"Not a wildcard anymore!" Eddie Burke wins Knik 200

At about 11:15am Alaska time, Eddie Burke Jr. was first to the finish line on Knik Lake to win the Knik 200. Considered a newcomer by many, Burke sticking with the lead teams and then taking the lead surprised mushing fans - but not his fans nor his kennel. 

As he stopped the team and jumped off to celebrate with his team he yelled out to Kale Casey filming live at the finish that he was no longer a wildcard. The musher gave pets to all of the dogs and a big bear hug from his daughter before signing off the trail as the 2023 Champion.

Eddie is running a team out of Aaron Burmeister's Wildstyle Racing Kennel. Burke has been training under Burmeister's mentorship for about three years now and is looking to complete his first Iditarod in March. Brent Sass would finish several minutes behind him with a happy strong team.

As Brent spoke with Eddie after taking care of their teams. "I thought you were Nic, that's how much I know! I really thought you were Nic!"

So it isn't just trackers that are confused out there. 

Burke and Sass battling for first

Eddie Burke at the Iditarod Picnic.
June 25, 2022. Wasilla, Alaska

Nic Petit left out of the mandatory six hour layover in first early this morning, but by the time the front teams reached the Eagle Quest 2 Checkpoint Petit had given trail to Iditarod Champion Brent Sass. Burke, Petit, and Sass were the chase pack all of Saturday, so it's no surprise that coming off of time differentials they were able to leave ahead of front runners Hugh Neff and Michelle Phillips. 

Michelle Phillips and Hugh Neff left the chute Saturday morning burning on all cylinders, there wasn't a lot of brake riding on the lake and they tore up the trail on a mission. In a two hundred mile race that isn't a bad strategy, speed early doesn't always equal a bad thing (it's three hundred and above that being speedy doesn't always work). But, Neff was the second one out of the start, and Michelle was fourth, they had a longer time differential in the mandatory layover than some of the other teams (Burke is Bib 5, but held with the front runners). That gave Sass and Petit in the chase pack a small advantage as they didn't have quite the same layover.

Burke may come as a surprise to some, he's newer to the mushing game (as a musher) and is signed up as a rookie for Iditarod 51. Burke, though, has the privilege of not only learning from Aaron Burmeister, but he's running Burmeister's dog team. This is the same team that Burmeister's kennel partner Tony Browning will run in the Kusko 300 later this year, and Eddie will drive the team to Nome in the Iditarod. It's a brilliant combination that helps Eddie be right in the mix with the big guns.

Judging by the trackers at around 8:15am Sunday morning, Burke appears to be in the lead just about half a mile ahead of the reigning Iditarod champion. The trackers have been fickle for all of this race, most likely due to the cold teams have experienced all weekend, so we won't know for sure who's in the lead until they cross the finishline in about two and a half hours.

That's right, we're expecting a finish between 10:30am and 11am. Looking at times into Knik Lake last night plus speeds of the teams at the moment, the front runners have about two and a half hours left on the runners. This race is far from over, and no one has shot out ahead of everyone, so it's promising to be an exciting morning.

The red lantern is currently Kaiden Foster who is running dogs out of Nic Petit's kennel and is going at a very slow pace in comparison to the Kennel owner's style. We've had one scratch with Casey Ann Randall of Rock On Racing. No report yet on why she chose to end her race early, but I am sure Randall will give us a run down when the time is right.

Stay tuned, folks, it's another great day of racing ahead!

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2023 Knik 200 race preview

It's the first race weekend of 2023! Welcome back, mushing fans, it's upon us once again! Luckily South Central Alaska was hit with a ton of snow early in December so even with our warmer temperatures of late the Knik 200 has been able to stay alive and run this weekend, so here we go! 

The Knik 200 is a memorial race in honor of the late Joe Redington Sr. For those that may be new to this sport, Redington is known as the Father of the Iditarod. Without Joe we may never have had these longer distance races much less the beautiful niche community of long distance mushers. 

Typically the honorary musher is Joe Sr, but this year they've chosen mushing legend Lance Mackey for the honor. Mackey dominated the sport from 2006-2010, he was a four-time Iditarod and four-time Yukon Quest champion (winning both in the same year twice). Lance passed away from a battle with cancer last summer, and many races are paying tribute to one of the sports greatest mushers.

There are currently 33 names on the roster (as of January 4, 2023) with a handful of teams that are sure to challenge for the win. Let's get to looking at the top names to watch.

Who to Watch

Brenda Mackey - While one could make the argument that the last name "Mackey" would be enough to qualify any musher for "who to watch" in Brenda's case it's a legit argument. The daughter of Iditarod Champion Rick Mackey is no stranger to the lifestyle or the sport and she and her husband have built a fantastic program in their kennel. Brenda has had a difficult end to 2022 with the loss of her beloved uncle as well as now her father dealing with his own battle with cancer, as well as another uncle currently fighting cancer. Once Brenda gets out on the runners she will have a good chance of leaving those worries behind and focusing on the team and trail in front of her. Look for her to make a bid for the win. Brenda has withdrawn.

Brent Sass - the reigning Iditarod Champion is no stranger to winning, he's also a multi-time winner of the Yukon Quest, and he certainly seems prepped to ride the upswing of last year's win for quite a few years. While he could be using the Knik 200 as a way to get the team back into the swing of the race rhythm don't expect him to hold back for the red lantern position either. 

Dave Turner - Dave had to bow out of last year's race, but don't expect that to mean he won't be able to hold his own and challenge for the win this year. Dave thrives in these mid-distance races and could prove to once again be the dark horse. Dave has withdrawn.

Jason Mackey - I don't think there are many mushing fans who aren't pulling for Jason to have a breakout year in 2023. The younger brother of Lance Mackey, Jason has always been in the mix in Iditarod, but he isn't always able to make the mid-distance races, but it looks like Jason's "Top Notch" Kennel is looking to make their mark. He's a musher in his own right and not riding on anyone's coattails, but he's also keeping Lance's kennel alive and running some of Lance's dogs. I'm not counting Jason out of a top finish.

Matt Failor - The expectant dad (baby due in June!) knows these trails, and is a solid musher. He won the Kuskokwim 300 a couple years back and is a consistent top place finisher in races he enters. He was trained up by four time Iditarod champion Martin Buser, so Matt has a strong advantage in that regard from some of his cohorts on the trail. I'd give him an outside chance.

Nic Petit - I'm still declaring Petit the King of the Mid-Distance race. Team Petit thrives on the 200 and 300 mile races. He likes to start fast and race fast all the way through. It makes for a very exciting race but also devastating when the team runs out of gas before trail. Nic is a fan favorite by how he seems to just fly by the seat of his pants, his persona is one of shrugging chaos, and he likes to refer to himself as the team dad and the dogs are his kids. I'd say he's the front runner leading into the race.

Travis Beals - One of those Alaskan kids who grew up knewing he was going to be a dog musher and run these races he grew up watching and volunteering at. Beals is a solid contender year in and year out. He's got the goods to do it, and you shouldn't count him out.

Michelle Phillips - We don't have names for the two teams that Tagish Lake Kennel, but one can assume one of the teams could be Michelle Phillips, in which case definitely put her in the top running for a win. Michelle is a strong competitor who chooses dogs over everything else and we love her for it. 

**Hugh Neff - Neff is once again running dogs out of Jim Lanier's kennel. He has a lot of controversy surrounding him lately that was years in the making. With Neff not being allowed to run the Iditarod this year he made the announcement he'd run the Knik 200 instead (because it's comparable?) he name drops Joe Sr. almost daily and so I expect he will push the dogs past their limits if need be to try and make a point. In a 200 mile race that may not be a bad thing for the race, but it's also why there are so many races that have put his entries into question.

How to Watch

For those of us who cannot watch in person, there will be a lot of refreshing of internet pages, here's a run down on how you can follow along with this weekend's race.

Official Website
The race had to restructure their organization a couple of years ago and is now under the direction of the Knik Iditarod Trail Blazers, so they have just a page on their site for the race, but it has the rules and basic information.

GPS Tracker
What would we do without these little trackers that drive us crazy when they go haywire (I will always blame the aliens), trackleaders.com will once again keep us obsessively refreshing our screen with their wonderful GPS map. It isn't live yet, so an edit to this blog post will happen once it does. The 2023 map and trackers can be found here.

Social Media
The race is most active on Facebook. The race has not been active on Twitter in years. There's also no Instagram. 

And I've just heard that KALE CASEY will be covering the event LIVE, so be sure to watch for when he goes live on Facebook!

Schedule of Events

Friday, January 6, 2023
4:00pm-6:00pm Musher's Dinner and Bib Draw
**It's steak dinner night, come hungry**

Saturday, January 7, 2023
8:00am Mandatory Vet Check
10:00am Start
**Teams will start on Knik Lake**

Sunday, January 8, 2023
6:00pm Award Banquet

Which team do you think will win? Who are you cheering for? Comment below!

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2023 Knik 200 Roster

We've made it race fans! The "regular season" is upon us. After record tying - and in some cases breaking - snow fall in the month of December, trails have been dug out and groomed for the mid distance races throughout the great State of Alaska and it kicks off this weekend with the Knik 200 Joe Redington Memorial Race in, where else but Knik, Alaska. 

Thirty three teams signed up to run the 2023 race, with the final team signing up right at the wire. [Now twenty five are signed up as of musher meeting/bib draw on January 6, 2023.] There is a strong mix of veterans and rookies in the mix. Many familiar names and quite a few that are new to most fans. Some will use this race as a way to jumpstart their training plans for the Quest and Iditarod races, others are using this as one of their qualifiers for those races - and some are just out there to have fun!

As has become the "tradition" on Reitter's Block, I've compiled links for each member of the roster. As requested last season, I've also put the kennel name (when known) in parenthesis. Bib draw will happen Friday, January 6, 2023 - so, for now, names will be listed alphabetically until they are updated with the correct numbers. Bibs are drawn, the roster has been edited to reflect bib number and start order.

01 - Honorary Musher, Lance Mackey
02 - Hunter Keefe (Redington Mush Alaska) - Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
03 - Hugh Neff (Jim Lanier's Northern Whites) - Facebook / Instagram
04 - Michelle Phillips (Tagish Lake) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
05 - Eddie Burke (Wildstyle Racing) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
06 - Travis Beals (Turning Heads) - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
07 - Matt Failor (Alaskan Husky Adventures/17th Dog)- Website / Facebook / Instagram
08 - David Burge (Nautique Sky) - Website / Facebook
09 - Casey Ann Randall (Rock On Racing) - Website / Facebook / Twitter
10 - Josh McNeal (Crooked Creek) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
11 - Jennifer LaBar (Rockin' Ridge) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
12 - Jason Mackey (Mackey's Top Notch Racing) - Website / Facebook
13 - Joshua Robbins (Evermore Adventures?) - Facebook / Outreach 22 / Kennel Facebook
14 - Brent Sass (Wild and Free Mushing) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
15 - Nic Petit (Team Petit) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
16 - Aiyana O’Shaughnessy (Tagish Lake?) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
17 - Juliah DeLoach (Oil Well Kennel?) - Facebook
18 - Anna Berington (Seeing Double) - Website / Instagram
19 - Kelly Ridley (Lost Creek Mushing) - Facebook
20 - Ashley Dove (Crooked Creek) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
21 - Jacob Witkop (Piledriver Kennel) - Facebook / Instagram
22 - Kaiden Foster (Team Petit) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
23 - Katie Timmons (Tailwind Kennel)  - Facebook 24 - Eric Kelly (Daybreak Kennel)- Facebook / Instagram 25 - Kristy Berington (Seeing Double) - Website / Instagram
26 - Anna Hennessy (Shameless Huskies) - Facebook / Instagram 27 - Dakota Schlosser - Website / Facebook / Instagram

Roster as of January 6, 2023.

Who are you cheering for? Comment below!

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Jessie Holmes focusing on recovery

Musher Jessie Holmes made a statement tonight thanking everyone for their support after news broke earlier that he was in a "very bad" accident while helping recovery efforts in the Alaskan village of Golovin. Holmes is currently being treated in Anchorage after being medevac-ed first from Golovin to Nome and then onto Anchorage. 

"I wanted to take a moment to let everyone know how much I appreciate all the love, support, and prayers," the Life Below Zero star wrote. "I’m blessed to be surrounded by such great people and lucky to still be here."

Holmes was in Golovin with a team of Iditarod mushers who, independent of the race, traveled to the village earlier in the week to help clear debris and repair homes ahead of winter on Alaska's West Coast.

Golovin experienced extreme flooding over a week ago when the remnants of Typhoon Merbok slammed the Western Alaska Coast. The historic Iditarod checkpoint had storm surges bringing waves over 10 feet high i to the community. Many who were born and raised in the area said they had never experienced anything like what they were going through now. It was reported as being the most intense storm for the area in over 70 years.

Holmes accident occured when he, Richie Beattie, Brent Sass, and Jeff Deeter worked to pull wet insulation out from underneath a house. Deeter reported later that as Holmes lifted the floor with a crowbar the house caved in onto the musher turned volunteer. Jeff was not in the building at the time but heard Sass and Beattie calling out for their friend.

As Deeter ran back to see what had happened he found the two men digging furiously to rescue their friend shouting for someone to bring a knife. Jeff said that it took them over 3 minutes to get Jessie unburied. Holmes would find out he had a broken wrist, a broken arm, and broken ribs among other injuries. That he was able to stand and smile for a picture is mind boggling.

Like most in Alaska (especially mushers), Jessie has no insurance and he is looking at a lengthy recovery just as he is headed into his busy season. He will miss training time with his dogs which will affect his race schedule.

"My main goal now is to focus on my recovery and get back to my kennel," he wrote late Thursday.

Holmes is already entered in the 2023 Iditarod and it remains to be seen how the accident will factor into his decision to run or not. Jessie finished third in the 2022 race narrowly beating out Dan Kaduce.

The musher concluded his statement with a message for those recovering from the storm, "My heart remains with the people in Western Alaska and hope people will continue to remember and support these villages as winter fast approaches."

The villagers of Golovin set up a GoFundMe for Holmes.

To donate for the recovery efforts of all villages and towns affected by Typhoon Merbok, the Alaska Community Foundation set up a Western Alaska Disaster Recovery Fund.

Iditarod musher Jessie Holmes injured while helping in Golovin

Musher and reality tv star Jessie Holmes was in Golovin earlier this week to help with clean up efforts in the village of Golovin this week after the village went underwater by the remnants of Typhoon Merbok last week. Holmes, along with several other known mushers, were working in Golovin to clear up debris and restore homes damaged by the flooding.

Late yesterday news broke that the musher had been in an accident and had broken his wrist, injured his other arm, and -though he was able to stand and walk under his own power- was in a neck brace. Holmes was first flown to the hospital in Nome, the closest medical facility, before it was decided he needed to go to Anchorage for surgery which required a second medevac flight. 

Like many in Alaska, Jessie is without insurance. The musher will be required to foot most if not all of the bill and two medical flights isn't cheap. His friends set up a gofundme which has raised nearly twenty thousand dollars in less than 24 hours, and the amount keeps rising.

With Jessie were mushers Jeff Deeter, Richie Beattie, Aaron Burmeister, and reigning Iditarod champion Brent Sass. Golovin was a checkpoint of the Iditarod for many years before it was decided that it wasn't needed with the way the race has gotten faster so it is an "unofficial" checkpoint these days as teams pass through but there's not an official dog drop, bag drop, or vet team there. It's still near and dear to the mushers and fans of the race, however, and when news spread that Typhoon Merbok had done major damage along Western Alaska (a very rare occurrence) many started to check in with the villages they've learned so much about thanks to the race.

Thankfully no loss of life has been reported anywhere due to the storm surge, but there will be a long road ahead of Western Alaska as they rebuild. Shaktoolik lost their storm and sea barrier in the storm. Hooper Bay and Golovin are underwater. Nome's famed Front Street took a beating, and the famed Bering Sea Restaurant and Bar burned to the ground and caused damage to the historic Nugget Inn. Kotzebue and Bethel also saw flood damage.

Causing more concern than the physical damage is the destruction of many's food supply for winter. Subsistence is a way of life for Western Alaska and when the flood waters came and the power went out many lost whatever they had stored in their freezers. Fish, wild game, berries, all spoiled. The harvest season is nearly over and winter is headed fast toward the region. This isn't like going to the store after a hurricane sweeps in - there's no road system to get shelves stocked in these villages. Everything has to be barged or flown in and with the change of season means barges won't be an option for long.

The village of Golovin is very thankful for the help they've received and rallied around the injured musher last night sharing the gofundme on social media. 

To help out Western Alaska you can donate to the Alaska Community Foundation's Western Alaska Disaster Recovery Fund.

Alpine Creek 200 & 300 is no more

The Alpine Creek Sled Dog 200 & 300 races went on social media earlier today to announce that their races were discontinued. Citing lack of musher interest and concerns for funding, the race informed the mushing world that it had lost another Iditarod & Quest Qualifier.

The race was created to fill a void after a number of mid-distance races in Alaska disbanded. Because so many teams were then without a way to finish their required qualifiers for their Iditarod and Quest runs, the organizers of the Alpine Creek Excursion decided to do a longer mid-distance race to help fill the void.

The Alpine Creek Lodge where the race took place, is a home away from home for many teams during the early winter training months as it is one of the first areas to get good snow pack for sled training. They will, of course, remain open for teams to use them as a jumping off point to trails. 

Mushing Community pays tribute to Lance Mackey

Lance Mackey comes off the sea ice.
Nome, AK. March 15, 2019.

In the past 48 hours or so, social media has been flooded with tributes to legendary musher Lance Mackey following his passing Wednesday night. The four time Iditarod and Yukon Quest Champion (consecutive wins for both with two years of winning both thousand mile races) passed away after a length battle with cancer. Lance was 52 at the time of his passing and leaves behind an adult daughter as well as his young son and daughter with partner Jenne whom they lost in a rollover ATV accident in 2020. 

Below is a sampling of tributes made public by his fellow mushers.

Mushing Legend Lance Mackey has passed away

Iditarod Champion Lance Mackey greets the crowd
at the Re-Start of Iditarod 47. Willow, AK. March 3, 2019.

Around 12:30am on September 8 a simple message appeared from Dick and Cathy Mackey's facebook page "Our son, Lance passed away this evening after a long battle with cancer. More from all the family later." News slowly spread as mushers and fans woke to the news. Lance Mackey passed away on September, he was 52 and leaves behind two young children who just two years ago lost their mother.

Lance Mackey was probably the most famous of one of mushing's "royal dynasties". Lance's father Dick was one of the original trail blazers who helped Joe Redington get the crazy idea of an Iditarod Trail sled dog race off the ground. Dick would go on to win the Iditarod in 1978 beating young buck Rick Swenson by one second. The teams ran down front street together and seemed to finish in a tie - thus making the race marshal to declare that the winning team was the nose of the first dog to cross the finish, and that was Mackey's lead dog. In 1983, it would be Lance's older brother Rick who would win the Iditarod, making history as the first second generation champion.

Lance's story has been well documented through the years. His autobiography is still available for purchase, and the 2013 documentary "The Great Alone" is available on DVD and on several streaming platforms. Mackey's life was hard, admittedly at times by his own doing, and he didn't always make the best choices. Lance was always an open book to those around him - including fans - and that made him one of the most personable mushers in the history of the sport. 

Just as Lance had returned to the sport of mushing, building a kennel seemingly on a whim after moving to Kasilof, Alaska (located on the Kenai Peninsula, and home to the start of the Tustumena 200). He started running the smaller races as he built up his home and his kennel in true Lance style (by the seat of his pants with scraps and throw aways). 

During his rookie run in the Iditarod in 2001, Lance felt a lump in his neck after realizing he was having trouble swallowing. He would soon be diagnosed with throat cancer, and at one point doctors did not expect him to pull through. But by the 2002 Iditarod, Lance was back on the runners with a tube into his stomach for food and sponsorship from his team of doctors. He would scratch in Ophir that year, but he was already solidifying his legend status - and he hadn't won anything yet.

Just three years later Lance would start his run of dominating the sport of long distance mushing. He would go on to win four consecutive Yukon Quests from 2005 to 2008, and four consecutive Iditarod titles from 2007 to 2010, a feat that will most likely never be replicated. Mackey proved that the same team of dogs could win back to back long distance races in the same year, and did so with old school mushing styles and methods. 

Mackey's first Iditarod win reinvigorated the imagination of mushing enthusiasts world wide. Lance was convinced he would win in 2007, especially after he drew lucky bib number thirteen - the same number both his father and brother wore the year they won. Talk about your Disney Fairytale story - he did just that. From there, we had the story of Lance dominating and infuriating his competitors in the Last Great Race. Many will remember the story of Lance sneaking out of the cabin in 2008 while Jeff King slept, solidifying his win against the "winningest musher". The two would be rivals for the next three years before Lance's string ended.

Lance's personal struggles reignited soon after his fourth Iditarod championship with the implosion of his marriage, and a string of financial problems. Like always, Lance was open with it all and didn't try to hide his struggles. After having to scratch from the 2016 race, Lance did not plan to run the race again - but like all of the other failed retirements of the Iditarod greats, he found himself back on the runners in 2019 just to have fun. His personal life was on the upswing again with a new partner Jenne and their two children. While his health was not the best, he just wanted to run the race and have fun. He came in 26th, and at the finisher's banquet won his entry fee into the 2020 race, so he signed up for 2020.

2020 would be a very difficult year for Lance. While he finished top 20 in the Iditarod, he would have it stripped away a couple months later when his drug test at the finish would come back showing he was on illegal drugs while racing. The musher once again was open and honest with fans, promising to get clean again. He would enter rehab and do the work. On his return to Alaska he would have just a brief bit of normalcy before he would lose Jenne in a single person ATV rollover accident. Lance was the one to find her on the trail. He was now a single dad of two little ones.

Lance chose to focus on his kids and in his hobby of car racing after that, and was enjoying racing cars in Alaska and Washington, when in the late summer of 2021 he was once again facing a cancer diagnosis. He chose to once again let the world in on his struggle and vowed to fight with every fiber and beat the cancer. By June of 2022 Lance would be in and out of the hospital and the outcome wasn't looking good. In August of 2022 he would give an interview to Iditarod Insider that gave an update on his condition. As always Lance was not ready to quit and was planning to fight to the end. 

That fight ended in the late hours of September 7 with family and friends at his side. 

And now the mushing world mourns. Tributes poured in all day on Thursday. Fans, photographers, journalists, politicians, and fellow mushers - some the bitterest of rivals - posted throughout the day favorite memories of the dog whisperer. If there was any question that Lance wasn't a beloved member of the mushing community, that can be put to rest now. One can only hope that Lance himself finally understood and accepted how much he meant to not just his fans, but his community.

Iditarod Picnic and Musher Sign Ups

Saturday marked the unofficial start of the race season as volunteers and mushers gathered in Wasilla for the annual Iditarod picnic at the Race Headquarters. Unlike previous years, the picnic was sparsely attended by fans and mushers alike. Normally one could guarantee bumping into the biggest names of North American mushing past and present. Names like Dick Mackey, Raymie Redington, and Dan Seavey were a shoo in for the "old timers" who came to swap stories with each other (almost always the same trail stories they've shared for nearly fifty years), while names like Jeff King, Martin Buser, and Mitch Seavey kept people guessing if the "old dogs" had another win in them.

Instead, only one previous champion signed up Saturday - and did so via the web from a beach somewhere warm. Only 21 teams in total would be on the roster by the end of the day. While those in attendance joked that the low attendance of mushers would give those signing up a greater chance to win their entry fee back, there was a definite air of uncertainty about the event.

Also noticeably absent was Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach. Since joining the Iditarod in 2018, Urbach has attended every public event. The enthusiastic leader often hyped up the next season promising new ways to jump into the 21st century. Yet this year it was once again Chaz St. George as the face of the Iditarod at the event, and he quickly just thanked attendees before breezing through the musher drawings without going through the traditional announcement of number of sign ups and reading down the list.

Discussion of the day was obviously the lack of those signing up. Karin Hendrickson attended the picnic but did not sign up with a sigh suggesting there were too many unknowns for her to be sure she'd race this season. Hendrickson also pointed to financial insecurity being a big reason for a lot of teams. She was overheard saying that she knew of "at least" five kennels "getting out of dogs" because they could not afford to continue to keep up a kennel.

2018 Iditarod Champion Joar Leifseth Ulsom did not attend the picnic, but as the event rolled on those checking Facebook read the announcement the Norwegian made stating he was stepping back from long distance racing to focus on his "beautiful little family" and figuring out the "elusive Kuskokwim 300 win." Both five-time Iditarod Champion Dallas Seavey and Iditafan favorite Aaron Burmeister announced at the end of this year's race they, too, are taking time off for family both having children getting to the age of having their own interests outside of dad running Iditarod.

Iditarod 50 was a huge accomplishment for the race, and while fans felt that the race did not do enough to celebrate the milestone, it feels like this is a new wave for the race as a whole. It may be fitting that so many of the mushers that made the last fifty years memorable are absent at the beginning of the next fifty. It's clear that the race has changed a great deal from when Joe Redington and his merry band of mushing enthusiasts came up with the hairbrained idea that dogs could travel a thousand miles over an overgrown yet historic trail system. Today it's a streamlined machine of a race that travels in almost a blink of an eye.

Even with the quieter picnic, there were still many smiles and reasons to laugh and celebrate. With so few mushers needing their Iditarod picture for their website bios, Official Photographer (who is "retired" but still on hand to help) Jeff Schultz was mobbed several times by race fans asking for autographs to sign his work. Kristy Berington and Andy Pohl rode through the picnic on their tandem bike before returning a little while later with Anna to sign the Seeing Double racing kennel teams up for another go (Andy, of course, was there to take the photos). 

Jason Mackey was so excited to be able to sign up again that he showed up well before sign ups opened at 9:30am. The team that [wo]man the table said he was there before they showed up to set things up. Mackey, of course, is hoping to keep the family tradition of winning the Iditarod alive. Mackey's father Dick won the Iditarod, and then Jason's brothers Rick and Lance are also Iditarod champions. If Mackey draws bib number 13 at the musher's banquet this year you might as well just give him the win (Dick, Rick, and Lance all won their [in Lance's case first] Iditarods with the number).

Matthew Failor and Dan Kaduce both signed up - in part because they won a free entry fee for being the "Most Inspirational" (Matt) and winner of the "Humanitarian Award" (Dan). Liz Failor was on hand to snap photos of husband Matthew as well as give tips to KattiJo Deeter on how to fill out her application. That's right, last year's rookie who got stuck in a terrible storm and ended up scratching, KattiJo (who explained that it's "Katie Jo" but that her mother "was a terrible speller") Deeter is returning for another go at the belt buckle. Deeter proclaimed she would be very jealous if she hit that portion of trail and it was calm as "the first time rookies won't have to go through [what she did]!" Deeter was also having a hard time coming up with an answer for her occupation and her hobbies. There were plenty of peanut gallery members to help her out, however. Husband Jeff was on hand to swipe the credit card. 

At this time, only one team from Black Spruce Kennel will run this coming Iditarod. Jeff noted that the logistics "back home" are just too much with the both of them out on the trail and that when he races KattiJo "takes care of so much". He didn't say 100% absolutely not that he wouldn't run, but did stick to "at this time" there were no plans to run two teams like they did in 2022.

Overall, while the roster is Yukon Quest roster sized, fans should expect it to grow some before the end of the year (when the deadline to sign up is). There should be a lot of excitement as many of the teams that are often knocking on the door to get into the top ten will have a great chance of improving (in some cases drastically). Will Brent Sass be able to hold off the teams ready to make sure he doesn't repeat? Who has the best chance of taking home the prize? Those questions are being asked far too soon. The better question is - who do you think has plans to sign up but wants to keep us guessing for now?

To see all of my photos from the day you can view my facebook album.

Make sure to subscribe to Mushing Radio's podcasts as we'll be talking this week all about the Iditarod picnic and what it all means for the future of The Last Great Race.

Mushing Radio - Iditarod 50: Sea Ice and Ugly Dogs

Sass and Seavey finish their Yukon 8

 Brent Sass and Dallas Seavey have finished their mandatory 8 hour rests on the Yukon and are back on the trail. It's not exactly a cat and mouse game at this point, and they both seem to be solidly in the first and second positions with not a lot of room or threat of shake up without some of Mother Nature's intervention. Dallas took his mandatory in the Yukon Village checkpoint of Nulato, coming in at just after Midnight. Brent Sass, right on script, ran all the way to Kaltag and declared his 8 there, getting in just after 2:30am AKST. 

Sass has picked up all of the "first to" awards as he travels down the trail and looks to be the first to the Coast as well. Dallas is a good 3 hours behind him, not completely insurmountable... but not likely without Brent making a mistake and pushing the dogs a little too hard to where they slow or stop completely. All indications point so far to Brent managing his race extremely well, he's learned quite a bit since his team's premature stop in White Mountain in 2016.

The chase back began arriving in Nulato as Dallas was taking off. Jessie Holmes was first in and is running impressive speeds, but even the musher acknowledges that he can't keep up his pace forever. He's cutting rest and that never helps a team maintain the speed it would take to overtake and pick off the lead teams. It will be interesting to see how Holmes plays his cards from here on out. Richie Diehl was next followed by Ryan Redington and Aaron Burmeister. A quick glance at the GPS as I get ready to post this shows them all resting in Nulato except Burmeister who has chosen to continue (it looks like anyway).

In the back of the pack there's a little shake up in standings with Kaylin Davis leading the trio of ladies and Yuka Honda bringing up the rear. Lisbet Norris and her team of Siberians rests between them. The teams have run together most of the race helping each other through blizzards and other hazards. 

Greg Heister just reported on Insider that the winds are so strong between Kaltag and the coast that flights are grounded and Insider can't get to Unalakleet. A storm was supposed to blow in on the West Coast last night and it sounds like it's on schedule. The race ain't over.

2022 Knik 200 Musher Roster

It's the final countdown! In just a few days time we will have the mushing season in full swing. While other races have taken place in this very snowy December in Alaska, the Knik 200 has always been the kick off to the "regular season". (Look at those beautiful football analogies applied to dog mushing.) Warm temps and increasingly late snows in the last decade have seen many a Knik 200 be canceled, but it looks like all systems are go for the 2022 race. Last year the race saw a major overhaul to the board and is now under the direction of the Knik Trail Blazers. The new board seems to have a lot of enthusiasm which has trickled down to the teams interested in running. The roster boasts a lot of familiar and top names in the Alaskan mushing community and should provide a very exciting opener for fans to follow along.

Musher Roster

1 Spirit of Joe Redington Sr.
2 Hugh Neff - Facebook / Instagram
3 Eddie Burke - Facebook / Instagram
4 Walter Robinson - Facebook 
5 Anna Berington - Website / Instagram
6 Travis Beals - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
7 Casey Randall - Website / Facebook / Twitter
8 Kristy Berington - Website / Instagram
9 Braxton Peterson - Website / Facebook / Instagram
10 Katie Timmons - Facebook 
11 Karin Hendrickson - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
12 Matt Failor - Website / Facebook / Instagram
13 Isaac Teaford - Facebook
14 Hunter Keefe - Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
15 Aaron Burmeister - Facebook
16 Nicolas Petit - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
17 Lev Shvarts - Website / Facebook 

Who are you cheering for? Comment below!

Edited 12/31/2021 to remove Jeff and KattiJo Deeter from the roster as they withdrew prior to the race.
Edited 12/31/2021 to remove Dave Turner and Dakota Schlosser & to organized based on bib draw.

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Hobo Jim's wife shares final message from singer

As most have heard, Alaska's Balladeer Hobo Jim (James Varsos) passed away at home on Tuesday, October 5 with his wife Cyndi at his side. The singer-song writer was diagnosed with end stage, stage four pancreatic cancer a mere 17 days before his passing - a shock to all who knew him. While never one to spend a significant amount of time on social media, Hobo would post wonderful stories and throwbacks for friends and family to enjoy. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, Varsos would often put up a live feed and do free concerts for viewers playing requests and his all-time favorites (he even did one specific for children and made Alaskan millennials happy by playing his songs from the books Thunderfeet and Danger the Dog Yard Cat). 

Sunday, Hobo Jim's widow went onto his page to post Hobo Jim's final work he had saved to his phone. "Upon going through Jim's phone," she writes, "I came across this final message Jim wrote to all of you in his own beautiful words. "Thank you for loving him and embracing his music and love of Alaska. There is no one like a Hobo Jim fan. Here is to all of you. May God Bless you all, Cyndi."

Not surprisingly, Hobo Jim's mind was tuned to Alaska and her spirit that constantly called to his. Varsos spent 49 years of his life in the 49th state, most of those literally singing her praises. His songs spoke to many Alaskans on their lifestyle and why they loved their homeland. His memory will live on through the ballads, polkas, and folk music dedicated to his adopted state. 

The GoFundMe account is still active to help support Jim's wife Cyndi through this time. Hobo Jim's facebook page (and fan group page) is still up and fan tributes continue to pour in. 

Nome, Sweet Nome for Iditarod

Now that you've made it to Nome, what is there to do? Depending on when you come into the final stop on the Iditarod, you may have a bit of a wait until the champion or your favorite musher cross under the burled arch. But, don't worry about being bored! The City of Nome looks forward to the Iditarod week every year. There are many city hosted events taking place as everyone waits for the siren to go off and teams to come up Front Street.

In my last Idita-Getaway post, I pointed out the different restaurant options. Each one holds a special bit of Nome in them, and if you are at all into Food Network shows like Diners, Drive Ins, or Dives or if you were a fan of Anthony Bourdain it might be fun to take a look at all of them (and if you are there long enough it's easy to do). 

Your first stop should be your hotel's front desk. Most will have the calendar of events for Iditarod week. If by chance they don't, you can take a walk to the Nome Visitor Center (which you should do anyway). The calendar will give you the times and places each event/attraction take place. It typically has a map of the city on the back, and a description of each event. These maps are free, and make a great souvenir (speaking from experience). You can also download the Event Calendar ahead of time by visiting the Nome Visitor Center's website.

While at the Visitor Center you can chat with the very friendly volunteers and staff and ask their advice on what to do and see. They will give you updates on the race as they are able, they can explain the weather and the history of their City. They often have other free or cheap souvenirs (I'm a fan of their I <3 Nome buttons). It's also a great place to stop and warm up as you wait for teams to come in. They're also responsible for the City of Nome webcam, and are the folks you'll want to contact as you make plans for your trip and are in need of lodging (should you not be able to get a hotel, they are the keepers of the list of rooms for rent in local homes). This is also often the site for different tours to pick up/start. 

Behind the Visitor Center is a trail to the sea ice and the Nome National Forest. This one of a kind forest is the self proclaimed northern most forest, and is a unique photo op. Be sure to check with the Visitor Center before exploring just incase the sea ice is considered unstable (in 2019 we couldn't visit as the day after we arrived the ice broke up). What makes the forest its own is that while the trees are natural - they are "planted" on the ice after Christmas by the local families. They're used Christmas trees! The city also puts out different wooden decorations and other photo ops. It's totally kitchy and every visitor to Nome should experience it at least once.

Once you come back up to Front Street it's just a quick walk to the Russian Church and the Nome Craft Bazaar. Do not miss this. Many of the local artists and craftspeople plan their whole year around this bazaar. There are many beautiful Alaskan made crafts, artworks, and clothing. Many of the artists are more than happy to talk to you about their craft, their lifestyle, and their culture. There is also an art show where you can see many talented pieces and how they are judged.  Be ready with both cash and card as some of the vendors prefer one over the other. There is also typically a raffle at the door. 

Next, take a walk (or grab a cab if you aren't renting a car) and head for the Nome Museum. The Museum is fairly new having been built in 2017/18. It is one of my favorite museums in Alaska. Most of the exhibits are interactive and they share the Indigenous history as well as the goldrush and beyond. You are met at the entrance of the museum with a full on display about how mushing has been a huge focal of the area - with a tribute to both the Iditarod as well as Nome's most well known and celebrated musher Leonhard Seppala and his dog Fritz. You learn about the diphtheria outbreak that made Nome famous (as well as that little dog name Balto). Plan to spend at LEAST an hour there. Often during Iditarod you will find free talks and Iditarod specific exhibits. Jon and Jona Van Zyle (official artists of the Iditarod) were there in 2019 with a special exhibit of Jon's paintings and posters, and they also did talks on Jon's running the Iditarod as well as their adventures in Alaska.

Before or after you visit the bazaar, walk through the snow over to the Welcome to Nome gold pan sign. You can also meet the "Three Lucky Swedes" who supposedly put Nome on the map. This is a popular photo op for Nome visitors, and depending on the snow depth you may be much taller than the statues. There are also some recreations of Indigenous people's tools like a boat and salmon drying rack. Signs at each spot explain what you are looking at and the history of the items. 

Depending on what days you'll be in Nome there are several fun events you can attend as a spectator or even as a contestant. Several bars host trivia contests, pool tournaments, there's wet buns/tshirt contests (if that's your thing, the Alaskan spring break), poker tournaments, concerts, foosball tournaments. This is where that calendar of events really comes in handy. Most events are free to spectate, but some do have a $5 or $10 cover charge. Nome during Iditarod is a very festive atmosphere along Front Street where everyone comes together and you are the best of friends during the week. 

There are several gift shops open during Iditarod, and it's worth going into each one to talk with the store owner and to look at all the souvenir ideas. A lot of local artists fill the shops with their creations, and there are some really fun novelty items as well. The bars are also easy to slip in and out of even if you aren't a drinker (I'm not). A lot of history within those walls and there are several that people tell you to visit just to say you've been there.

If you have time and are dying for some every day entertainment, head to the Subway sandwich shop and go to the back, the Nome Movie Theater typically has two movies playing with your typical movie theater concessions. There will also be the basketball tournament going on during Iditarod and that brings a lot of athletes from all over Western Alaska to Nome. Many Iditarod fans go to catch a game or two. 

There's also a need to stop into the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve building. You can watch some videos on the ice age's "land bridge" that brought humanity to North American all those millennia ago. They offer snowshoe tours out in the preserve, as well as a host of information at their office. You can view fossils, there are some wonderful souvenirs (including pins that you can only get from National Parks), and learn some valuable history of the area. This is more of a hidden gem for many.

And then do not miss walking down to the Iditarod HQ. It is below the Iditarod Finish line and it's where you will mingle with mushers, their families, their handlers. The Iditarod dog lot will be behind the building and security will ask you to look but not take pictures. You can see how well the athletes coming off the trail look (which is AMAZING in comparison to what their mushers look like). Inside HQ are volunteers willing to answer all of your questions, a computer where you can check in with the GPS tracker to see how close the teams are to finishing, food for sale, and the Iditarod merchandise tables. There's also free (but very slow) wifi, and a lot of places to sit and warm up while your phone charges. 

There are things that I'm missing on my list. Nome events are always changing, though the mainstays go strong every year (except for when Pandemics hit). Every part of the week is a part of your Iditarod experience and while I do suggest taking your time and just being spontaneous, I also encourage you to take in as much as possible. By the end of your trip you'll most likely be in serious planning for your next trip to Nome. Just walking through the streets of Nome you can run into some really neat things. Talk with the locals. Talk with other travelers. We're all feeling the excitement (it's the one time I'm not THAT much of an introvert).

But, wait, what about...

Don't worry, I know what you're thinking WHAT ABOUT THE ACTUAL FINISH?! I want to see MY team come under the arch, I want to see the champion! Don't worry, I have that post planned as  my next article!

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