Race from Anchorage to Nome with the Alaska Public Radio Network
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.
The press release from the Iditarod Trail Committee stated that Karen Ramstead had scratched from the Iditarod at Grayling to be with her family to grieve the loss of one of her team members. Snickers, a six year old purebred Siberian Husky was more then a team member - she was a family member. According to Karen, Snickers craved human attention like no other dog in their yard. When Snickers died from a bleeding ulcer, Karen could not bring herself to continue in the race. The attempt to save Snickers was heroic. As Karen wrote at her website:
The lengths they went to in the middle of the wilds of Alaska were simply amazing and included a dog to dog blood transfusion off of her brother, Crunchie (who was so cooperative and calm it was spooky). I know that everything possible was done to try and save our little lead dog - and we will forever be grateful for that.
Karen offered thanks for the compassion of fellow mushers during the tragedy as well in this statement.
And warm thanks to fellow mushers Cindy Gallea and Bryan Mills. Cindy graciously offered her skills to help hold off veins during Snickers transfusion - and Bryan Mills, in a move so kind it makes my heart ache, offered to travel to Nome with me should I decide to stay in the Race, so I wouldn’t have to be alone.
Karen and her husband Mark have set up a Snickers Memorial Fund to help research studies on ulcers in working sled dogs. Please visit her website for more information on how to donate. For a touching music video featuring Snickers prominently, see “Pretty Sled Dogs” with music by Kyf Brewer. This is a trailer for the Pretty Sled Dogs DVD created before the race. Snickers is the lead dog on the left.
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.
[Be sure to read the UPDATES at the bottom of this post.]
Ramy Brooks arrived in Nome in 12th place this year, ahead of former champion Robert Sorlie as well as seasoned pros Aaron Burmeister and Jason Barron. But the leaderboard this morning tells a different story — Brooks now appears to have arrived in 15th place, behind Sorlie, Burmeister and Barron. What happened?
Race officials held Brooks’ finishing time in Nome in the wake of a dog death on his team, pending the outcome of a gross necropsy. Kate, a 3-year old female, died on the trail between the White Mountain and Safety checkpoints.
Continue reading ‘Brooks’ race finish dropped from 12th to 15th, 23 teams into Nome so far’
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.
Lance Mackey reached the end of the trail at 8:08 pm last night to claim first place in this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race. Mackey and his team have made mushing history by winning the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod back to back in the same year. As APRN’s trail reporter Ellen Lockyer tells us, Mackey — now an official Iditarod Champion — joins his father and his brother in the annals of race history.
Continue reading ‘Iditarod championship passes to a new generation’
Lance Mackey capped off a race for the ages as he joined his dad and his brother as Iditarod champion in a time of 9 days 5 hours and 8 minutes. The emotional Mackey was hugged by many including his wife and brother in the finish chute on Front Street in Nome. Next he spoke to his father and the governor of Alaska on phone. Later he would hug the manager of Anchorage Chrysler Dodge as he was handed the keys to a new Dodge pickup truck. Paul Gebhardt crossed the finish line 2 hours and 28 minutes later for second place. Meanwhile, back at the Safety checkpoint 22 miles from the finish, Zack Steer and Martin Buser passed through within 2 minutes of each other in a real dogfight for 3rd place. Steer’s team is running at a slightly faster pace having departed the White Mountain checkpoint 20 minutes after Buser. They should reach the finish line about 3:20 this morning.
Lance Mackey and team are enjoyed the adulation of the assembled Nome crowd this cold evening on Norton Sound. He successfully repeated the successes of both his father and brother by winning the Iditarod on the 6th try, and wearing bib 13.
Mackey arrived shortly after 8:00 p.m. in Nome. Total time on the ITC leaderboard: 9 days, 5 hours, 8 minutes.
Paul Gebhardt arrived just before 10:30 p.m. tonight, taking second place after a hard-fought battle with the elements and with a pack of championship mushers at the front of the race unmatched in recent memory. Gebhardt has never won the Iditarod, though he finished as high as #2 in 2000 and finished third just last year.
Tune in to your local APRN member station tomorrow morning for sounds from Nome, come back to this site to listen online, or subscribe to our podcast.
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.
Quick update… Lance Mackey departed the Safety checkpoint this afternoon at 4:44 p.m. after a 5 minute stop. He was first, he was alone. It’s all down to the 22 final miles and minutes for Mackey.
Mackey will set the new speed record for the Iditarod. We’ll wait for the specifics (hopefully adjusted for the Daylight Savings Time shift).
At the risk of writing a “Dewey Defeats Truman” post… Congratulations Lance! What an amazing race and amazing victory. Two 1,100-mile races in a row with the same team. Simply incredible.
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