Fifty years. Fifty years of changes; of challenges. Trails shortened; rerouted; growing increasingly faster. Faces coming, going... aging. Champions getting younger, getting older. From HAM radio reports to GPS trackers. One vet for an entire race to an entire team of them. Women going from being a talking point, to champions, to the favorites of every race. An entire lifestyle reborn. Fifty years is a legacy many sports only wish they had, and cannot be rivaled.
With all the talk of it being the historic 50th, a lot of teams have their sights set on the prize of top team in the world. From previous champions hoping to add to their collection of trophies (and one possibly hoping to break the record for most wins) to a grandson of the race founder hoping to finally bringing a championship to the family name. There's a lot at stake emotionally for the top teams of Iditarod 50. So let's take a look at the top... ten... ish, who very well may have the best chance.
Aaron Burmeister - He ran an incredible race in 2021, and had there been just a hair more trail I'll argue to my dying day that Burmeister would be the Iditarod champion of 2021. Aaron has said in interviews this is likely his final Iditarod, his children are getting older and he wants to devote more time to their passions with his support, plus business outside of dogs has been busy. Aaron's goal has always been to bring the Iditarod Champion title to his hometown of Nome, and this could be his last chance. He's hungry to beat the rest of the field (and I suspect very much so Dallas Seavey). It will be exciting to see how Aaron takes on the 50th.
Brent Sass - The multi-time Yukon Quest Champion is having a banner year in the mid-distance races. He won the Copper Basin, as well as both the Alaska side Yukon Quest and the Canadian side. Brent should be right at the front of the pack as they charge down the final leg of this year's Iditarod. He's on the upswing and with the Quest not being a thousand mile race this year, his team should be a little more rested this go around. Look for Brent to start and finish strong.
Dallas Seavey - You either hear "We are the Champions" or you hear "The Imperial March" when you read or hear Dallas Seavey's name. He's the hero and the villain to many. But the now FIVE TIME Iditarod Champion is on the cusp of making history yet again as he runs for a possible sixth title. If Dallas accomplishes another win in Nome, he will break the very long standing record by Rick Swenson for most wins. Though the win is what Dallas has in mind, he often says he doesn't really focus on any records (do we believe him?). It was said that tying Swenson's five would never be done - six is unheard of. The pressure is on, whether he admits it or not.
Joar Leifseth Ulsom - The 2018 Iditarod champion has never finished out of the top ten, and don't expect him to now. The new dad has trained and raced all season building his Iditarod team and has a strong set of dogs in front of him. Ulsom will probably keep to the traditional race schedule we're used to seeing from the top teams as he "builds the monster" and will pick off teams as he goes down the Yukon and up the Coast.
Michelle Phillips - Phillips is coming off of a well fought second place finish in the Canadian Yukon Quest last week. The Canadian musher has made her mark in the sport over the last few years and is in the running for top female musher in this year's race. Michelle nearly cracked the top ten last year and with several of last year's top ten out of this year's race she should have no problem making that next step. Don't count her out.
Mille Porsild - While Michelle is fighting to become top woman, Mille Porsild will be fighting to keep it. The new to Iditarod but not mushing or racing musher will have everyone watching as she again races to improve on her last Iditarod. She jumped 10 places last year improving from her 15th place rookie finish to 5th place... so, she isn't just in the running for top rookie. Mille will give all of the teams a run for their money. Do not be surprised if she takes down all of the established favorites this year.
Mitch Seavey - The three-time Iditarod Champion is back after a short hiatus from the race. Mitch sat the 2021 season out and allowed son Dallas to create a hybrid team out of both Seavey kennels. It definitely had the fandom talking about a possible retirement in the musher's future, but that's not the case... at least not yet. Mitch watched his father help Joe Redington work to create the Iditarod, and helped his dad train for the first race. He'd always known he would run the Iditarod with the hopes of one day winning it. He's managed it three times, watched his son win five (once from the sidelines!), and is still more than capable of winning his fourth. Mitch hasn't finished out of the top ten in decades (well, we won't count the severed finger withdrawl of 2011) and came second in his last Iditarod.
Nicolas Petit - Nic hasn't run as many races as he has in seasons past. Some for choice, some because of trucks not wanting to run in the cold. Petit's name was shockingly missing from the winner's finishes this season, and one has to wonder if the King of Mid-Distance's reign is coming to an end. Or, is he taking notes from the others' books and he is focusing more on the Iditarod and his chances to come down Front Street first? Time will tell, but I'm not willing to leave him off the list just yet. Expect to see Petit's classic get out ahead early approach again this year.*
Nic Petit had to WD from the race due to testing positive for Covid. Jeff King will run in his place.
Peter Kaiser - Kaiser's Iditarod ended prematurely last year when his dogs ended up with an illness (as many did in 2021), but they've bounced back this season. Pete has dominated in the mid-distance races taking place this season around Bethel - including regaining his Champion title in the Kusko 300. As long as his team can handle the insanely warm weather of South Central in the first few days of the race, Kaiser's team should be right in the mix for top spots. It truly is only a matter of time before Pete gets his second Iditarod title (and what a story that would be). Kaiser- and really all of the "village teams" are a reminder of Redington Sr.'s true goal for the Iditarod - to keep the mushing lifestyle alive and well in Alaskan villages. Peter Kaiser is one in a long line of those teams and an extremely successful one.
Ryan Redington - Speaking of Joe Redington Sr., his grandson Ryan is running the 50th Iditarod calling it "Redington's Run" (a name with double meaning after Hobo Jim's passing late last year - who penned a song with that title after Redington Sr. passed in 2001). Like Nicolas Petit (and mushers like Martin Buser before them), Redington likes to start fast and push for most of the race, he's deviated from that slightly this season when he pulled the plug early on his race in the John Beargrease. Redington's sole focus this season has been in preparing for the Iditarod. He wants so badly to finally bring a championship to the family name that started it all. That's a lot of pressure for any musher, and time will tell how Ryan handles it.
Travis Beals - Okay, I called this a top ten, but I have eleven names. I can't help myself. There are several names on this list that could probably come off, but I've already done that and you'll see the honorable mentions below. I joke every year that I need to have a top fifteen or a top twenty, that's just proof that mushing has so many strong kennels right now, it's great to see. But, I digrees. Beals is another steady team that is hard not to bet on. Travis has an outside chance of taking the top prize, but that's all it takes - especially in these last few years that strange weather played a huge part in who finished and who didn't. Expect Travis to build a monster of his own - they've certainly proven to be made of tough stuff this season.
And like I said - the honorable mentions. I could have put these names in the "top ten" but I already cheated and snuck an extra name in there. Still, these teams have a really great chance of being top ten.
Jeff Deeter - With all of the snow storms in the interior this year, Deeter's training and race schedule got very skewed. Every time they turned around they were having to dig out their kennel and house. That can possibly affect Jeff's race to Nome, but I expect him to still challenge for the top ten. He's an up and coming team that I expect will be a well known name before too long. He could play a spoiler this year even with all of the issues his winter has given him.
Matt Hall - Matt gave a good chase for Brent Sass in the Alaskan Yukon Quest this year, and should give him and the others just as much fun in the Iditarod. Matt can easily find himself in the top ten if he plays his cards right (see what I did there). The Smokin' Aces dogs are on the right track to take control of the race.
Matthew Failor - How can anyone leave Failor off of their list - even if just an honorable mention - the man ran last year's Iditarod right before going in for hip replacement surgery. WHAT?! He managed a 21st place finish last year after having to scratch in 2020 when he along with two other teams got stuck in the overflow (just ahead of the famed Elim 11). Don't expect Matthew to sit back and take it easy this year (that was last year's strategy).
Richie Diehl - I hate leaving him off the list but I already cheated with one of the teams make it a top 11. Richie is another "village musher" who has proven himself and his team. He came in 9th last year and could easily be that or higher this year. Diehl has also had a good race season on the West Coast of Alaska and that could come into handy once he hits the coast.
As always, it's difficult to stick to the 10 and only 10 names. There are so many fantastic teams on the roster year in and year out that it's difficult to not want them all to be crammed into those spots. More and more the passing of the torch seems to have happened - I mean, we don't have Jeff King in this year's race... no Lance Mackey... no Aliy Zirkle. Still, the 50th running of Iditarod is certain to be a memorable one as we watch it play out. Good luck to all 49 teams set to run the race this coming weekend. May the trail be safe and swift, the dogs and mushers all stay healthy... and may they all reach Nome and that burled arch.
Have a favorite team you're hoping to see take the prize? Who are in your top ten(ish)? Comment below with your thoughts and cheers! And, if you like what you see and want to see this blog continue, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that actually goes to internet costs)!
