award – Won by Dan Kaduce

• Presented for 30 years to the top-place rookie (a musher who has never before started the race)
• Trophy and $1,500

City of Nome Lolly Medley Memorial Golden Harness Award – Presented to Maple, Lance Mackey’s Leader

• Previously presented by the late Lolly Medley, a Wasilla harness maker and one of two women to run the 2nd Iditarod in 1974.  The award is now presented in her honor to an outstanding lead dog, chosen by the mushers.
• Embroidered gold-colored harness

Golden Clipboard Award – Presented to Cripple

• Presented for 10 years, by mushers, to a checkpoint voted by mushers.

Golden Stethoscope Award – Presented to Caroline Griffitts

• Presented by Iditarod Official Finishers Club to the vet whom mushers vote “most helpful on the trail.”

Northern Air Cargo Herbie Nayokpuk Memorial Award – Presented to William “Middie” Johnson

• Presented to musher who most mimics “Herbie: The Shismaref Cannon Ball” in his/her attitude on the trail by the staff and officials of the Iditarod.
• Free freight allotment on Northern Air Cargo, walrus ivory scrimshawed trophy, $1,049 in “pocket change” inside a NAC jacket

ExxonMobil Mushers Choice Award - Presented to Jim Lanier

Thanks to KICY’s Nate Hobbs for the great shots

Have photos from Nome you’d like to contribute?  email Josh

Big thanks to:

• The 2,091 of you who joined us for the broadcast
• Dennis, Lon, Nate & Nate with KICY for the great commentary
• The BSSD webcam in Nome

It was a blast – thanks for being a part of the show.

To hear more of the 2010 top mushers arrive to Nome (click here)

We’ll have the broadcast archive of our live coverage posted within the hour. Hans Gatt JUST arrived in Nome in second place, Jeff is should be arriving soon.

Our video feed will come from several streaming webcams in Nome and after the Iditablog “pre-game show”, live audio will come from the burled arch itself as you hear history being made as the winning musher crosses the finish line of Iditarod 38.

CLICK HERE to open a new window that will provide you with the live stream.

We’ll be broadcasting live tomorrow as the race wraps up. Watch the twitter & facebook feeds for the most up to the minute broadcast news.

A big thanks to the thousands of you who have downloaded the shows so far, we appreciate your support.
Feel free to email us with topics or questions you’d like to hear us discuss on the next episode… the email address is: josh@radioalaska.org, send us a twitter/facebook message or call the voicemail box at 253-778-MUSH.

Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes | Browse the Podcast Archives

iTunes Listing note: We’ve been having issues with the podcast updating properly within the iTunes Store, it’s a problem many podcasts are having right now and iTunes is working to get it fixed. However, if you subscribe to the show you will still get new episodes delivered to your computer.

Many of you have been asking for an estimate on an arrival into Nome, I agree whole-heartedly with the Trail Committee’s guess of between 12-3pm on Tuesday afternoon. We will open the webcast stream a little bit after Mackey goes through Safety, and will broadcast once we gets closer to Nome. Twitter & Facebook will keep you in the loop and up to the minute.

We will begin broadcasting TONIGHT at 8:15 Alaska time, and will post the podcast shortly thereafter.

Currently in 4th place, Ken Anderson is a total of five hours from leading the pack however out of the seven mushers to arrive at the Norton Sound village so far this morning, he had the quickest pace.

The race for the top ten also includes Ramey Smyth (currently in 8th) recently arriving to Koyuk late this morning, Dallas Seavey (currently in 10th) leaving Shaktoolik early this morning, Ray Reddington Jr (currently 12th), Sonny Linder (13th), and Zach Steer (14th position). DeeDee Jonrowe left Unalakleet at 8am this morning after a 6 hour rest and a very impressive time from Kaltag with being down to eight dogs.

We’re broadcasting tonight and will be also preparing for our finish line broadcast. If you have comments or questions for us to include, please contact us. We will also be “taking calls”, if you have a perspective, observation or thought on this years race and would like to be on-air with us, shoot me an email with the words “finale call-makers” in the subject and include a brief synopsis on what you’d like to add to the discussion.

When Jonrowe visited Unalakleet earlier this year, Erickson was fascinated by her dog, Miyagi, calling for him after Jonrowe had left. Logan didn’t speak before this. Obviously Logan benefited significantly from the presence of a dog, and DeeDee, like most mushers, understands the benefits that dogs can have on humans. Specifically, service dogs for autistic children provide emotional support, as well a significant safety net.

For those of you who don’t know, autism manifests itself in children through lack of social skills, as well as a tendency to wander off and difficulty sleeping. 4 Paws for Ability, the organization through which Logan will receive his dog, is the first and continues to be the largest organization that places service dogs with autistic children. They have an intimate understanding of autism, and have developed training for their dogs to best suit the children they will be serving. For example, these service dogs are not only trained how to aid a child in behavioral and social contexts, but are also trained in search and rescue so that when their child wanders off they can track him/her down. Pretty impressive if you ask me!

This dog will clearly make a significant impact on the life of Logan, and on the rest of his family (4 olderr brothers, and parents Jeff and Donna) . As such, several other mushers jumped on board when they heard what DeeDee was up to. Martin Buser, Aliy Zirkle, Lance Mackey, Mitch Seavey and William “Middie” Johnson have all gotten involved by either donating items or experiences toward the auction or soliciting pledges for their race.

When Logan receives his dog here shortly, DeeDee and fellow mushers will have run a successful race – one that will forever change the life of a little boy. That, in my opinion, is worth running a thousand miles across Alaska for.

-Loren Liden for Iditablog.com

If you’re interested in more, check these links out:

4 Paws for Logan

4 Paws for Ability

I lot has happened since I took my hiatus, during that time Lance Mackey swept through Kaltag where Jeff King was resting and continued on without stopping and took the lead. King was several hours behind, arriving into Unalakleet three hours later, running almost at the exact same pace as Mackey.

As of this morning both Lance Mackey and Jeff King have left Unalakleet and are making their way to Shaktoolik. The difference now is that King is the one who took 3 hours less of a rest than Mackey, and is only a few miles behind the race leader. They are probably going to continue running at a similar pace as one another, although it will be interesting to see what the times are going into Shaktoolik.

Hugh Neff was only 45 minutes behind King in reaching the Bering Sea checkpoint village with Hans Gatt arriving half hour later. Depending on when they leave Unalakleet it could still be anyone’s race – there have certainly been Iditarods that were won on the coast before.

Two mushers to watch right now are Ramey Smyth and John Baker, both posted impressive times from Nulato to Kaltag and are known for their speed in this part of the race. Nothing is off the table for those two right now, although the top five is so tight still that it might be difficult for an upset that they would normally be capable of.

I’ll be watching the race closely (and the baby closely) for the next several hours and will report back with interesting observations (with the race). Greg & I hope to record another podcast or two before the winner arrives in Nome, we’ll keep taking your questions at josh-@-iditablog.com

Oh, and congratulations to Iditablog’s newest father! Josh Rogers and wife Lydia welcomed their first child this afternoon!

-Loren Liden for Iditablog.com

Today’s topics include:
- Baker gets lost into Halfway point
- AP publishes article with wrong GPS info
- Seven Course Meal
- King & Mackey Rivalry
- follow the progress of Alex’s film on his twitter account: @coldfootfilms

A big thanks to the thousands of you who have downloaded the shows so far, we appreciate your support.
Feel free to email us with topics or questions you’d like to hear us discuss on the next episode… the email address is: josh@radioalaska.org, send us a twitter/facebook message or call the voicemail box at 253-778-MUSH.

Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes | Browse the Podcast Archives

iTunes Listing note: We’ve been having issues with the podcast updating properly within the iTunes Store, it’s a problem many podcasts are having right now and iTunes is working to get it fixed. However, if you subscribe to the show you will still get new episodes delivered to your computer.

Lance Mackey continues to hunt down Jeff King in what could become one of Iditarod’s greatest rivalries. King has announced his retirement from the Iditarod after this year and has already pre-sold his dogs for when the race is over. This is King’s last shot to attain a record-tying fifth victory, something only done by one other musher, Rick Swenson in 1991. Mackey seeks to create history of his own though, crossing the finish line first next week in Nome would mean Mackey would be the only musher to ever win four back-to-back victories, and it would put him in a great position to go after that fifth or sixth win. It’s not just those two though who we could see winning this year’s Iditarod, Mitch Seavey. Hugh Neff and Hans Gatt are within striking distance and now that most of the mandatory layovers are out of the way, the rest of the race will likely be decided on each team’s schedule – how long they run, and how much they rest. There are still big, bold moves to be made the run schedules, which means the tight field of about 15 top teams could also catch up with the leaders and walk away with the first place trophy. King left the checkpoint of Ruby early this afternoon and headed out onto the Yukon River making his way to Galena and then Nulato. Mackey departed an hour later.

One of the most impressive teams we’re watching right now is that of Rick Swenson, the previously mentioned 5-time Iditarod winner who continues to post some of the fastest and strongest times between checkpoints. The 59-year old from Two Rivers Alaska hasn’t placed in the top ten since 2004, but in a strong 11th place right now, he could be one to watch as he is only seven hours behind the race leaders.

Rookie Justin Savidis’ lost three-year old dog “Whitey” has yet to be recovered, Iditarod Headquarters is reporting. Savidis lost the dog on the trail between Nikolai and McGrath a few days ago and since then a search has been underway with Savidis joining Alaska State Troopers and flying overhead. Members of the Iditarod Air Force have also been keeping an eye out for the dog, as have local McGrath volunteers who are taking to the trail on snowmachine. Officials report that Savidis is continuing to stay in McGrath with this hopes his dog will be found and returned to him.

Two more mushers have scratched from this year’s race; fan favorite Karen Ramstead unfortunately decided to scratch last night in McGrath sitting personal reasons. Reports say that her team of 14 dogs looked great coming into the checkpoint, Ramstead is known for being one of only a few mushers in the sport to have a whole team of pure-bred Siberian Huskies. Tom Thurston also scratched in McGrath, this morning the musher cited his team’s performance as the reason he was withdrawing from the race. He only had 9 dogs on his team at the time.

Ruby is no stranger to wealth, however. Nicknamed the “Gem of the Yukon,” the village of Ruby, has its roots in the gold rush, springing out of the Yukon when gold was discovered in Ruby Creek over a hundred years ago. With close proximity to the airfield and the steamboat landing on the Yukon River, Ruby was a major thoroughfare for miners in the early twentieth century. At its height, Ruby was home to over 3,000 people, but the population began to dwindle with World War I. Many men left to fight leaving the primarily labor-driven economy of Ruby without its lifeblood. Add to that grim prognosis the ship Sophie which sunk with many of the village’s women and children, and the fire of 1929 which destroyed the riverfront properties, and Ruby was left luster-less, a gem without a sparkle. Now this high-profile Iditarod checkpoint boasts of a mere 200, and its future doesn’t look so bright.

Like Iditarod checkpoint McGrath, Ruby is primarily inhabited by native-americans, Athabascans, who dwell in rather rustic homes. Few have running water and septic systems. Tourism fuels the economy in Ruby, however, like the gold rush, tourism of the Yukon is on its way out. Travel costs have sky-rocketed, and access to remote villages like Ruby is challenging. One thing is sure, Ruby is a coveted destination for plenty of mushers each year as they mush the 1,000 mile Iditarod.

- Loren Liden for Iditablog.com

Below is this year’s menu which will be served to the first musher that arrives to Ruby.

2010 First Musher to the Yukon Award
As Prepared by Millennium Hotel’s Executive Chef (on a camp stove)

Appetizer
Alaskan King Crab nestled in a bed of spinach with remoulade sauce

Soup – Bison Stew
Tenderloin of bison with fresh Alaskan vegetables and potatoes in a pork reduction

Fish Course – Grilled halibut
Alaskan halibut marinated in white wine and garlic and glazed with a citrus sauce

Intermezzo
Lemon sorbet served on a bed of candied lemons splashed with lemon cello

Main Dish – Tenderloin Tournedos
tenderloin of beef sauteed with a brandy peppercorn sauce, served on a bed of roasted garlic Portabello mushrooms, with turned Yukon potatoes and brown sugar carrots

Fruit and Cheese Plate – Fruit Flower with Cheese Wheel
Assorted fresh-fruit flower with imported cheeses as petals and a crostini stem

Dessert – Blackberry Jubilee
Fresh blackberries sauteed with brown sugar and flamed with blackberry brandy, served over vanilla bean ice cream

Looking back at the trail times into Cripple from mushers who had completed their 24, King faired the best at 9hr 10min, Mitch Seavey had 9hr 39min, and Mackey/Haltmann both had about 9hrs 50min. King continues to show the strength of his team, boasting some of the fastest times throughout the race.

The 70 mile route from Cripple to Ruby will likely take teams 7 to 10 hours depending on trail conditions. Once there, leading teams usually choose to take another of their mandatory layovers (8 Hour) on the first Yukon River checkpoint, although in a tight race like this year it wouldn’t be too surprising to see someone try something different.

What was interesting to see transpire was how many news reports were going out that had Baker into Cripple first, hours before anything happened. This is a good reason to wait for the official standings, as slow as they sometimes may be to write an article you expect to publish on the AP wire. The Cripple checkpoint was moved several years ago and is about 30 miles further than published, apperantly this move was not reflected on the GPS map and so it looked like Baker had gone through the checkpoint already when in reality he was still on his way there.

Two years ago, the last time the Cripple Checkpoint was used (Northern Route) we had the race leader at the time, Paul Gebhardt have some issues with finding the Cripple checkpoint that some think may have cost him the race. He went so far down the trail and second-guessed himself and assumed that he had passed his destination so he turned around and went the wrong way for a while. It’s possible that with losing 5 hours a similar thing happened to Baker. This run is the longest from Ophir to Cripple is the longest in the Iditarod.

A big thanks to the thousands of you who have downloaded the shows so far, we appreciate your support.

Feel free to email us with topics or questions you’d like to hear us discuss on the next episode… the email address is: josh@radioalaska.org, send us a twitter/facebook message or call the voicemail box at 253-778-MUSH.

Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes | Browse the Podcast Archives

iTunes Listing note: We’ve been having issues with the podcast updating properly within the iTunes Store, it’s a problem many podcasts are having right now and iTunes is working to get it fixed. However, if you subscribe to the show you will still get new episodes delivered to your computer.

Each musher is required to pick a checkpoint on the trail where they take a 24-hour break from the race and it’s at these layovers where the starting time differentials will be made up. King is wearing bib #15 which means that on top of staying in Takotna (assuming that’s where he’s decided to take his layover) for 24 hours, he’ll have to wait nearly 2 additional hours because of his early starting number. If everyone stays where they are, it might actually put Hugh Neff in a pretty good spot as he has a much higher bib number. Neff could be leaving Takotna pretty close to when King does, even though he arrived an hour and a half later.

Hans Gatt and Cim Smyth passed a sleeping crowd in Takotna and continued on to the checkpoint of Ophir. If the top 20 teams (minus Gatt & Smyth) that all arrived into Takotna really are taking the 24, today will be a slower day in the race and not much will happen. It is very likely however, that someone will try and position themselves a bit differently and head onto a further checkpoint – but we’ll just have to wait and see.

You can see the 24-hour layover rest times for this year’s Iditarod (click here)

The first Award of Iditarod 2010 was given out this evening to Jeff King as he arrived at McGrath. There are several other awards given to mushers that arrive to specific checkpoints, there are also a handful of awards that are voted on and given in Nome once the race is over.

Special Iditarod Awards in Order of Presentation along the Trail

These awards are presented twice, once at the checkpoint or finish line and then again at the Musher’s Banquet in Nome. Only noted below are the initial presentation.

McGrath Checkpoint

PenAir Spirit of Alaska Award

• Original “Spirit Mask” presented to the first musher into McGrath
• $500 PenAir credit towards travel or freight shipments also awarded

Halfway Point of the Iditarod – Cripple Checkpoint

GCI Dorothy G. Page Award

• Presented In honor of Dorothy Page, the “Mother of the Iditarod” to the first musher into Cripple (Iditarod in odd years)
• Trophy and $3,000 in gold nuggets

First to the Yukon River- Ruby Checkpoint

Millenium Hotel First Musher to the Yukon Award

• Presented to the first musher that reaches the Yukon River (Ruby even-numbered years, Anvik in odd-numbered years).
• Awarded a 7-course meal, cooked on a camp stove by a Millenium Hotel staff, at the checkpoint and $5,000 as an ‘after-dinner mint’
• Musher receives the same 7-course meal for 2 anytime of their choosing at the Millenium Hotel.

Unalakleet Checkpoint

Wells Fargo Gold Coast Award

• Presented with a trophy and $2,500 in gold nuggets to the first musher to reach the Bering Sea’s “Gold Coast”

End of the Race – First to Nome

Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Official Truck Award

• 2010 Dodge Ram 4×4, Quad Cab Pickup Truck Presented to Iditarod winner for almost 20 years

Wells Fargo Winner’s Purse Award

• The big cash payout…

Wells Fargo Red Lantern Award

• Presented for 17 years to the last finisher of the Iditarod.
• Trohpy made from a red lantern

Banquet

Alaska Airlines Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award

• Presented to a top 20 team who best demonstrates “outstanding dog care while remaing competitive” throughout the race
• Given a Lead crystal cup and 2 free round trip tickets on Alaska Airlines

Fred Meyer Sportsmanship Award

• Engraved trophy and $500 Fred Meyer gift certificate Presented to a participant chosen by fellow mushers

Horizon Lines Most Improved Musher Award

• Engraved trophy and $2,000 presented to musher who betters their previous finish by the greatest number of places

Nome Kennel Club Fastes Time From Safety to Nome Award

• $500 presented to a top-20 musher with the fastest time from the Safety checkpoint to the finish line.

Rookie of the Year Award

• Presented for 30 years to the top-place rookie (a musher who has never before started the race)
• Trophy and $1,500

City of Nome Lolly Medley Memorial Golden Harness Award

• Previously presented by the late Lolly Medley, a Wasilla harness maker and one of two women to run the 2nd Iditarod in 1974.  The award is now presented in her honor to an outstanding lead dog, chosen by the mushers.
• Embroidered gold-colored harness

Golden Clipboard Award

• Presented for 10 years, by mushers, to a checkpoint voted by mushers.

Golden Stethoscope Award

• Presented by Iditarod Official Finishers Club to the vet whom mushers vote “most helpful on the trail.”

Northern Air Cargo Herbie Nayokpuk Memorial Award

• Presented to musher who most mimics “Herbie: The Shismaref Cannon Ball” in his/her attitude on the trail by the staff and officials of the Iditarod.
• Free freight allotment on Northern Air Cargo, walrus ivory scrimshawed trophy, $1,049 in “pocket change” inside a NAC jacket

Northern Air Cargo 4-Wheeler Award

• Presented at random to a finisher whose key starts the 4-wheeler.
• A new 4-wheeler

According to Iditarod Race Headquarters, #30 Michael Suprenant, #5 Zoya DeNure, and #23 Karin Hendrickson all scratched at the Rainy Pass checkpoint as of late Tuesday morning. Michael Suprenant scratched at 10:00am Tuesday with 16 dogs and DeNure officially scratched at 10:15am with 15 dogs. Both mushers, according to Iditarod HQ, left this year’s race for “medical reasons.”

Karin Hendrickson scratched at 11:15am with 16 dogs – race headquarters cited “a damaged sled and equipment problems” as the reasons for Hendrickson leaving the race.

#34 Kirk Barnum scratched at 11:20am with 12 dogs. Barnum said he scratched “in the best interest of his team, it was evident that they were tired.” He had dropped 4 since the start of the race.

There are first-hand reports that #17 Pat Moon crashed into a tree outside of Rohn, but that has yet to be confirmed by Race Headquarters.

Update: As of Tuesday evening it has been confirmed by Iditarod HQ that Pat Moon, a rookie from Chicago crashed and was found unconscious by musher Sam Deltour in the Dalzell Gorge. He woke shortly after being found and was transported to Anchorage. Pat’s team is in good condition and in Rohn awaiting transportation back to Anchorage.

Pretty soon teams will begin to think about the strategic decision of their 24-hour layover.  While at just two full days into the race it might seem a bit early but with a fairly fast (however snowy) trail, for the mushers deciding to take your mandatory rest can be a fine line between waiting too long, and calling it too early.

• Snowy Conditions slowing teams down?
• Loren’s Alaska Trip & meeting with Gatt & Schnuelle
• Libby Riddles 1985 Win on Iditablog
• We read and answer your Emails
• Lots more!

Feel free to email us with topics or questions you’d like to hear us discuss on the next episode… the email address is: josh@radioalaska.org, send us a twitter/facebook message or call the voicemail box at 253-773-MUSH.

Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes | Browse the Podcast Archives

iTunes Listing note: We’ve been having issues with the podcast updating properly within the iTunes Store, it’s a problem many podcasts are having right now and iTunes is working to get it fixed. However, if you subscribe to the show you will still get new episodes delivered to your computer.

Resting will be a key part of the day for most mushers because once leaving Rainy Pass the Dalzell Gorge stands between them and Rohn. The Gorge area contains some of the most infamous and treacherous trail in the entire Iditarod. Writer Craig Medred was on that section of the trail a week ago when he was covering the “Iditarod Invitational Ultra-Marathon” and said of the area between Rainy Pass and Rohn:

“At what point is a trail so bad it no longer qualifies as a trail.” And “Why all this talk about the Farewell Burn. Mushers will be lucky to make it here to Rohn.” He followed up those statements a few days later in Anchorage as he tweeted “hope ITC has Iditarod Trail in better shape… Dalzell Gorge scary last time.”

A lot of the strategy in today’s rests could be when to even tackle the Gorge. If the ice bridges that cross open water are weak in the Gorge you want to be one of the first to get across. The stories coming out of Rohn are always interesting, we’ll make sure we pass along any good ones.

It was 1985, Susan Butcher and Rick Swenson had developed a friendly rivalry and after Butcher placed second several years in a row, the eyes of the world were on her going into Iditarod 1985. Butcher had to scratch early on in the race however due to a dramatic incident where a moose attacked her team in the middle of the night. The race continued on and Swenson saw an opportunity to capture a fifth victory with his rival out of the picture. It was a daring move to mush into a blizzard out of Shaktoolik that separated the champion that year from the rest of the pack and it wasn’t Susan Butcher who would become the first female champion of the Iditarod, it was Libby Riddles.

I found a VHS tape at my parents house over the weekend of a CBS News special on Iditarod 1985 hosted by Terry Bradshaw. I’ve posted the last portion of that special here for you to enjoy. This was a moment that helped make the Iditarod what it has become today, and played a big part in thrusting the race onto the world’s stage.

hit “read more” to watch the video

The Iditarod has finally begun and teams are well on their way out of the Mat-Su valley and into the woods on their way to Nome. It’ll be a day or two before we can see any type of patterns or leaders emerge, we’re still under a pretty heavy influence of the two-hour time difference that exists between those who left first and those who left the starting line last. That doesn’t mean however, that strategy isn’t happening behind the scenes – for those hoping to place in the top 10 or 20, the beginning of the race is a very crucial part of positioning. Look for most teams to run for the next eight hours or so after leaving Willow before taking a rest of any decent length, although there might be some who take advantage of the high energy that their dogs have this early. What you’ll really want to be watching is if anyone starts cutting rests and when; that’ll show the confidence or strategy that some of the contending mushers have in the dogs they’ve selected once the first few hours are behind them.

The Race is on!

Take your best shot at who will be the first to arrive in Yentna, Skwentna, or Rainy Pass in the Checkpoint Guessing Game

Now that the pomp and circumstance of the Iditarod’s Ceremonial Start in downtown Anchorage is over the real race can begin. We asked several days ago who you thought was going to win, today we’re going to breakdown the field of top competitors and later on give you the chance to share with us your top ten predictions.

The field of Iditarod competitors is huge, just as it has been for several years now. Jeff King is looking to end his Iditarod career with a record-tying 5th victory, Martin Buser isn’t retiring but he’d like that win this year as well and Lance Mackey would like a record breaking 4th consecutive win out of Iditarod 2010. In addition to those guys you have a class of younger mushers that are looking for their turn in the spotlight after paying their dues for such a long time. These mushers have multiple top ten finishes and don’t need much prodding to edge them into Iditarod greatness and come away with a victory.

In alphabetical order, here is a brief listing of the “Iditablog Mushers to Watch”

1. John Baker – in nearly 15 years John Baker has only finished out of the top ten four times, and he is coming off of not only a 3rd place finish in last year’s Iditarod – but also a championship in January’s very competitive Kusko 300. Baker is the guy all the other mushers have their eye on.

2. Jason Barron – Living in Montana Barron doesn’t come out for the race every year, but when he does he places well.

3. Martin Buser – Looking to become Iditarod’s second five time champion won’t be easy. Since winning in 2002 Buser hasn’t placed higher than fourth, but he’s always competitive and in the race to win.

4. Hans Gatt – In what will most likely be Gatt’s final Iditarod appearance, this 4-time Yukon Quest reigning champion will be looking for his first Iditarod win. He beat a lot of good teams earlier this month in another 1,000 mile race, will he pull a “Lance Mackey” and win both in the same year?

5. Paul Gebhardt – “Always a bridesmaid but never a bride” is what was said of Gebhardt after the second runner-up finish of his career in 2007. He’s got the insight, the training, and the dogs – we’ll see if 2010 is his time.

6. DeeDee Jonrowe – a perennial fan favorite across the globe, Jonrowe told us at the ceremonial start in Anchorage on Saturday that she thought her team had what it would take to come home with her first Iditarod Championship.

7. Jeff King – Always the master inventor, Jeff King went from sled modifications to actual dog sled race this year as he introduced the “Denali Doubles” event this past February. After announcing his Iditarod retirement a few weeks ago, King has made sure that everyone knows he won’t be using this year as a “farewell tour” like Doug Swingly once did after he announced his retirement.

8. Lance Mackey – He’s done the impossible so many times in his 9 year-old Iditarod career, we’ll see if he can do it again in 2010 with 4 wins in a row.

9. Hugh Neff – Coming out of another strong year in the Yukon Quest, Neff keeps showing us and his competitors that we need to keep our eye on him.

10. Sebastian Schnuelle – If it hadn’t been for the stormy trail conditions on the coast during last year’s Iditarod Sebastian Schnuelle might have had a good shot at winning two 1,000 mile races in the same year. His team is stronger than ever and he’s looking to improve upon his 2009 second place finish.

11. Dallas Seavey – If coming in 6th place wasn’t enough last year, Seavey went out and bought the 8th place team from Aaron Burmeister… we can now only assume he has created a “Super Team.”

12. Mitch Seavey (or “Father of Super Team” as I now call him) had an impressive 4th place finish in 2009 and looks for his second win as he says he will be driving his strongest dogs ever.

13. & 14. Cim & Ramey Smyth – It’s hard living in your brother’s shadow, but with the Smyth brothers it isn’t clear who is living in who’s shadow. Both of them had top ten finishes last year, and while Ramey has gotten more buzz in years past it’s clear that both Smyths are worth watching in 2010.

15. Zack Steer – Another musher who doesn’t enter the Iditarod every year, but when he does – does it well. Steer placed 3rd in 2007 and is back to reclaim a spot in the top ten this year.

More pictures will be uploaded throughout the weekend!

photos by iditablog’s Loren Liden

In this live mini-podcast from Anchorage, Iditablog reporter Ms. Loren Liden lets us in on what her morning on 4th Avenue has looked like so far and what the mushers are saying about this year’s race.

Make sure you check back right here for regular Iditablog Podcasts and updates throughout the 2010 Iditarod, we’ll be featuring interviews, stories, commentary and photos.

Previous 2010 Iditablog Podcasts:
Iditablog Podcast 2010 – Episode #1
Iditablog Podcast – 2010 Preview

Feel free to email us with topics or questions you’d like to hear us discuss on the next episode… the email address is: josh@radioalaska.org, send us a twitter/facebook message or call the voicemail box at 253-773-MUSH.

Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes | Browse the Podcast Archives

iTunes Listing note: We’ve been having issues with the podcast updating properly within the iTunes Store, it’s a problem many podcasts are having right now and iTunes is working to get it fixed. However, if you subscribe to the show you will still get new episodes delivered to your computer.

It’s pretty safe to say that today is the biggest day of the year for Alaska. Yes, this is only a ceremonial start to the Iditarod Sled Dog Race and yes, there are other large events that happen in the 49th state but none of them come close to the Iditarod. Today’s kickoff is an event that draws crowds of life-long locals as well as visitors from across the globe and international media coverage. Entering this year’s race is a Jamaican musher sponsored by Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, a musher from Belgium, two Scotsmen, a former runway model, five returning champions, twenty-two rookies…and a partridge in a pear tree.

I’m always struck by the contrast by the events of today and where mushers will be just 48 hours from now. Thousands of people are packing the streets, excited to see their favorite team go down the chute and through Anchorage. For mushers this has been a week full of meetings, press briefings, interviews, banquets and send-off parties – all for their two week extreme camping trip race. All this hype is for “rock star campers”. Forty-Eight hours from now teams will be approaching some of the most dangerous parts of the Iditarod trail and crossing a major mountain range. No cheering fans, no champagne, no shower.

But it is all about the party today, the real race doesn’t start until tomorrow and luckily there will be a shower tonight. Alaska should be enjoying today as well, the international spotlight won’t be shinning this bright until next year -that is unless another governor decides to run for vice president.

iditablog programming note: Make sure you’re following our live updates from the starting line by subscribing to either the twitter feed or by adding us on facebook. We’ll have audio updates throughout the morning and will share our photos with you later on this evening. You can also hit “Race Webcams” in the navigation menu for all the Iditarod webcams we could find, including ones of downtown Anchorage!

Not sure of what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised with the warm and welcoming Alaskans, who ushered me into the house filled with food, friends of the mushers and lots and lots of dogs! I immediately spotted Sebastian Schnuelle (you really can’t miss that hair or accent) and made my way around to interview the very successful musher (2009 Yukon Quest Champion, 2nd Place Iditarod). He sat leisurely on the couch with one of his dogs and welcomed my questions, but his pre-race attitude was anything but leisurely. “I’m very clearly here to race, not just to sight-see to Nome,” said Schnuelle, who is shooting to win this year’s race, but would not be disappointed with a top-5 finish.

I had the opportunity to speak with Michael Suprenaut, not a musher I anticipated talking to, but one who had shared some insight on the immense preparations made prior to the race. In listing all the to-do’s on his pre-race checklist he said “You get the food drops done and then you don’t want to ease off the training.” Mentioning the toll the storm took on his race last year (held him up for 3 days), Suprenaut is looking to decrease his time from 15 days last year to about 10 1/2 this time around.

A musher I didn’t expect to see, but was so excited to talk to happened to be at the party was this year’s Yukon Quest champion Hans Gatt.  He was busy pulling all his dogs out of his truck as I approached him for an interview, but he had some exciting things to say about his career in mushing. Over the past couple of weeks, several big names in mushing have announced their resignation, or significant cut-backs in their racing. Names like Lance Mackey and Jeff King have already declared that this year is bound to be the last with this field of experienced competitors. Gatt, on the other hand, has yet to join the retirement bandwagon. “I don’t want to talk of retiring before the race,” Gatt said, though he did admit that after 22 years of career mushing he might not run any 1,000 mile races after this one.

Who knows what the standings might look like this year. With old faces possibly on their way out and new mushers anxious to pull up in the ranks, one thing is sure – there were plenty of dogs just getting into their career and enjoying the ‘good life’ of the pre-party before a week or two of running their little hearts out on the trail.

-Loren Liden for Iditablog.com

2010 Iditarod Starting Order:

#1 Honorary Musher – Orin Seybert
#2 Linwood Fiedler
#3 Cim Smyth
#4 Wattie McDonald
#5 Zoya DeNure
#6 Jessie Royer
#7 Paul Gebhardt
#8 John Baker
#9 Ray Redington Jr.
#10 Justin Savidis

#11 Blake Freking
#12 Matt Hayashida
#13 Scott White
#14 Newton Marshall
#15 Jeff King
#16 William “Middie” Johnson
#17 Pat Moon
#18 Ross Adam, Grande Prairie
#19 Mitch Seavey
#20 Hans Gatt, Whitehorse
#21 Ramey Smyth
#22 Jane Faulkner
#23 Karin Hendrickson
#24 Art Church
#25 Ryan Redington
#26 Tamara Rose
#27 Warren Palfrey
#28 Quinn Iten
#29 Karen Ramstead
#30 Michael Suprenant
#31 DeeDee Jonrowe
#32 Robert Nelson
#33 Chris Adkins
#34 Kirk Barnum
#35 Sebastian Schnuelle
#36 Michelle Phillips
#37 Martin Buser
#38 Kristy Berington
#39 Cindy Gallea
#40 William Pinkham
#41 Dallas Seavey
#42 Sven Haltmann
#43 Jim Lanier
#44 Sonny Lindner
#45 Hank Debruin
#46 Kathleen Frederick
#47 Zack Steer
#48 Gerald Sousa
#49 Lance Mackey
#50 Aliy Zirkle
#51 Ken Anderson
#52 Dave DeCaro
#53 Emil Churchin
#54 Allen Moore
#55 Gerry Willomitzer
#56 Hugh Neff
#57 Rick Swenson
#58 Celeste Davis
#59 Michael Williams
#60 Trent Herbst
#61 Colleen Robertia
#62 Thomas Lesatz
#63 Lachlan Clarke
#64 Dan Kaduce
#65 Bruce Linton
#66 Sam Deltour
#67 Peter Kaiser
#68 Tom Thurston
#69 John Stewart
#70 Billy Snodgrass
#71 Jason Barron
#72 Judy Currier

• Yukon Quest and other race recap
• “Who Will Win?” Contest
• The Checkpoint Guessing Game
• Mushing Vocabulary Word of the Day
• What’s going on with all these retirements?
• Iditarod Schedule this week
• Our plans for  Iditablog Coverage of the race start?
• Lots more!

Thanks SO much to all those who tuned in for the live webcast, we’re excited to grow that interaction in the days to come.  Sorry to everyone about the audio levels in the podcast and on the live stream, there were a few kinks in the new system that we’ll have worked out before we broadcast next time.

Feel free to email us with topics or questions you’d like to hear us discuss on the next episode… the email address is: josh@radioalaska.org, send us a twitter/facebook message or call the voicemail box at 253-773-MUSH.

Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes | Browse the Podcast Archives

At over 1,000 grueling miles the Iditarod Sled Dog Race is the toughest race on earth. Starting in Alaska’s largest city the trail goes through an amazing scope of landscape, crossing mountain ranges and over barren tundra as it leads to the gold rush town of Nome. The Iditarod has been won by men, by women, by citizens of other countries, by family members of previous winners, and by back-to-back champions.

The big question is, who will win the Iditarod this year? We want to know what you think!

Contest #1 – Vote for your favorite Musher: Post your guess below as to the winning musher and if right, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a Iditarod Prize Pack from Iditablog.com.

Contest #2 – Guess the time: For an extra prize, guess the winning musher AND be the the closest in how long it will take them.

As you follow the race you can also watch each checkpoint’s page and guess who will arrive there first!

Entries must be posted by the time the first musher reaches the checkpoint of Ruby to qualify for the prize (but it’s always fun to keep guessing).

Recent Winners and Finishing Times

Race Stastics property of and provided by iditarod.com – Iditarod Trail Committee

Post your predictions below as to who will win Iditarod 2010.
Example: Joe Reddington – 9 Days, 0 hours, 2 Minutes

Good Luck!

• what’s ahead for Iditablog this season
• recap the last few months of Iditarod news
• look at the field of contenders for Iditarod 2010

We’ll be doing a few more preview podcasts leading up to Iditarod 2010.  We’ll also be posting some thoughts in the next few days on the Yukon Quest which is currently underway.  We need your questions and comments, email us here, or call the Podcast Voicemail line at (253)778-MUSH.

Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes | Browse the Podcast Archives

2009 was a record breaking year for us here and I want to thank each of you who subscribe to the podcast, our twitter updates, and read the blog. I was astounded recently to see the statistics for the last 12 months since last fall, we’ve received almost two million hits to our site and nearly 20,000 podcasts have been downloaded. Wow, thanks so much for your support.

If you’re an Alaskan looking for more regular news and updates during the Iditarod or a fan from somewhere else in the country (or world) who dreams about visiting the 49th state – we aim to provide the info you’re looking for. We need your feedback though, please send me an email with your feedback so we know how to plan for the upcoming year.

Look for some new podcasts and interviews coming up in future as we countdown to Iditarod 2010!

Thanks to all the thousands of you who have downloaded the podcasts this season.  You’ve blown us away – your support is appreciated.

Thanks to the nearly 4,000 of you who joined us LIVE! during Lance Mackey’s amazing win.

Thanks to the nearly 4,000 of you who joined us LIVE during Lance Mackey’s amazing win.

Lance Mackey left the last major checkpoint in the Iditarod Sled Dog race at an early 2:11am this morning, he is on his way to Nome, and onto making Iditarod history.  Mackey is set to be the third Iditarod musher ever to win three consecutive championships, putting him in the same category as legendary athletes Susan Butcher & Doug Swingley – no one has yet to win four in a row.

Mackey led the Iditarod for more than he ever has before, having very little serious competition once arriving in ghost-town checkpoint of Iditarod, marking the race’s halfway mark.  It wasn’t for the lack of a competitive field that Mackey found himself often alone at the front of the race, Lance’s rival last year Jeff King was seeking a record-tying 5th Iditarod win, as was Martin Buser.  Sebastian Schnuelle took Lance Mackey’s Yukon Quest throne this year after the former reigning champion decided to bow out of this years race, Schnuelle saught to also take Mackey’s Iditarod throne  – and currently is on track to place an impressive second place if he is not passed by John Baker out of White Mountian.

After going through Safety at 8:48am Wednesday morning, an arrival into Nome should be around Noon Alaska time.

We’ll be broadcasting pre-show coverage live online, stay tuned for updates as Mackey makes his way to Nome.

About an hour before the first musher crosses the finish line, you can get online and listen to “Iditablog live pre-race coverage”.  Live special guests, your listener questions, and a ‘09 trail recap will take us up to the live finish from Nome.

Until the live broadcast begins, you can listen to the “Best-of Iditablog Podcasts” which include archived Iditarod finishes going back to 2005, this year’s prior podcasts, and some other fun surprises.  The “Best-of Segments” will stop airing a half hour before the live broadcast begins.

Listen by clicking “play” in the box below, or (click here) to open in a new window.

Wow, lots to go over this morning…

To say that trail conditions over the last 24 hours have been brutal might just be an understatement. Extreme cold temperatures and high winds made for a dangerous 50 below wind chill factor along the Bering Sea coast yesterday and into this morning for the top 19 mushers. Those running along the Yukon River, and even teams in the back, still traveling the interior didn’t find weather that much better as sub-zero temps and occasional ground blizzards made Monday a bone-chilling day for many traveling the Iditarod trail.

Sunday & Monday morning speculation was leaning towards Lance Mackey locking a third straight victory, however mother nature used this as an attempt to teach those of us who made these claims what happens when you assume. Mackey ended up spending most of yesterday pooled up in Koyuk after what he called a “demoralizing run” for his dogs from Shaktoolik. After making it to the small village of about 300 around noon, Lance took an eight hour rest – twice the rest time as he took in ‘07 & ‘08 in this location, before winning the Iditarod. Mackey’s time between Koyuk and Elim posted overnight and into this morning was surprisingly similar to recent years, however normally waiting only an hour or two before heading onto the mandatory 8-hour layover in White Mountain, this year Mackey spent time over 6 hours in Elim.

Lance might be able to count himself fortunate however, because it appears as he was slightly ahead of the worst weather of the trail. Behind him Jeff King & Hans Gatt were forced to turn around outside of Shaktoolik last night and return to the checkpoint, something King hasn’t done since over 10 years ago when he was in a similar location with Lance’s older brother Rick Mackey. King & Gatt had been camping with Aaron Burmeister & Mitch Seavey who were all 15 miles out of the checkpoint when they realized going onto Koyuk wasn’t going to be a good idea. While King & Gatt turned around, Seavey & Burmeister have been hunkered down at most likely a location described on the trail description as a “dilapidated shelter cabin” where “more than a few mushers have had to hole up here to wait out storms”. They’ve been there for at least 9 hours already. Also, Hugh Neff received minor medical attention in Shaktoolik yesterday for some pretty nasty injuries that sound frostbite & wind related on his face, rumors had been emerging that he had been taken out of the race but those don’t appear to be valid at this point.

King, Gatt, and Neff were joined by 11 other mushers in Shaktoolik this morning who will be all eventually competing against each other for the final top 10, and 20 positions in Nome.

More trouble in the back of race, as not only did we learn yesterday about two strange dog deaths in rookie Lou Packer’s team but then the two mushers whom Packer had earlier been traveling with also scratched between Iditarod & Shageluk. Kim Darst and Blake Matray were checked on by Iditarod Air force pilots who had airlifted Packer and his dogs out of the race when the three teams had all been on the trail for an extraordinary amount of time. Once Darst & Matray scratched at 8pm it was decided that they would start moving toward Shageluk early this morning and await a snowmobile convoy to ensure their safety on a trail that is blown over and doesn’t exist anymore.

Here is where the top 19 mushers are currently located, it’s anyone’s top ten right now. The weather forecast for the Eastern Norton Sound & Nulato Hills, including Unalakleet, Shaktoolik, Koyuk and Elim calls for wind chill temperatures to temporary become less harsh this afternoon as the air temp moderates to 5 below.

Into Elim:
Lance Mackey

Out of Koyuk (moving):
John Baker
Sebastian Schnuelle

Out of Shaktoolik (camping):
Aaron Burmeister
Mitch Seavey

Into Shaktoolik: (in order of arrival time)
Jeff King (returned)
Hugh Neff (returned)
Hans Gatt (returned)
Sonny Lindner – 3/16 -16:15
Dallas Seavey
Cim Smyth
Paul Gebhardt
DeeDee Jonrowe
Aliy Zirkle
Jessie Royer
Ken Anderson
Martin Buser
Ramey Smyth
Ed Iten – 3/17 – 2:58

Earlier today (at approximately 2pm Alaska Time) Iditarod Race officials deployed an Iditarod Air Force (IAF) aircraft to check on the whereabouts of Iditarod Rookies Lou Packer (bib #43), Kim Darst (bib #52) and Blake Matray (bib #9). All three mushers were overdue on their run to Shageluk. Packer was located approximately 22 miles past Iditarod. He signaled that he was in distress. The (IAF) pilot landed and found that two of Packer’s 15 dogs were deceased. A plane load of dogs were immediately flown out and a second flight is underway to airlift Packer and the remainder of the team.

A group of local residents from Shageluk are on the trail to assess and assist Darst and Matray.

A necropsy will be conducted by a board certified pathologist to make every attempt to determine the cause of death of the two dogs.

With Lance Mackey into the Bering Sea village of Koyuk having left Shaktoolik a full 5 hours ahead of Sebastian Schnuelle, its a pretty valid question as to whether Mackey has locked up a third straight Iditarod win. Going into Unalakleet yesterday Mackey also had a powerful lead, but holding the large gap into this point in the race makes it very difficult for any of his very strong competitors to catch up. When looking at the running speeds of the top 7 out of Unalakleet and into Shaktoolik, it becomes clear that Mackey’s had the fastest team on that stretch of the trail and others are running out of time when looking for an opportunity to make a move.

If we can’t count on a challenger for first place, then the race for second becomes very interesting. Sebastian Schnuelle, Jeff King, John Baker, Mitch Seavey, Aaron Burmeister, and Hugh Neff all arrived into Shaktoolik within twenty minutes of one another, and all but Schnuelle decided to stay and rest at a checkpoint that Mackey decided he could afford to fly through early this morning.

The weather in western Alaska isn’t pretty right now, the national weather service is calling for up to 30 mph winds, combining with -10 temperatures to create wind chills up to 50 degrees below zero! Friends of mine in Nome were saying that around 10 strong blizzards so far this year have hit the Gold Rush city, making this winter much snowier and colder than most.

• where we find the current race leaders (Unalakleet)
• What’s happened since our last podcast
• Notable awards along the trail
• We answer your tweets & emails
• Running down Iditarod 2009 Coverage on Versus TV network
• Looking ahead to the finish

Thanks everyone for subscribing and downloading these podcast, we hope to do a handful more as the race goes up the coast and finishes in Nome!

Remember, you can subscribe to podcast via iTunes (link) and follow us on Twitter (link)