Momentum Shifts as Front Four Race to Unalakleet
King Arrives First into UNK, Mackey Closes Gap
That’s the headline in Unalakleet, first village on the Berring Sea Coast, as four mushers, King, Mackey, Buser, and Gephardt thrust, parry, and posture with strategy moves and changes in momentum that leave the race decidedly undecided.
A shifty Iditarod fan needs to look only at the time sheets to conclude that another shift in the delicate balance of power between the four has shifted.
In summary, Jeff King arrived in Kaltag yesterday evening and appeared to have seized the lead with raw power and speed by gaining time on Martin Buser, our leader at Eagle Island. However, Paul Gebhardt and Lance Mackey team indicated that a battle was looming when their posted times from Eagle Island to Kaltage matched Kings. For pundits in Kaltag it appeared that King was defending the front and Martin Buser was regrouping to challenge King. In arrears, Paul Gebhardt and Lance Mackey were strong, but even they acknowledged that Buser and King had a significant lead of over two hours, a huge advantage at this stage of the race.
Therefore, no one was surprised when King, as commander and defender of the front, led the pack out of Kaltage early this morning at 4:46 AM. Of course, Buser must challenge with an exit from Kaltag at 4:59.
Remember, these teams and mushers often shift momentum from day to day. One team may do well on hills, another in wind, so the mushers have learned that every day is a separate event, keeping in mind that a change in the order of their dogs, or a new leader combination could swing advantage.
Now, the reader may ask why Gebhardt (who was the fastest on the trail yesterday) and his traveling partner Lance Mackey would refuse to the impulse to chase King and Buser. The reason, of course, is prudence, which Gebhardt and Mackey have exercized through the entire race. Mackey, for example, and Gebhardt, too, are extroverted personalities with consistent ability to interpret events positively. On the other hand, they are calculated and deliberate, an unusual combination of character traits, as mushers. They will not budge from their mantra—a fair deal for their dogs. Therefore, they rest for six hours, the time needed to eat, rest, lounge and digest a mountain of calorie rich food.
At 6:23 AM Gebhardt exits Kaltag on the 90 mile trail to Unalakleet and in pursuit of King and Buser. Paul chuckled and told me that Lance thought he was edging out of town. “We got to go now, Lance,” he told him. Lance Mackey, with fourteen evenly trotting dogs follows at 6;28AM, the stage now set for a test of wits and physical grit.
What Happened As We Saw It from The Helicopter
Our chopper, mounted with a gyrostabilized long lens camera, lifted off from the Kaltag airport a little after 10AM. Based on traveling time of about 8 miles an hour we expected find our loose pack nearly halfway on this portage trail near a conspicuous and solitary landmark known as Old Woman Mountain, whose shadow guards the headwaters of the Unalakleet River and an ancient hunting camp used by locals.
At 10:49AM we discovered Lance Mackey, dressed in a red parka we easily recognize, and a fourteen dog team of easily trotting huskies. A half mile further Paul Gebhardt and 12 dog team move fluidly through stands of thick black spruce, just as we expected. By our GPS they are 39.1 miles from Unalakleet, guessing they are probably 45 trail miles from Unalakleet.
Lance stops the team, grabs an insulated picnic cooler from his sled and runs to the front of the team, a long handled ladle in hand. Quickly, he scoops a mound of feed, probably a warm mixture of selected meats and fat and a specially designed kibble, in front of each dog. In turn, he serves the entire team, each husky consuming their portion. In less then three minutes, Mackey is reloaded and back behind the runners as the team trots briskly off. This is a ritual he perform over and over, supplying the calories the huskies need to fight the cold, the wind, and to perform work.
In front, as we expected, Martin Buser is spotted at the Old Woman Cabin, his dogs blanketed to block the wind. Based on the distance gap, we surmise that Gebhardt and Mackey have gained time on Buser. Still, his team is impressive, and after a little misdirection in a maize of snow machine tracks converging on the Old Woman Cabin, he lines the evenly trotting group of pullers in direction Unalakleet and the Berring Sea Coast.
Now, the last question remains, and that is the location of the 4X Champ, the presumptive favorite, the winner of 2006, and one of the winningest mushers in history. King, his distinctive “caboose sled” with the handle bar heater and miniature oven for heating burritos and packets of lasagna, and yellow blanketed team of 12 huskies is about five miles in front of King. The black spruce is more scarce, the vistas longer over tundra and low brush, the wind busy moving a blanket of snow crystals across the trail, as the trail leads closer to the Berring Sea.
King has widened the gap to Buser by at least a half-hour and moving steadily to Unalakleet. It seems, or it appears, that he is maintaining distance with Gebhardt and Mackey.
WE leave these four and go forward to Unalakleet to fuel and then return to find the four again at about 3PM. Suddenly, it is evident that momentum has once again shifted. Lance Mackey has caught and passed Buser. In a line of a mile we see Mackey, Buser, and Gebhardt as they travel on the glare ice of the Unalakleet River. Five miles to the front, King is just crossing over the fresh water estuary of the Unalakleet River in a direct line to the village and the Iditarod checkpoint.
Suddenly, what seemed simple and evident a day ago, is topsy turvy. Buser made a statement to the Yukon. King demonstrated strength on the Yukon. Now Mackey and Gebhardt are unleasing a demonstration of speed to the Berring Sea Coast.
In total, Mackey recouped enough time to be serious threat. He is only 45 minutes behind King and has eclipsed Martin Buser. Paul Gebhardt, always patient and experienced, is 52 minutes from front leader King.
The Strategy
In the Unalakleet checkpoint, I see Mackey, Gehardt, and Buser and congratulate them on a great race. King has already retreated to the Mushers Quarters for a nap.
They are good friends, congenial, and true sportsman. Without exaggeration, I can report that their sportsmanship and character is as tough and flawless as their teams. They joke and recount the trail, but at the same time they all expect each other to be unrelenting in effort. Dead tired after eleven hours on the trail, and confident their dogs are well fed and now sleeping, the grab a meal provided by locals here in Unalakleet, and think about a nap.
But what about the strategy? Will someone ease out of the checkpoint building while the others sleep for a quick exit in direction Shaktoolik?
Gebhardt, when I asked him, shook his head. Of course, they want six hours rest. That’s the civilized standard. But, for the moment, King controls the race. From now on, it will be difficult to give him more than a 45 minute lead.
Therefore, it is essentially King’s call. If he stays six or even five hours in Unalakleet, the others are likely to follow his example.
What To Look For
Mackey’s run today and his large fourteen dog team indicate an emerging player in the front four. Jeff King’s team is very well prepared and capable of long runs—he will leverage that strength at the appropriate moment. Paul Gebhardt will reduce his team to eleven, but that may actually increase his speed because the dog he is leaving in Unalakleet was not in rhythm with his other smooth trotters. Martin Buser is among the elite, one of the best, at maintaining a dog team. Although he slowed on this run, the team I saw on the trail was very smooth and working evenly. His team speed could increase dramatically with a few simple adjustments—a different feeding strategy or a change in leaders and front end dogs.
Bottom line, these four are unusually balanced, each with their own strengths. Over the last two days, we have seen four dramatic momentum changes. Buser led the race to Eagle Island. King was in the lead yesterday to Kaltag, yet Gebhardt had the fastest trail time. King led to Unalakleet, yet Mackey had the fastest time and gained an hour to the front of the pack.
Ahead
The run to Shaktoolik requires the strength to ascend and descend a divide of mountains enroute to Shaktoolik. Legendary winds could develop to further test the teams.