TAKOTNA — Five teams roared out of this sleeping town before 5:30 a.m., resuming their hunt for an Iditarod crown after resting their teams for the mandatory 24-hour layover. They are pursuing about a dozen mushers, led by Paul Gebhardt, who decided to press farther north to Cripple and Ruby before taking their day-long pit stops.

Not one of the three front runners leaving Takotna dropped a dog, and each team displayed its own personality. Kjetil Backen left in perfect, smooth silence with his 15 dogs at 4:17 a.m. Lance Mackey was next, at 5 a.m., with his usual boisterous squad barking and yipping. “Sorry to wake up the neighborhood,” he said, but adding, “That’s what I wanted to see.”

 

Then, as Jeff King waited his turn to leave at 5:13 a.m., Hans Gatt cruised by, taking just two hours to reach Takotna from McGrath in the relative cool of the early morning. It was in the mid-20s with a slight breeze. King’s dogs were lively, too, all 16 of them. He walked down the line, fluffing some ears and said, “Relax, relax, relax.”

A few minutes later, a very happy Rick Swenson rolled up, made some minor adjustments to the bridle of his sled, and was off. He noted his own two-hour run time and joked about the ski pole poking out of his sled being useless at this point since he had so much power.

All the mushers had ski poles ready. They’re used to help move the sled along on long runs. Mushers stand on one runner, and alternately kick with their foot and ski pole with one arm in a version of the classic cross-country ski stroke.

It could take 10 to 12 hours, or more, from Takotna to Cripple if they do it without a break. It took Martin Buser about 11 hours from Ophir. Did the trail set up overnight? Is there overflow? Is it soft from fresh snow? Those questions should be answered by late afternoon.