All Good Things....

As they say...all good things must come to an end....well...at least until NEXT YEAR!  It was GREAT to be able to cover this race "up close and personal" this time around!  The BEST trip EVER!!!

See you all back here at IditaDacks next year!!  Enjoy the "exit" photos.....Mush On My Friends!

Fairbanks Airport - TIRED Travelers....Restart at 10:00 am - on a plane by 4:40 pm

IditaDogs "Howling Huskies" on the way to Run with the Reindeer!

Yup...almost saw Val get "poked" by one of these! 

A magical glimpse of Denali on our way to Fairbanks! 

We left part of our hearts in Alaska with our Sponsor Dawg Chemo! Thank you SP Kennel!

Team Adirondack on a run back in the Dacks! 

 

The Inspirational Cindy Abbott - Bead on Nome and the Red Lantern!

Cindy Abbotts story is one of those inspirational Iditarod stories from the "back of the pack".  This woman has summited Everest.....and in her 3rd attempt to run the Iditarod it appears 3 is a charm....she will be in Nome soon, and will claim the Red Lantern award for the Last Musher Off the Iditarod Trail.

But if I were to guess, Cindy will be more jazzed about capturing a picture of her under the Burled Arch with her NORD banner much more than any award....NORD...the National Organization of Rare Diseases.  You see, Cindy has Wegner's Granulomatosis...a disease that restricts blood flow to various organs...and at 40 below....Cindy, like Lance, dug deep...and got through.  Of course Cindy didn't have a Brother to help her....she had herself and quite likely other mushers cheering her on....because that is what they do...and of course knowing fans/family and friends were thinking about her and her quest was probably more than enough to stay focused and on the trail to Nome!  Well done Cindy!!

Presently she is not quite to the Safety Checkpoint....but she ain't stopping now!

Here are a few pictures we captured of Cindy on our travels:

We stopped for gas after seeing a MOOSE and Denali on the Parks Highway.  Cindy was at the store too! 

Cindy on her way to Nome  - Fairbanks Restart - Notice the "traditional" style sled...no trailers here!

Cindy will be awarded the Red Lantern Award upon her arrival in Nome! 

Laura Allaway finishes 46th; Yuka Honda 55th

Laura Allaway is racing from Trail Breaker Kennel which was founded by Susan Butcher .  I consider Susan my all time Hero growing up!  After Libby Riddles and Susan Butcher started winning the Iditarod in 1985, my Dad would say "see, women can do anything!"  How true!

Here are some pictures of Laura, Yuka and Libby from our trip:

Mushing Icon Libby Riddles - First Woman to Win the Iditarod 1985 - She was SO cool to meet!

Yuka Honda giving Elizabeth a "thumbs up" at the Ceremonial Start

Laura Allaway giving her dog encouragement at the Ceremonial Start

Lance Finishes in 43rd Place....BUT he FINISHES!

Lance is in Nome ...right after his Brother Jason finished!  This is probably one of the hardest and cruelest Personal Iditarods Lance has ever run....any lesser of a person would have scratched way back in Huslia at 40 below with all the pain in his fingers!!  Hats off to you Lance!

Here is a picture of Lance at the Re-Start in Fairbanks!  He must have heard Val and I screaming like teenagers and turned to acknowledge....too cool!

Allen Moore and the SP Kennel Black Team is in Nome!!

Allen Moore with our Boy Chemo Dawg made  it into Nome this am with little 31 pound Chipper in lead!!  What a fantastic FAST run they had in this last leg....they have gotten plenty of rest on this 1,000 mile trip.  Allen had 8 youngsters on the Team and this race wasn't as much a race but more of like a big training run to teach the young ones how to handle a 1,000 trek.  Allen did a fantastic job with only having to drop 2 dogs along the way....all the others made it.....including Chemo!!  We are SO proud of our boy!!

Here are some pictures of Allen and his Team:

Commando and Viper in Anchorage during feeding time

Me and Chemo at the Restart in Fairbanks

Boondocks getting some loving...Chipper says shes next!

                                        

Up and coming leader Kodiak

                                                   

Allen tells me about summiting Eagle Summit on the Yukon Quest

                               

Black Team at the Restart - Chemo running with Felix

Dee Dee Jonrowe into Nome in 31st Position!

Dee Dee is an icon...it was SO awesome to meet her at the Banquet!  This is Dee Dee's 31st time at the finish line in Nome!  She had some issues with frostbite on the trail but managed to tape her fingers together to care for her dogs and make it here to Nome!  Dee Dee can be spotted from quite the distance....Pink is her trademark color after beating back breast cancer.....she is an inspiration to all!  Pretty in Pink.....here is Dee Dee Jonrowe at the banquet and ceremonial start!

Jessie and Aliy finish 4th and 5th!

Congrats to both Jessie and Aliy for being the top 2 Women Teams into Nome!  This may very well be the first time 2 women finished in the top 5!!  Awesome job!!

Aliy in particular had 3 EIGHT year old dogs....Quito, Nacho and Chica....the heart and soul of her Kennel with her under the Burled Arch in Nome!  What a tribute to them to finish 5th in their last competitive Iditarod!

And Jessie.....awesome run.....personal best!  It was fun watching you blow through Shaktoolik and go straight to Koyuk....a gutsy move that catapulted you into the top 5! 

Here are some pictures from nearly 2 weeks ago when I met Aliy and also some shots of her going down the chute during the ceremonial start and restart!  You done good SP Kennel!!

Aliy greeted by cheers on her way to Nome

Restart in Fairbanks

Ceremonial Start with a Smile!

Meeting Aliy at the hotel...she is in a word AWESOME! 

Trail Update!

Now that Dallas is in....time for a trail update from Teams who have left White Mountain:

Mitch at mile 955

Burmeister at mile 945

Jessie at mile 933

Aliy at mile 917

Looks like that will round out the top 5 once they are into Nome!

Dallas Wins Iditarod 43 - 2015!!!

He did it, with grace, style and confidence....again!  Congrats to Dallas Seavey for an awesome race to Nome.

As I predicted last year, he is stringing together multiple wins...he no doubt will win 5 and probably more Iditarod Races in his bright Mushing Career! This is number 3 for Dallas.  Add yet another Dodge Ram 4x4 truck to his collection.....not to mention the $70,000 for this years first place finisher!  The purse hasn't been that big in quite some time!

Congrats Dallas!

Here is some pics of him at the Banquet, Ceremonial Start and Restart in Fairbanks....enjoy!

Dallas almost to Nome - Father Mitch will be Second

Dallas is going to win the 2015 Iditarod...live feed should start shortly in Iditarod.com!

His Dad Mitch has pulled away from Burmeister by about 9 miles...now at mile 943

Burmeister is in third at mile 934

Jessie is on his tail at mile 923

Aliy just left White Mountain and is at mile 907

I got to set up the live feed.....stay tuned!

Dallas In Safety; Mitch has a 6 mile lead for 2nd; Jessie sets out for Nome!

Ok...we have Dallas at the Safety Checkpoint mile 958....only 22 miles to the Burled Arch in Nome!

Mitch is holding on to Second place by an average of 6 miles....he is presently at mile 926 and Burmeister is at mile 920

Jessie just left White Mountain and is presently at mile 908.  She will try to close the gap on Burmeister!

Next out will be Aliy once her 8 hour rest is up in White Mountain.

Heading to Nome

Dallas has already left White Mountain to lock up the first place finish......he is nearing Safety as I write this.  No weather to speak of to wreck havoc with the Teams....should be a pretty mellow trip from that standpoint.

Rounding out the top 10:

Dallas....currently at mile 945
Mitch at mile 915
Burmeister at mile 910

 Still doing their 8 hour rest in White Mountain:

Jessie Royer
Aliy Zirkle
Joar Ulsom
Jeff King

Still Headed to White Mountain:

Ken Anderson
Wade Marrs
Travis Beals

There may be some shuffling on the trail...especially for second place.  This is why I got up early....time to make some coffee!!

What a day!!

It was hard to keep you all up to date working...but I'm OFF tomorrow so I can certainly post all sorts of hourly updates.  Dallas of course will be finishing in first place out of White Mountain...he gets to head out of White Mountain at 10:10  pm Eastern Standard Time.

Mitch made it into White Mountain at 6:41 pm Eastern Standard Time.....beating Burmeister to the checkpoint who has just reached White Mountain as I write this.

So....1st place it pretty much set if no storms upset the apple cart...BUT second is a bit up for grabs between Mitch and Aaron Burmeister.  Aaron will certainly want to redeem some kind of placement since the lead was taken from him on the coast, and Mitch.....well Mitch would probably love to have the Seavey's secure the first and second placements in this race because it has never been done before....ever!!  Let's face it....there is a bit of a Seavey Dynasty happening here....Dallas won his first in 2012...then Mitch in 2013....then Dallas again in 2014.....in 2015 I'm sure many would love to see the 2 come together as a united Seavey front....1st and 2nd....younger and elder.  Dallas was the youngest to EVER win this race...and Mitch was the OLDEST to win it in 2013....it was his second championship too that year.  So the race for second will be a good one....Burmeister trying to play the spoiler....and Mitch trying to put the icing on the cake of the Seavey Mushing Dynasty.

And then you have Jessie.  Jessie has run a VERY smart race and is presently at mile 895.  She is an awesome Musher and there is a great clip on Iditarod.com where Jessie yells over towards an Aliy  interview that Aliy will win the Iditarod.  Laughs are shared between the two...it's cool to watch the interactions between these two.  Jessie will quite likely lock up the 4th place into Nome.....but I'm willing to bet Aliy will make her work for it as any good competitor would!

And then there is Aliy at mile 882.  She took a little longer rest in Elim and my guess is she really wants her 3 eight year old superstars to be with her in Nome....Quito, Nacho and Chica.  If these veterans needed more rest to be in top form I'm sure Aliy obliged.....the thought of being without them at the finish would be too big of a void.....enjoy the ride to Nome Aliy....with an awesome Team of SP Kennel Atheletes!

To keep the pressure on Aliy is Joar Ulsom.....a up and coming fantastic musher who will be one to watch from this point out.  It will be fun to watch Joar chase Aliy into Nome!  Joar is presently resting at mile 871.

Jeff King just left Elim and is presently at mile 859.

Dallas in White Mountain as top 5 battle it out!

Dallas is safely in White Mountain...let his 8 hour clock begin!  Mitch is leading Aaron by a mile....Jessie is about 10 miles behind them and 10 miles ahead of Aliy who is a mile ahead of Joar!

Can you say Sled Dog Race!

Mitch and Burmeister Battle - Jessie Leaves Elim

As Mitch and Burmeister Battle it out at mile 870...Jessie leaves Elim and is presently at mile 860.  Aliy has yet to leave Elim.

Dallas....well he is almost at White Mountain...presently racing at mile 896!

Mitch and Burmeister race for second!

It certainly looks like Dallas will be in first in White Mountain. ..but who will be second is yet to be determined.  

Mitch left Elim at 6:10...Aaron at 6:26
Jessie and Aliy resting....but for how long?

Dallas Out of Elim

After 3 hours rest Dallas pulls the hook and is headed for White Mountain!  Will Burmeister take chase?

Mitch at mile 851
Jessie at mile 845
Aliy at mile 843

Dallas Still Leads the Charge

Dallas is just about in Elim at mile 858
Burmeister ar mile 849
Mitch at mile 842
Jessie at mile 835
Aily at mile 833

Not sure who will stay in Elim.....most do at least a feeding here.....then on to the last push to White Mountain and 8 hours rest!

A 30 mile spread between 1st and 5th

It's getting more and more unlikely Dallas is going to be caught!  Here are the stats:

Dallas at mile 846
Burmeister at mile 833
Mitch at mile 822
Jessie Royer at mile 817
Aliy at mile 815

There is a good quote Aliy said during an interview....."you can only race as fast as your dog team will go and then you can't race any harder.  So that is a pill everyone has to swallow, and swallow with a smile on your face".

Basically your are only as fast as your dogs.....plain and simple.  You can not MAKE them run faster than they can....it simply is not possible.  Run your Team and finish the race.  Placement will happen regardless.  Yes, you can strategize the rest and run schedules.....but when a schedule isn't working you have to down shift.....if a strategy is working perfectly you have the option to shift into a higher gear or coast if you like where you are at.  I think this is where Dallas is right now.  He built a monster of a team and by Unalakleet he has another gear if he needs it.

Dallas leaves towards Nome!

With a soft trail of sugar snow slowing Teams down and wearing them out, Dallas rests up just 4 hours and sets off towards Nome with 11 dogs.  It's a 13 hour run all the way to White Mountain where a mandatory 8 hour rest awaits all the Teams.  Essentially, White Mountain IS in all practicality the first finish line.  The way they come into WM is the order they leave to Nome.  It will be interesting to see who gets up and makes the chase after Dallas.  He has an awesome Team....Jessie's Team came in off the ice kind of sore....not sure if her Team can bounce back on a short break here.  Burmeister may be intrigued to head out since he was only 3 minutes behind Dallas on the way into the checkpoint.  Aliy was cheery and her dogs looked great...she seemed disappointed on her run in....but everyone had a slow run....except for Dallas...his slow is most Mushers average speed....if he can find his medium to fast speed in this sugar snow then watch out!!  He has had the fastest Team on the trail by running short and resting more often...he has paid back rest to his dogs with any gains he accrued in the runs and remained competitive....quite the balancing act.  Dallas is the one to beat....Burmeister may be headed for a wall....and Aliy has her work cut out for her...if anyone can beat Dallas it would be Aliy. If her dogs are up to it she will rise to the occasion!  Time will tell!!

I'm going to set the alarm for a wake up call In a few hours....gonna be a long night!

Off the Ice and into Koyuk!

Its been a long hard day trying to concentrate at work!  I have been dying to get you all caught up....so here are the stats coming into Koyuk:

Dallas made it here first.....he passed Aaron out on the ice right outside of town.  I would be willing to guess he could have done that for miles.....but let's face it....these guys are competitors and are into the head games even though they down play it.  Passing a Team that has been breaking trail for over 60 miles RIGHT before you pull into a checkpoint, is well, kind of in your face competitive.  Dallas bragged he ran 1:45 minutes faster than Aaron coming over the ice....but Aaron's Team was doing a lot of the work.  Kind of reminds me of how King treated Mackey back in 2008!!  So you got the 2 boys up front playing their games...then come the 2 top women of the race....Aliy now nearing the village at mile 809, and Jessie Royer at mile 806.  Jessie has indeed made time on Aliy even with less rest in Shaktoolik,  but for some reason the feel of the 2 women mushers over the ice, is well, I'm just going to say it....less cocky.  These two are good friends and competitors....you won't find either one talking smack about the other.  I like that type of competition!!  Id love to see TWO women in the top 5....I don't think that has been done in recent years....if ever!

5th coming over the ice is Mitch at mile 801
Joar at mile 795
King at mile 780

That's the report from Koyuk...about 200 miles, (maybe a little less), to the finish line in Nome!

Heading Across the Ice!

Burmeister on the ice....mile 784
Dallas about to leave land at mile 777
Aliy just left Shaktoolik and is at mile 767

Burmeister in and out of Shaktoolik

As Burmeister works twice as hard to cover the same miles as Dallas, he makes the decision to blow through Shaktoolik and jumps back into the lead as Dallas catches some rest.  I don't think Aaron will keep the lead for long.  Meanwhile Mitch and Aliy battle it out on the trail to Shaktoolik.  Mitch now is 4 miles ahead of her according to the GPS tracker!

Front Five on the way to Shaktoolik

Dallas was the first to blow through the checkpoint of Unalakleet....he is presently at mile 766 which appears to be the checkpoint of Shaltoolik.  He will quite likely rest here or perhaps push to the shelter cabin at the edge of the sea ice.  I would think all Teams will need to rest a bit before crossing the frozen ocean to Koyuk.

Burmeister was next to leave Shaktoolik after a nearly a 5 hour rest.  He left just as King pulled in....a classic mind game....don't let the competition to see very much of you.  Aaron is from Nome, so everyone is thinking he has some kind of home court advantage and that his dogs know the wind....but in reality Aaron lives in Nenana just south of Fairbanks.  As Aliy put it "how much wind is in Nenana" when asked if Aaron has an advantage with the coastal wind.  Burmeister has gobbled up a lot of prizes along the way, but does he have the speed to win it on the coast.  My guess is no.  He has made some long hards "marches".....Dallas could have easily over taken him on the portage trail to Unalakleet and now is in the lead.  I suspect Aaron will continue a steady march to Nome without much challenge to Dallas.  Burmeister is presently at mile 749.

Mitch was the next to leave up the coast towards Shaktoolik, he blew through the Unalakleet checkpoint without resting....Aliy left within 20 minutes of Mitch pulling through and has now passed him on the trail going to Shaktoolik.  Mitch is presently at mile 733 and Aliy is at 734.  Aliy took about a 4.5 hour rest in Unalakleet before heading on the trail to Shaktoolik. N

Jessie Royer JUST left Unalakleet after 3.5 hours of rest.  This is a personal best run for Jessie with the potential to break into a top 5 finish!  Go Jessie!

It's 40 miles from Unalakleet to Shaktoolik...Dallas is already there...putting a nice gap in between him and his nearest competitors.

This will be a race along the coast from here on out to Nome.  It was reportedly windy in Unalakleet but winds have died down some as the Teams move north along the coast.  Let's hope it stays that way....we don't need another "life or death" finish like last year.

King is still in Unalakleet.  His Team looked great coming in, but doesn't appear to have gotten their magic back.  Perhaps the wind sucked some energy from them on that last third of the long haul from Kaltag.  

Burmeister Wins Gold Coast Award!

Burmeister did it...made it to the Coastal checkpoint of Unalakleet first to capture the Gold Coast Award!  Here is a breakdown of the miles heading to Unalakleet:

Burmeister at mile 722....the tracker doesn't show him completely stopped but he is clearly there in Unalakleet!  Congrats to Aaron for a heck of a march to the coast!

Next up is Aliy at mile 701

Mitch at mile 699

Dallas still parked at mile 698.  This even perplexes Sebastian Schnuelle (Official Iditarod Blogger/photographer on the trail)...but it appears Dallas is running shorting, faster runs with small breaks of rest....this could be one of those rests.  Once he starts up again my guess is he will pass right through Unalakleet and head right to Shaktoolik up the coast.  Time will tell!

Jeff King is still resting at mile 690

Joar Ulsom at mile 676

Pete Kaiser at mile 675

Jessie Royer is back on the run at mile 672.  She reportedly has an awesome string of dogs and is running a personal best race at this juncture.

Wade Marrs at mile 669.  If Wade can hold onto a top ten finish he will be the "new best thing" for next season!

Ken Anderson at mile 667 (resting)

Jason Campeau at mile 666

Kelly Maxiner at mile 664

Thomas Waerner at mile 654

Hugh Neff at mile 651

John Baker at mile 646 (the coast is "home turf" for this 2011 Champ)

Nathan Schroeder at mile 646

Michelle Philips at mile 642

That about sums up the Mushers who have left Kaltag for the coast....with Mr. Aaron Burmeister picking up the "race within the race" award of  $ 3,500 in gold nuggets for being the first musher to Unalakleet!

And that will mark the end of my hourly reports!!  I'll revert back to updating the "big doings" as I cover this last third of the race!

7 pm EST IditaDacks Trail Update - Race to the Coast!

Looks like:

Burmeister at mile 711
Dallas still camped at mile 698
Aliy at mile 694
Mitch at mile 691
King still stopped at mile 690 - says he is alright but his dogs lost their magic and needed a break
Pete Kaiser at mile 668
Joar Ulsom also at mile 668
Jessie still resting at Tripod Cabin at mile 667
Ken Anderson also stopped at Tripod  Cabin mile 667
Kelly Maxiner at mile 664
Wade Marrs at mile 663
Jason Campeau at mile 660
Thomas Waerner at mile 647
Hugh Neff at mile 647

That rounds out all Musher on their way to the Coast in Unalakleet!  Burmeister does indeed look like he will capture the Gold Coast Award....but it does come with a warning.....only 25 % of the Mushers who win this award go on to win the race.  Winner beware.....LOL....maybe THAT is why Dallas pulled over!

6:00 PM EST IditaDacks Trail Update - Race to the Coast!

Wow....right when I think Dallas will move to the front....he pulls over to rest.  Must be he dipped down below 9 mph.....seems like that is his strategy....slow down to 8.5 mph, time to rest.  Interesting but it seems to be a winning strategy thus far.  He overtook King already and could have taken over Burmeister but stuck to his plan and pulled over.  Here are the stats as of 6 pm eastern standard time:

Burmeister at mile 705.....he seems to be gobbling up every award along the way for being first...looks like he is on track to capture the Gold Coast Award as well.

Dallas is camped out at mile 698.....heck, he hauled straw this far so might as well use it.....right?  Dallas is obviously not distracted by awards along the way.....like the Gold Coast Award that Burmeister will quite likely pick up.  I think Dallas has alternate plans for his next move and is not distracted by any shiny objects!

Next up is Jeff King.....camped at Old Woman Cabin at mile 690.  Careful Jeff....Old Woman Cabin can be a "time suck".  Dee Dee won't even look that way as she passes....claims she lost a full day at that cabin somehow.....local legend says it is haunted.  In any event, Old Woman Cabin was one of Susan Butchers favorite parts of the trail!  Hope Jeff doesn't oversleep!

Then we have Aliy trekking at mile 688 on her way to Unalakleet

Mitch Seavey is at mile 684

Jessie Royer still resting at Tripod Cabin mile 667

Ken Anderson at mile 664

Kelly Maxiner at mile 663

Joar Ulsom at mile 663

Pete Kaiser at mile 662

Wade Marrs at mile 658

Jason Campeau at mile 655

Cat and the Hat Musher Hugh Neff at mile 642

Thomas Waerner also at mile 642

Next update at 7 pm EST!

5:00 pm IditaDacks Trail Update: Race to the Coast!

Wow....it's getting pretty exciting:

Burmeister at mile 697
DALLAS about to take him over at mile 696
King is stopped at Old Woman Cabin at mile 690
Aliy is on the move at mile 681
Mitch is putting on the steam at mile 676
Jessie's is resting at Tripod Cabin at mile 667
Ken Anderson at mile 658
Pete Kaiser at mile 655
Joar Ulsom also at 655
Campeau at mile 649
Wade Marrs at mile 648

We got ourselves a Sled Dog Race!

4:00 PM EST IditaDacks Trail Update: Race to the Coast!

Real tight grouping here in front:

Burmeister at mile 688
Dallas now at mile 687
King is at mile 685
Aliy is now moving and at mile 673
Jessie Royer is resting at Tripod Cabin @ mile 667
Mitch Seavey is approaching the cabin at mile 667
Ken Anderson is at mile 651
Joar Ulsom is at mile 647
Pete Kaiser is at mile 646
Jason Campeau at mile 643
Wade Marrs at mile 641

And again, more Teams joining the race parade down to Unalakleet!  Looking at the map Id say Aliy at mile 673 is about halfway there and the top three have about a third to go.  Will any of them stop for a rest at Old Woman Cabin?  Or will all 3 make one monster run together to the coast?

Isn't this fun?

3:00 PM IditaDacks Trail Update: Race to the Coast!

Looks like we have:

Burmeister at mile 683
King at mile 682
Dallas reeling them in at mile 679
Both Aliy and Jessie Royer resting at mile 667 (Tripod Cabin)
Mitch Seavey at mile 661
Ken Anderson at mile 645
Kelly Maxiner at mile 642

As you can see we have a few more Mushers joining the "Race Parade" to the Coast!

Next update at 4 pm EST!  Stay tuned!

2:00 PM EST IditaDacks Trail Update: Race to the Coast!

After a short snowshoe around the property (yes, it's snowing again here in the Adirondacks) we are back just in time to post the 2 pm update to Unalakleet!  At this present time:

King at mile 675
Burmiester at mile 674
Dallas at mile 670
Aliy still stopped at Tripod Cabin mile 667
Jessie Royer at mile 666
Mitch Seavey at mile 654

6 Mushers on their way to the Coast.....who will get the Golden Coast Award that awaits them in Unalakleet?  6 mushers in a 20 mile spread with roughly 60 miles yet to go to the checkpoint!

A Peek into IditaDacks Arm Chair Mushing Headquarters

Just in case you were wondering how all this wonderful race coverage gets put together here at IditaDacks, we thought you might enjoy a peek into our "Arm Chair Mushing Headquarters", otherwise known as our Cabin Living Room.  We have the smart TV rigged up with the GPS Tracker map with a laptop, and I use the iPad to post and search for information on other sites to formulate my posts.  I use my smart phone to keep an eye on our SP Kennel Dawg Chemo who is running with Allen Moore' SPK Black Team.....Allen is running strong with 15 dogs, 8 of which have never run 1,000 miles...they are doing fantastic.  I hope our veteran boy Chemo is helping to teach the young ones how to eat and rest!  Maybe he will even get a chance to lead every once in a while!  

As you can see, IditaDacks Arm Chair Mushing Headquarters is a bit skewed in favor of SP Kennel, but don't worry, I don't let my favoritism come out too much in my race coverage.

IditaDacks Arm Chair Mushing Race Marshalls Trico (on the left) and Willow (on the right) make sure my posts are prompt and accurate.  

1:00 PM EST IditaDacks Trail Update: Race to the Coast!

Right now we have:

Aliy still resting at Tripod Cabin mile 667
King just passed Aliy at mile 667
Burmiester is making his way at mile 666
Dallas Seavey screaming down the trail at mile 662
Jessie Royer at mile 655
Mitch Seavey has joined the race parade and is currently at mile 645

Jessie will quite likely stop at the Tripod Cabin since she did not stop at Kaltag.  Some Mushers like King and Burmiester may try to do this run all in one big monster push....they rested up some in Kaltag before setting out.  Dallas is a wild card and it's reported his team looks superb...he may stop at Old Woman Cabin...but who knows.  He has been making fast short runs with quick rests and his speed overall is excelling.  I'm reading some posts that elude to troubles with Dallas's hand....I'm assuming he may have gotten some frost nip or burn like most the other mushers.

Neff is almost to Kaltag....Waerner is right behind him.

Next report will be at 2 pm!

12:00 Noon EST Trail Update - Race to the Coast!

Ok...we got:

Aliy resting at Tripod Cabin @ mile 667
King at mile 661
Burmeister also at mile 661
Dallas Seavey at mile 654
Jessie Royer at mile 650
Joar Ulsom still at 640...looks like he is right outside the Kaltag checkpoint

Next report at 1 pm EST!

11:00 AM EST Trail Report - Race to the Coast!

Here is the IditaDacks hourly update:

Aliy at mile 665
King at mile 654
Burmiester at mile 653
Dallas Seavey at mile 647
Joar Ulsom at mile 640
Jessie Royer at mile 639 (just leaving Kaltag)

As you can see, a few more Teams have joined the race parade to Unalakleet on the coast!

10:00 AM EST Report - Race to the Coast

I thought since this is a 90 mile run from Kaltag to Unalakleet, it might help if I give hourly reports as to where the Teams are for those who can not track them on the GPS Tracker.  SO, here is the first report of the day on the Race to the Coast!

Aliy - Mile 658
King - Mile 646
Burmiester - Mile 645
Dallas Seavey - Mile 640

Those are the only 4 Teams on route at this moment.  Im assuming Mitch Seavey will be joining them soon!

As mentioned previously, most Mushers will rest their Teams once or twice on this run...so expect some leap frogging in my reports.  There is a "Gold Coast Award" awaiting the first Musher into Unalakleet....for those playing Iditarod with me, there are 3 bonus points to pick up if you guessed what Musher would be into Unalakleet first! 

Aliy in the Lead out of Kaltag!

We are all apples to apples now that everyone in the front has taken their mandatory rests.  Aliy served hers in Nulato and then ran the 47 miles to Kaltag, rummaged around her drop bags for 14 minutes and headed down the trail towards the coast...truely in the first position this time!  She will quite likely stop at Triplod Cabin about a third of the way down the trail to rest.  Its 90 miles to Unalakleet from Kaltag and mushers typically break it up into 2 or 3 runs.  Its still reported VERY cold.......40 below!!!  Aliy's schedule has been such that she has been missing the shelter cabins and camping out in this cold...Im glad she will have a cabin to hole up in on this stretch!!  Im sure as I am writting this Jeff King and Dallas are preparing to take chase....King has been in Kaltag for about 4 hours and Dallas a little over 2 hours.  Its all about run and rest strategies....cut rest and you may hurt your speed....drive them too hard and they will need longer rests.

I'll keep you posted on the long run via GPS Trackers.  As I mentioned before, the real race begins on the coast!  Also keep in mind the fastest team doesnt always make it to Nome first....but the strongest team always does.  Last year the coast was a "make or break" place for the Teams due to the wind and the ice.....right now Unalakleet is 4 degrees above 0 with only 9 below predicted for overnight....a welcomed change for the mushers for sure!  The winds are predicted to gust into the 20 mph range, but thats nothing compared to last year.  Lets hope Mother Nature cooperates this time!

Time to make some coffee!!

Burmiester Blows Through Nulato

Aaron Burmiester just left Nulato and will declare his 8 hour rest in Kaltag.  Aliy is presently serving her 8 hour layover in Nulato, while Mitch is serving his in Koyukuk.  Funny how these last 3 hold outs for the 8 hour layover is ending up spending it in 3 different checkpoints.  We shall soon see which strategy proves the best!  Meanwhile, remember all those other Mushers who don't have any more mandatory rests to take?  While King was resting in Koyukuk both Aliy and Burmiester blew through....now he is halfway to Nulato to sneak up on a resting Aliy.  Dallas has just reached Koyukuk and is reported as driving a very fast team....when he slows down much beyond 9 mph he pulls them over for a short break.  This is a somewhat different tactic but very effective.  And Wade Marrs, who I haven't even mentioned is sneaking up in the ranks and is a mere 11 miles behind Dallas.  Wade has chasers too....Royer, Ulsom, Kaiser and Warner are about 7 miles behind him.

Hey...we got ourselves a Sled Dog Race...I'm sleeping on the Davenport tonight to stay close to the computer.....gonna be an interesting night indeed!

Mitch Declare 8 Hour Rest in Koyukuk/Aliy arrives in Nulato!

Mitch arrives in Koyukuk and declared his 8 hour mandatory layover.  Sebastian has some awesome shots of him coming off the river sound sleep on the back of the sled!  Hope he was wearing a seat belt!  Dallas is just about to reach Koyukuk where Jeff King is still resting.  Aliy is presently stopped in Nulato 22 miles further down the trail...its possible she may declare her 8 hour layover there as well...time will tell! 

How exciting is this!!!!????!!!!

Aliy is IN and OUT of Koyukuk in 4 minutes....Efficiency is Everything

Aliy rolled in and out of Koyukuk in just 4 minutes....reports say her Team of 16 SP Kennel Athletes looked fantastic!!  Sebastian Schnuelle got some excellent pictures of her coming in...what a beautiful sight!  It's amazing she has all 16 Team Mates still....3 of which are 8 years old....actually nearing 9 years old come June!  These 3 in particular (Chica, Nacho and "queen" Quito) make up the core of her Team and their offspring is the future of the Kennel.  They may not have the speed at this age, but they have endurance and intelligence.....2 important traits to have in a Sled Dog!  As mentioned previously, Aliy has yet to take her 8 hour rest which must be at a checkpoint.  Either Nulato or Kaltag are the choices.  It's 22 miles to Nulato and another 47 miles to Kaltag.  Mitch Seavey and Aaron Burmiester will have to do the same and are presently about 5 miles from reaching Koyukuk.  Dallas, like Jeff King, has already finished all of his mandatory rests and is presently about 20 miles from reaching Koyukuk.  Strategies will unfold here as Mushers make decisions on how hard to push and how long to rest.  The race to the coast is ON!  It is often the strategy to get to Kaltag with a strong and healthy Team, then...let the race begin!  Look for some "afterburners" to be lit on Teams like John Baker and the 2 Seaveys....they are known for their speed towards the last third of the race!

King Leads into Koyukuk!

King just arrived in Koyukuk after a very cold night out on the River.  Temps were reported down below minus 35!  Aliy and Mitch both camped out on the trail...that had to be freaking cold to say the least!  Burmiester also camped out but chose a shelter cabin outside of Koyukuk to hole up in.  The surprise of this run was Dallas...who came off his 24 hour, ran about 30 miles and pulled over to rest some more.  He has done things like this in the past, and it's worked out for him...perhaps it was too cold out on the river and instead of unleashing the power of his team in the frigid cold he decided to rest them to help conserve their energy....he is again on the move.  The rest of chase pack is moving nicely....we have Jessie Royer, Pete Kaiser, Thomas Waerner and Joar Ulsom 12 miles behind Dallas.

I'm sure some of these Teams will blow right through Koyukuk into Nulato.  Look for Burmeister, Aliy and Mitch to stop at one of the next 3 checkpoints to put in their 8 hour mandatory rest.  They are the last of the front runners still in need to take their mandatory 8 hour rest.  My guess it will be served up in Kaltag before the big 90 mile run to the first checkpoint on the coast.

Heading to Koyukuk!

Now the race gets a bit more interesting and easier to figure out who exactly is in the lead.  Right now Jeff King has about a 24 mile lead over Dallas Seavey, who has just come off his 24 hour rest in Huslia.  Burmiester is just about to pass a resting Aliy on the trail behoind Jeff...but neither of these 2 have taken their 8 hour rest yet, so right now they are front runners, but just not THE front runners...same for Mitch Seavey....he has not taken his 8 hour rest either.  These folks will quite likely take their 8 hour rest in Kaltag before heading down the old portage trail to the coast.  King and Dallas however are done with all their mandatory rest, so are heading into the next half of this race with more flexibility.  They will of course have to rest...but at a place and time of their choosing.  Leaving Huslia next is Jason Campeau, Jason Waerner, Ken Anderson and Hugh Neff....all of who will have completed their mandatory rests.

It is worthy to note most mushers presently headed to Koyukuk are down to 13, 14 or 15 dogs....EXCEPT King and Zirkle who still have their full complement of 16 canine atheletes! 

Buser Questions His Actions

If anyone has watched the video of Martin Buser camped a short distance away from his planned 24 hour rest, you got to wonder what the heck happened???  The video clearly showed a distraught Buser lamenting his actions...he says over and over again "what am I doing"..."this is not me"...."I don't want to be an embarrassment".  The clip left all of us wondering what the heck happened.  Earlier in the race there was a bit "to do" about Buser heading out without putting booties on his dogs....here we go...as my friend Carrie put it "Bootie Gate".  At the time I was thinking what's the big deal....but many mushers who were interviewed and asked about the tactic said it was risky.  Apparently this type of snow does have the potential of creating abrasions on the dogs feet....although running without booties gives the dogs more traction, thus more speed.  Perhaps Buser was feeling (or rather his dogs were feeling) the affects of that "barefoot" run?  He was literally camped about 40 miles from where he would rest for 24 hours...very odd for a competitive team.  He conceded he is no longer running competitively....and will probably question and judge himself for the rest of the race.  I feel bad for Buser....he is a class act....it's unfortunate he is beating himself up right now.  I hope he snaps out of it.  Whatever made him stop being competitive Im sure it was in the best interest of his dogs.

Burmiester Claims Halfway Prize!

Well, it appears Aaron Burmiester has claimed the halfway prize into the new checkpoint of Huslia!!  Congrats Aaron!  Buser suprised everyone and pulled over at the shelter cabin for a rest.  Neff did the same.  Dallas is 8 miles ahead of Waerner at this poing and about 5 miles out from reaching Huslia.  Busrmiester declared his 24 hour rest here in Huslia....it will be interesting to see if Dallas, Waerner and Buser do the same.  They may opt to push further but its another 80+ mile back down to Koyukuk.  Ken Anderson is presently on his way to Huslia at mile 434 with Curt Perano 9 miles behind him. 

A word on mandatory rests: 
Each Musher must take an 8 hour rest between the checkpoints of Tanana and Kaltag. 
Each Musher must take a mandatory 24 hour rest at a checkpoint of thier choice
Each Musher must take an 8 hour rest at White Mountain....70+ miles from Nome

That said, none of the above mentioned mushers have taken their 24 hour rest....but they all have taken their first mandatory 8 hour rest.  Many other Mushers are in Galena taking their 24 hour rest right now, and will hit the trail to Huslia with fresh dogs.  King will be the first to come off his 24 hour at about 8:37 EST, with Aliy scheduled to come off hers around 10 am.  Aliy still hasnt taken her 8 hour mandatory rest but has until Kaltag to take it.  It is worthy to note everyone en route right now to Huslia (Dallas, Buser, Anderson, Waerner, Neff , Curt Perano) have all taken their 8 hour rest already EXCEPT for Burmiester...he has NOT...he will have to take his 8 hour before Kaltag as well.  

UPDATE:  Jodi Bailey and Dee Dee have now left Galena and are en route to Huslia.  Neither have taken their mandatory 24 hour rest but both have copmpleted the mandatory 8 hour rest. 

As you can see, you can not take the standings at face value right now without doing some math.  Once everyone is "apples to apples" in regards to taking their mandatory rests it will be easier to see who is emerging as the front runners. 

I unfortunately have to go to work now....BUT will be back covering the race ALL weekend....check back often! 

Lance Mackey - The Ultimate Musher

Lance Mackey is one of the best Mushers out there.  He won 4 back to back Iditarods from 2007 to 2010,  and 4 back to back Yukon Quests from 2005 - 2008....2 of which overlaped with the Iditarod Championships, dubbed the 2007 and 2008 "Idita-Quests".  He is the ONLY person to EVER do

 this...its a record that will quite likely last forever.  Plainly put, Lance Mackey is a Mushing Icon.

This 2015 Iditarod is a rude awakening for Lance and for all of us fans.  After battling back throat cancer with radiation treatments that weakend his body and wrecked havoc with his jaw and teeth, the bitter cold temperatures has flared up a severe attack of Raynauds Disease which affects the blood vessels in the hands and feet.  The Iditarod.com interview was heartwrenching to watch....his hands were swollen and he could barely move his fingers....they were black with cold in the minus 40 degree temperatures.  Lance knows this is quite likly the end of his competitive mushing career...and the end of an era for all of us fans.  He is now traveling with his brother Jason with the sole intention just to finish the race.  Regardless if he gets to Nome or not, Lance will always be a Mushing Legend.  Im glad I had the chance to meet him at the Banquet and snap a few pictures of him leaving the chute in Fairbanks.  You done good Lance!!    

Race to Huslia!

King arrived in Gallena first to capture to earn the "First Musher to the Yukon Award".  He put in his hook and will stay for his madatory 24 hour rest here....while the rest of the crew races towards Huslia. the halfway point.  Burmeister led the charge and then pulled over for a rest while Dallas also blew through the checkpoint and them rested about 12 miles back from Burmiester.  Enter Buser....he left Galena after a good rest in the checkpoint and has passed Dallas and Waerner who are now traveling together up the trail.  Buser is trailing Burmiester by about 13 miles.  Burmiester is traveling suprising fast...its a 82 miles from Galena to Huslia and they are a little over halfway there.  Buser may not rest at all on this run....I noticed his speed is averaging around 7 mph...a bit slower than Burmeister...I wonder if Martin is purposely keeping them slower to make one steady 82 mile march without stopping?  Time will tell!

Neff was "on the fence" for taking his 24 hour rest when he pulled into Galena...he declared his 24 upon arriveal but wasnt sure if he could stay put....looks like he will be doing his 24 hour rest elsewhere and is presently at mile 415. 

Obviously all of the Teams who have passed through Galena will still need to stop for their 24 hour rest. King along with Aliy will 24 in Galena.  Mitch Seavey stopped WAY back in Ruby for his 24 hour rest.  He said the trail was a bit soft, and so he rather rest for his 24 and let the other Teams go ahead in hopes for a trail report back to him before his 24 is over.

I'll stay up for this race into Huslia...should be fun to watch!  I'll post again once we have the first Musher into the halfway checkpoint!   

King and Buser - A Classic Battle

King and Buser.....how many times have we seen these 2 battle it out on the trail?  When I got my first computer in 2001 it seemed like it was always King and Buser and Swingley....pretty much the whole decade!  Now here we are in 2015 watching again as these 2 mushers keep each other in sight, vying for position.  King left Ruby first and is presently at mile 381....Buser left Ruby and is presently at mile 355.  Both Aliy and Burmeister are in between them but niether of them have taken their 8 hour rest....so King and Buser are "apples to apples" since they have both completed the 8 hour mandatory rest.  It is worthy to note both King and Aliy have their full compliment of 16 dogs...whereas Burmeister and Buser are are down to 14 (Burmeister), and 15 (Buser) dogs.  The race to Ruby is ON...and as promised, strategies are unfolding!  The trail is reported to be hard and fast!   Here I am last week at the Banquet meeting these two Mushing icons King (above) and Buser (below)!  What a thrill!

Who is really in the lead coming into Ruby?

As the parade of Teams file into Ruby in the next moments of the race, you got to wonder...who is really in the lead?  11 Teams stretching 30 miles long are bearing down on Ruby....but only 4 Teams...Buser, Neff, King and Waerner have taken their 8 hour rest....everyone else, including Dallas at mile 341, Mitch Seavey at mile 340, Burmiester at mile 339, Aliy at mile 334, Ulsom at mile 327, Royer at mile 324 and Kaiser at mile 320 have not taken their mandatory 8 hour rest. I would suspect many of these Teams will do their 8 hour mandatory in Ruby....but Buser (Bib 4), Neff (Bib 24), King (Bib 59) and Waerner (Bib 8) can go whenever they please.  Buser presently has about a 20 mile lead over the rest of them, leaving Ruby to be a key checkpoint to watch the strategies begin to unfold! Its clear even with the start differential, Buser is in the lead with King a close second, BUT THERE ARE A LOT more miles to go....strategy will be key in these next checkpoints!

Sass Disquilified!!! 8 Hour Rest for Buser and Neff!

Wow...a lot can happen while taking a 4 hour rest here in the North East!  I woke up to the news Brent Sass, 2015 Yukon Quest Champoin and one of the lead contenders for the Iditarod has been disqualified due to possessing a "two way communication device", which is illegal according to Iditarod rules!  This has got to be quite the blow to Brent, who was running a stellar Team of atheletes.  Not sure if what he was carrying was a cell phone or what, but wow....this is huge news!

Looking at the stats it appears only Buser and Neff have declared their 8 hour rest here....Aliy lead the charge out of Tanana...she is presently at mile 259, with Burmiester hot on her heals at 258.  Buser, now off of his 8 hour rest is blazing down the trail and is now at mile 252...then there is Mitch at 251, Dallas at 249, Joar at 239, Kaiser at 237, Neff at 236 (has taken his 8 hour rest) and Royer at 235 mile marker. 

As mentioned earlier the temps have dropped...and now have "warmed up" to negative 20!  The interviews on Iditarod.com do elude to the fact the mushers are not enjoying the temps.....it just makes it all the more harder to care for their dogs.  Hydration is key for both the 2 legged and the 4 legged with this kind of condition...they both have to eat more often to keep their energy up.  This is a long run from Tanana to Ruby.....119 miles!  So camping out on the trail will be done, even in the cold temps! 

A Few Pictures from the Restart in Fairbanks

Our Sponsor Dawg Chemo on Allen Moore's Team....he is center on the right!  He is a big reason why we went on our IditaTrip!!  We love you Chemo!  And of course Dee Dee...got to love Dee Dee!

Buser Sets Blistering Pace into Tanana

We are 216 miles into this race and Buser is setting a very fast pace  into Tanana.  Apparently he did not bootie his dogs in the last 66 miles over from Manley Hot Springs Checkpoint and that got everyone talking.  Martin claims he often trains his dogs "all natural" and was not concerned with the potential to create some premature sore feet...he felt the conditions were right for this last leg to be done without boots....which also gives the dogs more grip and thus more speed.  He was able to do this last leg at an average speed of 10.97 mph.  About an hour and a half later Hugh Neff came rolling into the checkpoint with 15 dogs at an average pace of 8.76 mph.  Hugh claimed his 8 hour rest upon arrival.  Aliy was right behind Neff with 16 powerhouse SP Kennel Sled Dogs (full disclosure...Im a SPK Team Supporter and Dog Sponsor of Chemo who is running on Allen Moores Team) with an average speed of 9.32 mph.  Aaron Burmeister is also in Tanana with 15 dogs shortly after Aliy.....he was traveling at an average speed of 8.8 mph. 

A lot of comentators are calling this a "Buser Trail" because he loves hard fast trails.  But with only 216 miles of a 968 mile race in the bag, A LOT can happen over the many more miles to go!  Stay tuned to IditaDacks for the BEST and ONLY Iditarod Race Coverage from the Adirondacks!

PS:  We loved the trip to Alaska, but we are sure glad to be back home in the Dacks with our dogs, cat, chickens and bees!  Thanks to Mom and Dad for holding down the Homestead, and Karen and Becky for taking care of our pup Whiskey...he was certainly happy to be reunited with his pack here at the Homestead!    

Beyond Manley Hot Springs - Kaiser and Mitch!

It looks as though Kaiser and Mitch blew through the Manley Checkpoint while most other Teams stopped here to rest.  Presently Kaiser is at mile 169, Mitch is 166, and then there is Buser at 163 and Royer at 162.  Its important to note bib numbers too at this point of the race since the 24 hour lay hour has not synched up the start differential in the line up.  Out of the 4 who left Manley, Kaiser has the biggest bib number of 54...the lower the number the more time is added to your 24 hour layover. You may remember Pete Kaiser won the Kusko 300 mile race last month...that is also a race that is run on a river....so Pete knows how to handle this kind of race.  Mitch is a bit out of his traditial conservative start of a race pulling out of Manley like that but again, Sorlie got the jump on the rest of the pack back in 2003 on a river run race...Mitch probably remembers that all too well.  OH, and its friggin cold there.....I mean COLD!  We left Fairbanks at 10 degrees on the plus side...since then, the temps plumeted to a reported 30 below in Manley!   

Sebastian Schnuelle posted a nice report on iditarod.com about the plethora of sled syles there are this year....I have to agree....when some blew by us at the restart I felt like they resembled more like a train than a simple tail dragger sled.  I think I may have made mention of this last year, but Im not a fan of the trailers.  The sit down sleds are fine...but it gets a bit ridiculous much after that...just my opinion!   

SO, Im BACK in the DACKS....IditaDacks Headquarters is UP and running after the IditaVacation....I'll keep ya up to date on this race from here on out!

Day 1 - Fast Paced Race!

As mushers approach Manley the prediction of a fast paced race is indeed taking hold.  I think everyone has 2003 on their minds...back then Sorlie took command early on and got so  far out ahead there was no way to catch him.  It appears no one is letting anyone out of their sights this time!  I'm still on route back to the Adirondacks...I'll post more later on from IditaDacks Headquarters.

The pack right now is being lead by Petite, with Buser, Burmeister, Neff, Dee Dee and Waerner all hot on his heals.  Bib numbers 71 (Sass).and 78 (Baker) are also making some nice moves to the front of the pack. It's EARLY yet....lots of miles yet to go!

Re-Start is TODAY!!

Today marks the beginning of the race and the end of our AWESOME Iditarod Vacation!!  The only thing keeping me from getting a little sad is the fact before we board a plane later this afternoon we will first witness each Team leaving Fairbanks for Nome....it's game time!  This has been an incredible experience....from attending the Banquet 4 days ago to witnessing the Ceremonial Start on Saturday to traveling 360 miles through beauty and ice covered roads to be here in Fairbanks to see the real start!  More to come.....much more.....it's Race Time!,