Well, well....

So....as most of you know, Petit ran into a little snag just outside of the shelter cabin on the spit...after several attempts, his Team is saying NO....we would like to stay here.  Nic's team has had some issues out on the ice before....but this time its the Team who is saying NO.  For what ever reason, they want to rest some more.....so Nic has just got to sit tight, and entertain their needs....as Teams pass him by at mile 793. 

As they say, this was Nics race to lose...and apparently he is doing just that.

SO...Kaiser has gone by, and is now on his way to Elim at mile 838

Joar has followed him out and is at mile 832

Both are slogging away at 4 to 5 mph.....that is difficult to say the least.  This will  make for a long way to Elim.

Jessie Royer is still at Koyuk, banking rest.  She took more rest in Shaktoolik too....rest is gas in the tank.  Jessie has dogs that can do deep snow....in my book SHE is in the drivers seat.  I suspect Jessie is going to put on a monster run all the way to White Mountain from Koyuk.  BUT....did anyone check in with Mother Nature?  I did.....radar shows snow, heavy at times through the night.  Wow....this IS interesting isn't it! 

Wait, theres more!

Mitch Seavey, who left Shaktoolik solidly in 5th place as ALSO stalled on the ice...beyond Nic (who is a shelter cabin) but several miles short of Koyuk.  When I say several, its only because the GPS mileage is a bit skewed for the ground trail.....he is slightly closer to Nic at the spit than he is Koyuk.  At first I was alarmed....was he OK, was the ice weak...and most importantly are his dogs OK....enter Jesse Holmes and my friend Aliy....here they come, from behind.  They left Shaktoolik approximately 3 hours after Mitch left, traveling together...on about an hour less of rest compared to Mitch...and they got to a stalled Mitch on the ice and passed him.  That not only made me smirk....but more importantly it told me Mitch's Team was not on danger....so that is AWESOME!

Aliy and Jessie Holmes are both about to make land fall in their approach to Koyuk.  

Others out of Shaktoolic and just making it out on the ice past a stalled Nic is Matt Hall at mile 795, Travis Beals at mile 795, Matt Failor at mile 792.  Paige Drobny is a little futher back at mile 781 along with Aaron Burmeister.  Everyone else is safely at Shaktoolik. 

Safety in numbers across the ice.  My goodness this is interesting.  I will report more as things shake out.