Date: March 4, 2007 at 9:00 am
Some pre-race picks for the top 10 in Iditarod 35
The 2007 Iditarod could be a war of attrition. It isn’t too tough to predict that this year’s Iditarod may be won by the team that risks going fairly fast in the first 200 miles – and holds together as a unit. Hard, fast trail can translate into sore wrists and shoulders, and, without lots of snow for the dogs to snarf when the teams stop for a break, mushers will have to be certain their teams get enough water.
If a front-running team reaches, say, Nikolai by midmorning Tuesday with at least 15 dogs running strong, keep an eye on that musher. That individual is a good candidate to win. Every year at this time, as the dog teams prepare for their journey northwest from Willow to Nome, speculation runs rampant in hotel lobbies, over plates of fries at restaurants and, especially, in Internet chat rooms, about who has the magic team, which dogs are peaking and who is brimming with confidence. In other words, who is going to win.
To that end, I’m willing to wager a guess. And that’s all it is.
I have tremendous respect for Team Norway, and last year, I figured Bjørnar Andersen was the team to beat, and I went on to place him in my top five. He finished sixth, behind Jeff King, Doug Swingley, Paul Gebhardt, DeeDee Jonrowe and John Baker.
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Date: March 3, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Fans, mushers, volunteers shake off the dust at ceremonial start
It was a day for smiles, photos with fans, small talk with other mushers, and, oh yes, an 11-mile run by dog team through the streets and trails snaking through the largest city in Alaska, with fans waving, cheering and applauding under sunny skies and temperatures climbing into the low 20s.
Throngs lined the snow fencing along Fourth Avenue and all the way out of the city streets, helicopters chopped the air overhead and the smell of grilled hot dogs wafted from street vendors. The winds and below-normal temperatures that buffeted the city over the past few days gave way to calm skies. It was a perfect day to celebrate the Last Great Race.
“It’s fun for people to come down and see the mushers, and it’s fun for the mushers, too,” said Jon Korta of Galena, a rookie.
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Date: March 3, 2007 at 1:53 pm
IDITAROD XXXV MUSHER Richard Hum, (Bib #25) made the decision to scratch at 5:15 this evening, (March 06, 2007) at Rainy Pass Checkpoint on Puntilla Lake in the Alaska Range. Hum was in 63rd position when he made the decision to scratch.
Date: March 3, 2007 at 12:27 pm
2007 could be the fastest Iditarod ever
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Will the mushers trying to win this year’s Iditarod run long? Will they keep it shorter, rest well and bank on speed?
With at least 20 dog teams vying for first place, with the competition better, more prepared and more focused than ever, expect all kinds of strategies to emerge before the sun sets Sunday and a full moon rises, shedding cold, blue light so bright that mushers will be able to distinguish the colors of their dogs’ harnesses as they reach Skwentna and the foothills of the intimidating Alaska Range.
It’s foolish trying to predict what a given team will do, since the mushers themselves have to be willing to change their plans based on conditions. A sled may swerve into a stump, crumpling the brush bow, bending runners and forcing a team to lurch into Rainy Pass, needing several hours for repairs. Dogs may run so fast that a musher reaches, in only four hours, a place where he planned to take a break, short of an anticipated five-hour run, so he might run an hour or two more and readjust his schedule from there. Or the dogs might go slow (unlikely if the forecast for cold temperatures and hard trails pans out), forcing a team to pull over, rest up and get its spirit back.
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Date: March 3, 2007 at 10:34 am
Anchorage – Readers may have already checked out our complete video coverage of the Iditarod 2007 Ceremonial Start. The Ceremonial Start is a hold over from the early days of Iditarod when mushers actually departed Anchorage for Nome. Presently, the practical considerations of new roads, trails, make it impossible. The Solution? Preserve a tradition and stage a 11 mile Ceremonial run through downtown Anchorage for the fans, and then reassemble for the real start in Willow, Alaska on Sunday.
Therefore, appreciate that the Ceremonial start is not timed, and other than the fact that an appearance is mandatory, Saturday is a day for the mushers to mix with crowds of fans and give a select group of Iditariders a mushing experience.
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Date: March 3, 2007 at 9:20 am
Iditarod XXXV musher Eric Rogers is spending the night at Don’s cabin (which is located between Ophir and Iditarod). The Eagle River Alaska musher made it to Dons Cabin late yesterday. Race officials say he is currently with Iditarod Trail Sweeps. According to Race Officials his sled has been damaged and he has both leg and frostbite injuries. Rogers’ team is in good health.
Race Officials say that the trail sweeps will escort Rogers to Iditarod at first light this morning (March 13, 2007).
Date: March 2, 2007 at 8:54 pm
Late trail-blazing champion honored at pre-race banquet
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — It didn’t descend into trash talk Thursday night at the Iditarod pre-race banquet, but a couple of past champions couldn’t help but make a quip or two.
“I’ve got a quick prediction for you,” announced Mitch Seavey, the 2004 champion, to a packed crowd at Anchorage’s Sullivan Arena. “No new five-time winners this year.”
It was Seavey’s way of pointing out that he expects to win his second title, preventing Doug Swingley, Jeff King or Martin Buser from reaching a milestone held only by the man who can still claim to be the winningest Iditarod musher ever: Rick Swenson. Swenson last won in 1991, but he’s always in the race. And, at 55, he still is easily capable of pulling off another win. Swenson mentioned grabbing win No. 6 before marching off the podium.
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Date: March 2, 2007 at 12:33 pm
King hopes cross-training pays off by the Yukon
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A new handlebar cook stove should allow Jeff King to eat warm kielbasa on the trail this year, but the musher known for his ingenuity has high hopes that altitude training and summer swimming will provide the real hot dogs.
Every year, King unveils some new gadget designed to improve his odds of winning the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. But as the 2007 race heads to the starting line, King is downplaying the hardware, saying he’s more thrilled to witness the outcome of his two biggest experiments since he won the 2006 Iditarod.
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Date: March 2, 2007 at 10:39 am
MUSHER LINE UP FOR IDITAROD XXXV
The following is the 2007 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Line up 1.Susan Butcher (honorary musher)
2. Perry Solmonson, Plain, Wash.
3. Jessie Royer, Fairbanks, AK
4. Cim Smyth, Big Lake, AK
5. Ramy Brooks, Healy, Ak
6. Sebastian Schnuelle, Whitehorse, Yukon
7. Zack Steer, Sheep Mountain, AK
8. Ramey Smyth, Houston, AK
9. Jim Lanier, Chugiak, AK
10. Paul Gebhardt, Kasilof, AK
11. Jason Barron, Lincoln, Mont.
12. Hans Gatt, Atlin, British Columbia
13. Lance Mackey, Kasilof, AK
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Date: March 2, 2007 at 10:38 am
Anchorage Iditarod Headquarters
Circulating this Friday morning on the eve of tomorrow’s Ceremonial Start on downtown Anchorage’s 4th avenue, the fan will observe an early morning frenzy. While fans regard this Friday as a casual day of preparation, organizers, trail breakers, and volunteers are hustling to complete final arrangements for the start of the race.
Meanwhile, mushers are contemplating the facts, as we know them today. Clear weather forecasts make it likely that trail conditions are not going to change. Good trail with sufficient snow for a nice ride over frozen terrain from the Willow Restart to the divide of the Alaska Range puts mushers at ease while considering the first day of trail. At least, mushers can introduce their fired up teams to the rhythm of the trail under controllable conditions. To reduce speed, the primary responsibility of mushers on the first day of racing is to keep the team traveling at a reasonable speed, usually with conservative and slower leaders to the front, and by riding the brake or a drag especially attached to the sled.
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