Date: March 17, 2009 at 1:38 pm
IDITAROD XXXVII Rookie Mushers Kim Darst (bib #52) and Blake Matray (bib # 9) scratched between Iditarod and Shageluk at 8 pm yesterday evening (Alaska Time). Earlier today the Iditarod Air Force (IAF) deployed four aircraft to transport Darst and Matray’s teams to Unalakleet. Both teams are now safely in Unalakleet, awaiting transportation back to Anchorage Alaska.
Date: March 16, 2009 at 9:20 pm
IDITAROD XXXVII Rookie Mushers Kim Darst (bib #52) and Blake Matray (bib # 9) scratched between Iditarod and Shageluk at 8 pm this evening (Alaska Time). Darst had 13 dogs on her team and Matray had 14 dogs on his team when they decided to scratch. Both rookies made their decision based on the best interest of their teams. Darst and Matray’s teams will begin moving toward Shageluk at first light, and will be escorted by Iditarod Trail Sweeps.
Date: March 16, 2009 at 9:15 pm
DATE: Monday, March 16, 2009
TO:
Race Officials
Race Veterinarians
Media
Volunteers
FROM: Mark Nordman, Race Marshal
Earlier today (at approximately 2pm Alaska Time) Iditarod Race officials deployed an Iditarod Air Force (IAF) aircraft to check on the whereabouts of Iditarod Rookies Lou Packer (bib #43), Kim Darst (bib #52) and Blake Matray (bib #9). All three mushers were overdue on their run to Shageluk. Packer was located approximately 22 miles past Iditarod. He signaled that he was in distress. The (IAF) pilot landed and found that two of Packer’s 15 dogs were deceased. A plane load of dogs were immediately flown out and a second flight is underway to airlift Packer and the remainder of the team.
A group of local residents from Shageluk are on the trail to assess and assist Darst and Matray.
A necropsy will be conducted by a board certified pathologist to make every attempt to determine the cause of death of the two dogs.
Date: March 16, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Iditarod Insider Analyst Bruce Lee got to Koyuk right before Lance Mackey arrived earlier today.
Mackey reported as he pulled into the village of Koyuk that he had just gone through the hardest run of this race and one of the hardest runs of his career.
The wind is blowing here at 30 to 35 mph making the wind chill on bare skin 50 below. To make conditions harder the wind is blowing right into their face.
Mackey’s dogs came in looking strong with leaders wagging their tails and pulling hard. One amazing aspect of this team is that Mackey was lead across the sea ice into this strong wind by a new leader that hasn’t even turned two years old yet.
There is a huge battle going on for 2nd , 3rd and 4th places and they’ve got even stronger winds to deal with so whoever has the best “wind leaders” may come out on top for those places. Might be a great run for John Baker who trains in these conditions.
On the run over to Shaktoolik Hugh Neff got some serious frostbite on his face and is working with local medical folks and Iditarod staff so that he doesn’t continue to do damage to his skin. This is a bad break for Hugh because the winds are forecast to continue.
If you’ve never been in these conditions before here’s an idea of what its like; I stopped in Shaktoolik briefly and as I walked out of the checkpoint one of the Iditarod staff handed me a sandwich to eat. I took it with me as I walked out the door for the 200 yard walk down to the ice where an airplane was waiting to fly me on up the trail to Koyuk. By the time I got to the plane the sandwich was starting to freeze with ice crystals.
That’s the way we do it in the Iditarod!
Bruce
Date: March 16, 2009 at 9:42 am
Iditarod Insider Analyst Bruce Lee took a moment last night to reflect on the Race leader and the rest of the pack.
I’m sitting here on the shore of the Bering Sea in the town of Unalakleet with Lance Mackey’s dogs resting by the checkpoint. This coastal village is buried in drifting snow this year. Many drifts are as tall as houses. At this point I think it fair to finally state that this race is now Lance’s to lose. That really has been the case since he made his dynamic run over to Iditarod leaving all of his competitors with a huge time difference to make up. He followed that run with two high powered runs to Anvik and Eagle Island. At Kaltag he made sure he was leaving the checkpoint before any of his competitors arrived. This team is truly amazing to watch travel. They seem to never lose steam and I would go as far as to say they are the nicest traveling team I have ever seen.
That is not to say that there aren’t a lot of fine teams following Lance. With a little help from Mother Nature this could still turn into “a run to Nome.” At Kaltag, I would say some of the strongest looking teams that I saw were those of Dallas Seavey, John Baker and Sonny Lindner. I’m sure these teams will be moving up in the standing, but time will tell. There’s lots of racing still to come.
This is the point in the Iditarod when mushers will begin to push to catch the teams in front of them. Still, rest and a high quality diet are what keep the teams moving swiftly down the trail. There is going to be a highly competitive race for second through fifth this year.
Headed to Koyuk to see how Lance’s team looks when it arrives.
Bruce
Date: March 15, 2009 at 1:58 pm
From Insider Analyst Bruce Lee in the Chilly Village of Kaltag
This is the point in the race when the teams leave the interior and Yukon River and head out to the coast of Alaska. Last night and early morning mushers were coming into Kaltag a little “shell-shocked” by the transition and temperature. It was 30 below zero in the village of Kaltag but with the colder air settling down on the river they had been experiencing temperatures closer to40 below . Many were laughing and commenting that in the last few days it’s gone from 40 above 0 to 40 below. This is an excellent example of what varying conditions mushers have to be prepared to deal with in this race.
This next run out to the coast and Unalakleet is a very important section of the race. They will be experiencing a change in environment, scenery, culture, and strategies for the race. Because once they reach Unalakleet it is the beginning of the long sprint to the finish line in Nome.
Headed to Unalakleet to get ready for the Sprint!
Bruce
Date: March 14, 2009 at 4:07 pm
From Iditarod Insider Analyst Bruce Lee
Location: Eagle Island where there are now 4 airplanes, 1 helicopter, 6 snow machines and 4 dog teams with one, Lance Mackey’s about to depart.
Date: March 14, 2009
Time: 2:30pm
Most everyone focuses on how amazing these sled dogs are in their athletic ability and rightfully so. Even the mushers are constantly astounded at the depth of endurance and capabilities that these dogs exhibit. However, it does merit looking at what athletes these mushers are too. Other sporting events have intensive competition but these guys and gals compete in a demanding environment for up to 2 weeks time.
They have to have a multitude of athletic capabilities. Part dancers, they are moving around on their runner tails, adjusting their weight, shifting their balance as they travel across the varying terrain. They are part bull riders, taking slams on frozen ground, plowing into trees, just like a bull rider getting tossed down in an arena. Remember, a musher isn’t dealing with just one 55 lb dog. The animals in front of them have a total weight of approx 850 pounds. Mushers have to be part downhill skiers able to ride the runners around sharp turns and down steep slopes coming off the mountains and hills of the race trail. They’re have to be part weight lifters, hefting dogs, lifting them from side to side or shifting their positions on the team. And then they have to carry those 50# plus food drop bags that have the supplies that they use to care for their dogs across the snow.
On top of all this they compete for days on end with next to no sleep.
Like all great athletes they only make it look easy and graceful because they are so good at it.
That’s all for now… time to head up to Kaltag.
Bruce
Date: March 14, 2009 at 12:56 pm
From Iditarod Insider Analyst Bruce Lee
Grayling Checkpoint never saw do much commotion in one short period time last night. Just before 10:30 pm you could see the lights on the river… and then all of a sudden those lights turned into teams stacked up one after the other. Jeff King, Sebastian Schnuelle, and Aaron Burmeister had arrived.
All three knew that this would be where they would take their mandatory layover on the Yukon. It was good that they were battling it out against each other. This is the part of the race that (if traveling alone) can get really mundane. I call it plain old boring. It’s good to have a light in front or behind you to keep you focused on gaining ground.
This part of the race is a mental game. Just think about the message Lance Mackey has been sending since he left Takotna. He made it to Iditarod without stopping. His message to his competitors was simple “Let’s see if your fast is faster than my fast.” Then Lance took his mandatory 8 hour layover in Anvik after feasting on an eight course meal.
Fast forward to King, Schnuelle and Burmeister arriving in Grayling hoping that they might have gained some ground on Mackey in Grayling. Minutes after their arrival there was a light on the river… and yes, it was Lance arriving in Grayling at 10:50 pm. He stopped long enough to get food and straw and he was gone. That’s psychological warfare.
This race is far from over. But if there ever was a time for the cluster of challengers who are chasing Lance to gain some ground, the time is now when they’re on the Yukon, and before they get to Kaltag. The team that gains the most ground has at least the opportunity to be in position to do battle on the Gold Coast.
One team to look for (in terms of gaining ground) is Sonny Lindner’s team. He may not be in a position to go after Lance, but he could start weaving his way through the rest of the bunch that’s on Lance’s heels.
That’s all for now… headed to Kaltag next.
Bruce
Date: March 13, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Iditarod Insider Analyst Bruce Lee…From Anvik
Lance is here at this moment savoring his first to the Yukon River dinner sponsored by the Millennium Alaskan Hotel. If you think Lance has this race in the bag….Listen up. He fell asleep last night leaving Shagaluk and missed the trail. (The GPS tracker was right!) He figured he lost about one hour to an hour and a half. When he turned the team around they slowed down to about half their speed for awhile. He said this really bummed him out because he’s fallen asleep and missed the turn before both in the Yukon Quest and in the Iditarod.
There are many teams in the front pack still on the up swing and seeming to be gaining strength most notably Sebastian Schnuelle, Aaron Burmeister, Jeff King, Mitch Seavey (although I wasn’t able to see him moving), John Baker (really solid team), Hans Gatt, Rick Swenson and Sonny Linder. A new face up front is Dallas Seavey. Both he and his team were up beat when I saw them and I think he will be moving up in standings as he heads to the coast.
When I asked Lance who he thought were his closest competitors he pondered the question for a minute and said “You know, if you look at the runs from Takotna to Shagaluk… I’d have to say Mitch Seavey and Jeff King in that order.”
Does Lance have this in the bag?
That’s all for now!
Bruce
Date: March 12, 2009 at 2:50 pm
The following is from Iditarod Insider Analyst Bruce Lee on the banks of the Iditarod River.
I’m standing here at the site that will soon be Iditarod Checkpoint on the Northern bank of the Iditarod River. The remnants of what once was a bustling community of ten thousand a century ago are covered with snow. And there’s a ton of activity with volunteers putting the finishing touch on the Iditarod Checkpoint. On our way in we spotted Jeff King and Mitch Seavey closing in on one of the Southern Route’s landmarks… Don’s Cabin. As we flew over the cabin we could see both Aaron Burmeister and Hugh Neff resting their teams there. Farther ahead we discovered a site to behold; Lance Mackey. Lance was four positions behind the rest of the pack when he left Takotna. Now he’s in front. Form our view we could see Lance’s team loping at a pace that was reminiscent of a few days back when he left the starting line in Willow. His team was moving in a cadence that was awesome to watch.
The degrees of separation are beginning to rise up to the top. This race is getting very interesting!
Bruce
(Below is an aerial view of Don’s Cabin)
