Lead changes, moves in the night, unexpected appearances, and the “Incredible” Lance Mackey’s emergence in Koyuk as race leader have combined to make this year’s Iditarod a memorable down to the wire finish.
We’ve just landed the helicopter after a morning in the air following competitors from Unalakleet to Shaktoolik to Koyuk and beyond.
First, the news roundup of this mornings top ten. Our helicopter saw John Baker, Tolloff Monson, and Ramey Baker enroute from Unalakleet to Shaktoolik across brown, barren, snowless tundra, and finally miles of freshwater glare ice leading parallel to a long spit and the village Shaktoolik. In Shaktoolik, Ed Iten, always a fast late finisher was turning his dogs past the checkpoint and on the trail again towards the sea ice and crossing to Koyuk. AT the same time, Ken Anderson, had decided to layover in Shaktoolik for a short rest and was feeding his dogs, now resting on straw behind the Shaktoolik Armory building.
Iditarod veteran, Palmer Sagoonik, runs the Shaktoolik checkpoint and is a master hunter and outdoorsman. He told me the strong winds across the sea ice to Koyuk would be a formidable challenge for mushers. However, he said Lance Mackey’s dogs were animated, fired – up and ready to challenge. Mackey turned his dogs out of the checkpoint in Shaktoolik for direction Koyuk, making a statement early this morning. He is now the leader of the race, posting the fastest times, and driving the biggest team.
Readers may recall that Lance won the Yukon Quest, finishing just ten days before the start of the Iditarod. Conventional wisdom has it that dogs racing the Quest would not be rested well enough to race Iditarod. Lance, on the other hand, believes the conditioning gives the dogs a significant advantage—and he is proving it. He crossed Norton Sound ice in about six hours, well ahead of nearest competitor Paul Gebhardt, Martin Buser, and Jeff King. Mackey was now looking back at his competition this mid morning.
Buser countered with a move after Mackey. He took just a short rest in Shaktoolik. Gebhardt, not wanting to miss an opportunity, launched soon after and passed Buser on the ice of Norton Sound, now establishing himself in second place. King, who is always by nature more conservative stayed in Shaktoolik and rested his dogs additional hours.
Once again, the order of the race was shuffled, leaving gamblers in a frenzy. No sure bets exist.
Meanwhile, Zach Steer, Ed Iten, and Ken Anderson have entered the fray.
By the time our helicopter arrived in Koyuk at noon, we discovered mushers on the trail nearing Koyuk. Gebhardt was closing in on Koyuk, followed by Buser, then by a fast moving Zach Steer who was making time on Buser, Jeff King, then followed by a very fast moving Ed Iten.
Our chopper reported winds of thirty to forty on the nose and in the face of mushers and dogs—-another challenge to the strength of teams.
Noon — Koyuk: The Race Changes
Thinking we had it all figured out, we focused the camera on Gebhardt approaching Koyuk in second, about noon. Assuming that Mackey would remain resting in Koyuk, all seemed logical.
However, we saw a thin moving line, looking very much like a moving dog team, on the distant beach line. Just as Gebhardt and team climbed up the hill off the beach to the community hall acting as the Iditarod headquarters, Mackey was cleverly making a convenient exit.
This is the age old technique employed by mushers—the “ghost team technique.” Mackey has enough of lead that he has decided to remove himself from conscious memory of his competitors. By the time Gebhardt arrives, the straw beds of Mackey’s dogs are cold. Mackey has now transformed into an unseen entity. His goal is to remain distant, unknown, and unseen.
Gebhardt arrives in Koyuk as a camera records the rapidly moving Mackey at about 12:30PM. He is 3.6 miles from the checkpoint. However, in a move that amuses wizened race veterans, Gebhardt notices the vacancy in Koyuk. Ah, what a great idea, he thinks, and grabs a half bale of straw and a sack of dog food and also exits the Koyuk checkpoint for direction Elim. Certainly he will camp halfway between Koyuk and Elim in a protected grove of trees, and he too will be a transparent phantom traveling out of sight.
The ruse ends when Martin Buser arrives an hour later about 1:30PM. The 4X champ, pragmatic and experienced, beds his dogs down and feeds them snacks, kibble, and a hot ration. He is camping for a good rest.
A new entry into this mix of characters arrives shortly after Buser. Zach Steer, tall and athletic, running behind the sled, has a good run to Koyuk is now situated fourth, and threatens the position of Buser. His dogs, heads up, rolling on the ground, grabbing snacks from Zach’s hands, are clearly wound to run. If he continues to post fast times, he could very easily surpass Buser and move up on Gebhardt.
Meanwhile, Ed Iten at 3PM is moving fast across the sea ice to Koyuk and threatens the position of Jeff King, the defending 2006 Iditarod champ. He appears, according to our estimations on the helicopter, to be moving faster than King and also eclipsing the lead of Buser.
In short, a great race, a reality adventure drama.
What to Look For
Lance Mackey has seized the moment and is now leading. WE will fly to Elim, the next coastal checkpoint, and expect to see him about 6PM this Monday afternoon resting his dogs on straw.
The trail to Elim has been altered, villagers report, because the sea ice has been dislodged by strong winds. Therefore the trail has now been routed overland over almost snowless and bare ground from Koyuk to Elim.
What will he do? My guess, he will continue to look back down the trail. When the “scouts” in Elim, mounted snowmachine riders from the village, report an approaching dog team, my guess is that the Incredible Lance Mackey will quickly pack and disappear into the darkness—-the phantom that may be the first musher to win an Iditarod Quest and an Iditarod in the same year.