The Iditarod Trail Committee expects the results of an independent investigation tomorrow looking into musher Ramy Brooks‘ conduct on the trail this year. The Healy musher is accused of hitting and kicking his dogs in the village of Golovin.
In this update, APRN’s Lori Townsend chats with Jeff King, four-time race champion about potential Iditarod race rule changes. King, not a member of the official rules committee, proposes any dog death should immediately disqualify a musher from winning any given year’s race.
Standard Podcast [5:07m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
An independent panel is investigating reported dog abuse by Iditarod musher Ramy Brooks. The Healy musher acknowledged he hit his dogs with a trail marker in Golovin. Witnesses have said his actions were much worse. In a separate incident, Brooks finished the race with a dead dog and was disqualified three days later.
Are new rules needed to govern race operations and behavior? We checked in with musher Zack Steer, a member of the Rules Committee (though not a spokesperson for the committee).
Standard Podcast [4:24m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
By now, readers of this site have already learned Ramy Brooks was disqualified from the 2007 Iditarod over the weekend in response to behaviors he exhibited at Golovin, a village on the Norton Sound coast less than 100 miles from the finish line in Nome. Brooks passed through Golovin nearly a week ago and was observed yelling at his dogs and swatting them with a piece of a trail marker.
You can hear directly from Race Marshal Mark Nordman in the attached audio and get a quick summary of the events surrounding a story that is quickly drowning out the historic victory of Lance Mackey.
One interesting but little-noted side effect of this ruling: all mushers arriving in Nome after Brooks can now move up one slot in the standings.
UPDATE: The ADN reports (registration required) that Brooks may have done more than swat his dogs with a piece of trail marker. One Golovin resident reported seeing considerably harsher treatment.
Brooks disqualified, mushers move up in the standings [2:25m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Canadian filmmaker Becky Bristow’s documentary Doggone Addiction will be showing in Anchorage soon. The film follows three women mushers running the Yukon Quest sled dog race.
Bristow says the women varied in age and experience and their endurance went well beyond physical strength.
(Listen to the attached audio.)
Doggone Addiction will be shown at the Bear Tooth Theaterpub in Anchorage on April 5, 2007.
New film follows Yukon Quest female mushers [1:52m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
18 teams are still out on the Iditarod trail. Ellen Halverson — a rookie from Wasilla — has the Red Lantern at Eagle Island. Halverson has attempted the Iditarod twice before, but scratched both times.
Juneau’s only musher in this year’s Iditarod understands how tough it is to give up on the race. Deborah Molburg Bicknell says she’s proud of herself and her dogs, though she was unable to finish the 1,100-mile run from Anchorage to Nome.
KTOO’s Rosemarie Alexander has the story.
Bicknell reflects on her Iditarod 2007 attempt [4:24m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Just over half the dog sled teams are in to Nome this evening, with another 29 teams on the way. The Red Lantern left Eagle Island with Ellen Halverson this afternoon. Current estimates put the end of the race sometime around next Tuesday or Wednesday (3/21).
Following the rear of the race is a team of five Iditarod trail sweepers, volunteers that clean up materials left behind by the mushers and trail breakers alike. We spoke briefly with Will Peterson, our own Director of Development and a long-time trail sweeping volunteer. He noted unimaginably tough trail conditions for the teams and even the sweepers this year; describing his snowmachine ride “…as a cross-between driving a school bus and a mechanical bull…”
Be sure to listen to the attached audio for more race updates and Peterson’s trail and musher encounters, including details about scratched musher Eric Rogers.
Also, check out the trail sweeping photo diary (2005) provided by Peterson. It’s in our photo gallery.
Race winding down, trail sweeping in high gear [2:10m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Lance Mackey was first across the finish line a little past 8 pm last night in Nome to take first place in this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Mackey’s first place finish edged out second place winner Paul Gebhardt by more than two hours. But as APRN trail reporter Ellen Lockyer tells us, the two mushers were neck and neck most of the way to Nome.
(Be sure to listen to the attached audio report to hear Mackey’s thoughts on the race as well as quotes from Gebhardt.)
Ten mushers have now crossed the finish line in Nome. Zack Steer was third, Martin Buser 4th and Jeff King 5th. Ed Iten, Ken Anderson, John Baker, Mitch Seavey and Tollef Monson rounded out the top ten. Many more mushers are still on the trail. Rookie Ellen Halverson has the Red Lantern in Grayling.
A second dog died in the race today. Officials say a three-year-old male named Thong in the team of Matt Hayashida died this morning on the trail between Koyuk and Elim. Race Marshal Mark Nordman reviewed Thong’s death, and found there was no reason to prohibit the musher from continuing in the race. He said a necropsy will be conducted to determine the cause of the dog’s death.
UPDATE: Removed the references to “60 more mushers” on the trail, as there are 60 mushers total still in the race, but not 60 on the trail itself.
Mackey and Gebhardt look back on a hard race [3:04m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Expectation is high in Nome this evening as fans wait for Iditarod leader Lance Mackey to drive his team up Front Street to the burled arch. Mackey left White Mountain this morning at 9:38, followed by Paul Gebhardt at 12:16. The next crop of mushers is hours behind.
Martin Buser will end his mandatory eight hour stay at White Mountain at 5:45 this evening. Zack Steer is close behind him and should be out of the checkpoint by 6:05. Jeff King is running in fifth place, Ed Iten in 6th and Ken Anderson in 7th.
As APRN trail reporter Ellen Lockyer tells us, Mackey is expected to reach Nome within hours and his fans are waiting to give him a hero’s welcome.
Meanwhile, APRN’s Annie Feidt reports on how many of the top mushers run puppy teams each year. But Kotzebue’s John Baker has a different game plan: he wants both puppy and experienced teams racing. It’s a strategy that appears to be paying off. Baker and his handler, Tollef Monson are both headed toward top ten finishes, with Baker currently in 9th and Monson in 10th.
Mackey on his final run to Nome [4:25m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Martin Buser was first into Anvik this morning, but Jeff King was just over an hour behind and was posting better point-to-point run times — 6.9 mph for Buser vs. 7.4 mph for King, each now fielding a team of 14 dogs. Meanwhile the pack of experienced Iditarod contenders remains crowded, including Lance Mackey, Paul Gebhardt and Ramy Brooks at Anvik while Ken Anderson, Ed Iten and Jason Barron are well on their way from Shageluk at this hour.
Buser and King jockeying for lead dog position [2:10m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Alaska State Troopers were asked to help search for missing Iditarod musher Deborah Bicknell, a 61-year-old rookie who was last seen Wednesday morning leaving the Rainy Pass checkpoint. (Update: Bicknell was found around 4:00 p.m. Thursday less than 20 miles from the Rohn checkpoint.)
At the front of the race, Lance Mackey appeared to be holding on to first place and may be taking his 24-hour layover at the Iditarod checkpoint, along with Paul Gephardt, Ed Iten, Mitch Seavey, Tollof Monson and Cim Smyth. (Iditarod Trail Committe communications with these remote checkpoints appear to have broken down, making race updates unreliable.)
Other top mushers have already taken their 24-hour layovers earlier along the trail and are racing to catch the front runners. That group includes Zack Steer, Jeff King, Martin Buser, Jason Barron, Aliy Zirkle and Ken Anderson.
Troopers called out to search for musher [1:09m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download