IDITAROD XXXVIII rookie musher Hank Debruin, (Bib #45) scratched at 5:08 p.m. Alaska Time (March 16, 2010) in Nulato Checkpoint. The 47 year old musher from Haliburton, Ontario, Canada had 13 dogs on his team. Debruin made the decision based on his team’s ability to continue to compete in the 2010 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
IDITAROD XXXVIII Musher Lance Mackey (Bib # 49) arrived in Nome Alaska at 2:59 pm Alaska Time with 11 dogs, and is the first musher in Iditarod Race history to win four back to back Iditarod Championships. Mackey gave all the credit to his team and his leaders… especially his three year old female Maple (last year’s Golden Harness winner).
Mackey also recognized the fact that there were no less than four other mushers that battled him all the way to White Mountain. Even then, Mackey’s battle wasn’t over as the 2010 Yukon Quest Champion, Hans Gatt, continued to gain on Mackey’s team before running out of trail on Front Street.
Mackey’s team made it to Nome in 8 days, 23 Hours, 59 Minutes, 9 Seconds making him the second musher to ever eclipse the 9 day barrier. 4 time Iditarod Champion Martin Buser still holds the record.
But no one has ever accomplished what the incredible Lance Mackey has: win 4 straight Iditarod Championships. Mackey did say that he thinks he’s up for a fifth in 2011.
This has been an epic race with epic dog teams and the final chapter is about to be written here along the Bering sea coast. This is a vast open landscape with rolling hills, open tundra and an endless horizon of sea ice.
The lead teams at this point are all in White Mountain and Lance Mackey has just headed out on this final stretch to Nome. All the dogs in the front 3 teams ate well here and all the mushers were exceedingly sleepy.
Both Lance and his team seemed revived after their 8 hour rest and the others most likely will be too. Although this is Lance’s race to lose at this point, the race isn’t over until the lead dog reaches the finish line. Many Iditarods have been won and lost along this last 77 miles of trail. Lance’s Dad, Dick Mackey took the lead to win his 1978 championship along this section. Rick Swenson has taken over the lead a number of times along this section of trail as well. I don’t expect Lance to falter in this run but as the saying goes, it isn’t over until it’s over.
Lance was greeted in White Mountain by his father Dick Mackey as a little bonus to his run.
As for other reflections at the front, John Baker is in White Mountain and if you look at his times and subtract the 5 hours he had the misfortune to spend outside of Cripple he would be right in the mix of this front pack now. Ramey Smyth came into White Mountain with a strong looking team and reported losing his dog team out on Golovin Bay. He ran after them for about an hour into the village of Golovin and there he found his team where they had luckily pulled in and parked themselves instead of heading all the way to White Mountain.
Isn’t it Amazing?
How do you know Nulato? As a checkpoint on the Iditarod trail? As a small village on the Yukon River? Maybe you’ve learned a little history and know it began as a Russian trading post. Being here for only 3 days, I’ve seen mostly the inside of the school and gym. My journeys outside the building were limited to running out to check the temperature and wind speed. Today I asked if I could be shown around the village. I don’t think it’s fair to say I know about Nulato, unless I know more about it.
Bill offered to take me around Nulato on his snowmachine. We began on the river, on the Iditarod Trail, and surprisingly he spotted a musher coming that I couldn’t even see. Considering we are down to just a handful of mushers coming through, it was a gift that there was one on the trail for me to take pictures of. He pointed out fox, rabbit, and lynx tracks.
A trip up to the cemetery was next. I’m awed and amazed at the beauty of the wooden fences and crosses that embellish these sacred places. Bill told me about the families buried there, who they were and their roles in the community. He even pointed out his grandparents’ and parents’ final resting places. It was a history lesson given by someone who had lived it.
From the hill the cemetery is on, Bill pointed out the mouth of the Nulato River on which he would wind back into the hills to fish for grayling and other types of fish. He showed me the mountains the other direction where he goes to hunt wolves and geese.
Around town I saw the airstrip, the electric plant, one of the stores, the tribal council building, two wash-a-terias, the post office and the city offices. Bill pointed out the newly graveled road for expansion building. When we reached the dump site, he mentioned that it is where wolves like to hang out. And he said up into the trees he hunts black and grizzly bears.
When we reached the mouth of the Nulato River, we stopped and I gazed down the Yukon into which it flows while Bill explained that the wolf skins weren’t good this year because there wasn’t enough snow. And he described the breaking up of the river as a big celebration. People sit along the river bank watching the powerful display of nature. Back down onto the river and the Iditarod Trail where there are tripod trail markers. He said, “See where the wolf tracks run alongside the rabbit tracks? The wolf was probably running after the rabbit. Amazing, isn’t it?”
And I thought to myself, “Isn’t this – ALL of this – Bill – Nulato – Amazing?” Now I KNOW Nulato.
If you’re wondering whats going on here, Jeff King is resting simply because he thinks it’s the safer thing to do. Hans Gatt on the other hand saw a chance to make a move and try to get second place. But this thing isn’t over. There are still hills and a tired dog team could stop and they have stopped in the past in the Iditarod. This whole thing could switch around. The interesting thing is you have two Iditarod Champs, a 5th championship possibility and a four time Champion possibility racing this years Yukon Quest Champion.
It is a race of Champions.
Lance Mackey just pulled into Elim, grabbed some food, snacked his dogs and headed out on the sea ice towards White Mountain. His dogs were moving at a super fast trot when they left here. After a quick cup of coffee and dropping one dog he pulled the hook and headed on out.
Jeff King gave his dogs a little more rest last night at Koyuk. At this point we’d have to say that this is Lances’ race to lose. But remember that happened two years ago when the rolls were reversed, Jeff was in first place coming into Elim and Lance went on to win.
Though both Lance and Jeff might like to back the pace off a little they are keenly aware that Hans Gatt is breathing down their necks and posting faster travel times. All three front teams look great.
In the middle of the night at Koyuk when the teams arrived, all the mushers seemed exhausted, cold and mentally stressed because they came into Koyuk on a different trail over the sea ice than they had used in previous years. The new trail may have added an additional 5-6- miles to the run.
The situation now is with a mandatory 8 hour layover at White Mountain, even if your team is a little slower… it’s hard to get caught before the finish in Nome if you have much of a lead. Nothing is impossible and anything is possible yet.
IDITAROD XXXVIII rookie musher Emil Churchin, (Bib #53) scratched at 12:40 p.m. Alaska Time (March 15, 2010) in Ruby Checkpoint. The 42 year old musher from Anchorage Alaska had 13 dogs on his team. Churchin made the decision based on his team’s ability to continue to compete in the 2010 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
As this race heats up progressing towards Nome, I hope everyone appreciates what an epic race this is. This is the classic battle between two champions. Lance Mackey is trying to gain an unprecedented 4 Iditarod championships in a row and Jeff King is trying to become a 5 time champion. No matter who wins this thing, you’re seeing two of the greatest teams in Iditarod history go head to head. At this point in the race heading to Koyuk, both teams are eating great and moving with an abundance of grace and power. If you watch the Insider video clips of both teams pulling into Shaktoolik you will visually experience this for yourself.
These two guys remind me of something from Greek mythology, warriors traversing a battlefield with chariots led by half wild animals. This may not only be one of the greatest Iditarods competitively ever but those of us standing out here along the Bering Sea ice watching this, feel we may be watching one of the greatest competitions in any sport.
To add to this mix the teams nipping at their heels aren’t rolling over or backing off.
On March 10th, 2010 IDITAROD XXXVIII Musher Justin Savidis (Bib #10) lost one of his team members, Whitey, a three year old male, between Nikolai and McGrath Checkpoints. Friday, (March 12, 2010) Justin Savidis scratched in McGrath in order to help McGrath Volunteers and the Iditarod Air Force continue to search. Earlier today, Whitey was located and returned to McGrath in good condition. Both Whitey and Justin Savidis are now back in Anchorage, Alaska.
What we’re seeing here along the coast with the dog teams is that Lance Mackey seems to have pulled off a pretty incredible run to gain the lead. Everyone here, including myself was impressed with how perky Lance’s dogs looked and how well they ate both of their meals here.
They actually seemed unfazed. After their rest they marched right out of town on their way to Shaktoolik just like it was any other run. It will be interesting to see what he pulls next.
Lance himself seemed extremely tired when he arrived here but ate a good meal and was chatty and friendly to all the race fans.
The rest of the top four mushers, Jeff King, Hugh Neff and Hans Gatt, all have teams looking extremely strong at this point of the race and all were eating well. This is a sign of the dogs not being overly tired.
With the front four teams so far ahead of everyone else now, I really haven’t seen much of the others coming up behind them as these guys sprint on to White Mountain
You can get more details on rest and travel times in the race current standings.
If you’re wondering why their travel times were so long between Kaltag and Unalakleet, it was because all four front runners reported really soft fluffy snow that slowed their rate of speed most of the way here.
All of them seemed a little frustrated with that and reported that the first 28 miles out of Kaltag took 5 hours because of the trail conditions.