NOME, Alaska — If Bryan Mills were a lead dog, he might be related to Lance Mackey’s go-to guy, Larry. Mills has what mushers call a “tough head,” the ability to keep his attitude and drive on, no matter what. The proof: He ran 75 percent of the Iditarod with a broken leg.
He described the jarring, teeth-clattering rides through snowless tundra as extremely painful on the stress-fractured fibula, which is the smaller of the two bones below the knee. But frankly, he added, there were so many other pain issues that it all just became a dull roar of sensory information. Frosty-cold ears and exposed facial skin took all his concentration as he drove up the windy Yukon River.
Mills injured his leg in a section of trail so nasty this year that it single-handedly sent about 10 percent of the competition spiraling out of the race with busted sleds and broken bones. That section was the run up from Finger Lake to Puntilla Lake, a 30-mile section that takes mushers up into the Alaska Range through a series of hills and ledges known as the Happy River steps.
Places in the steps have always been difficult, but with less snow than average in 2007, vicious obstacles normally buried beneath several feet of fluffy powder were exposed. Among the lesser-reported issues, at least in the media, was a tree stump or two that poked out like a 4-inch diameter spear right on a corner. Mushers either worked with every ounce of energy to steer around the snag or had it tear into their sleds. Mills was unfortunate enough to hit the stump with his left leg.
He heard an audible snap, and went down, still holding his handlebar, screaming, yelling and babbling in pain, surprise and fear - just like anyone else would do. All mushers who’ve run the Iditarod have been there before. Mills said he had to lay there a few seconds just to allow his senses to relay whatever information to his stunned brain.
He managed to make it to Rainy Pass, and realized he probably had a broken leg. There, Mills made a decision to keep going as long as he could. He figured he spent a ton of money getting to that point from his home in Wisconsin. The point of the race is overcoming obstacles, he figured.
Mills has a stronger team than his 44th-place finish would indicate, but he is to get credit for pushing through the pain and getting the job done. He had a wrap around his calf from the local hospital, and the bone was already setting, he said.
Ramy Brooks disqualified by officials
The Iditarod Trail Committee voted late last night to impose a penalty on Healy, Alaska, musher Ramy Brooks for violating race rules by swatting his dogs with one of the wooden trail markers late in the race. Brooks was officially disqualified after three race judges gathered, discussed the issue and voted unanimously.
There has been some confusion over Brooks’ finish. The disqualification has nothing to do with another late-race tragedy for Brooks. He had a dog in his team stumble and fall, then stop breathing, as Brooks approached the Safety checkpoint, just 22 miles from the finish. Brooks tried but failed to revive that dog, named Kate. Veterinarians there told him to continue on to Nome and have race judges handle the situation when he got in. There was a delay of several hours between his arrival time and his official check-in time while veterinarians performed a necropsy on Kate to see if Brooks had any responsibility, and he was cleared to check in when it was found he had none.
A couple of days later, when reports could be investigated of Brooks having used a trail marker to spank a dog while in the village of Golovin, race marshal Mark Nordman called a panel of judges to talk about that, and they reached the conclusion that Brooks violated race rules. The ruling is specific to this race only, Nordman said. It does not affect future races.