Mushing Social Media Round Up returns!

 It's been a while since this blog has done a "round of" of mushing news/social media posts, but it's back by popular demand (well, semi-popular, some of y'all have asked!) This will by no means be an exhaustive search of each and every kennel out there, but just a taste of what's being shared on a week to week basis (or about that). If you find something interesting, or if you're a musher/race director who wants to spread some news - contact me! We'll all work together to keep up with each other during the busy summer.

So let's take a look at what the world of Mushing Socials has been up to lately.

First, and possibly most importantly, you have have heard the new rules for traveling with animals across borders thanks to the CDC. This has been a very hot button topic within the mushing community as it would make things more difficult for teams traveling through Canada to get to the Lower 48 or Alaska. Races are now in jeopardy for some teams, and the young dogs and new puppies doing tours on the Alaskan Panhandle are looking at being stranded because they won't be able to travel easily. Many mushers in Canada AND the US have spoken out. 

 

Jr. Iditarod sign ups are in full swing and they had two more mushers sign up over the American holiday weekend.

Speaking of Iditarod... THE Iditarod made a few announcements this week. The big one being today (Tuesday, July 9). As you might know, the fame Burled Arch that stands over the finish line in Nome broke apart this spring (thankfully AFTER the race had come and gone). Soon after it was made known that Iditarod finisher and skilled craftsman Ramey Smyth would have the honor of creating a new arch (every 25 years or so a new one seems to need to be made). Now the Iditarod has announced how fans and supporters can join in and raise funds for the arch.

Girdwood's Forest Fair took place this past weekend and "history was made" as the parade to kick off the event was led by a team of sled dogs driven by fan favorite Hunter Keefe. Hunter is part of the team of mushers who run the Girdwood Sled Dog Tours and is having a fantastic summer. (Also amusing is dogs are not permitted to enter the "fair" so to have them lead the parade gave many a good laugh.)

Jr. Musher Thale Randall did something he hadn't done before, he raced the Jr. Mount Marathon race in Seward on the 4th of July. He placed extremely well as a rookie. Thale's dad is running the Iditarod as a rookie in 2025 and his sister has made a name for herself on the junior circuit. The family resides with their sled dogs in the Interior and own Rock on Racing Sled Dogs kennel.

Matt Failor announced that his tour company isn't just dogs anymore, they are now offering ATV tours as well! You can even combine and create a package of both dog and machine. Failor and crew run an excellent establishment that gets high praise from tourists and locals alike.

Dallas Seavey gave an update on the seriously injured dogs from his team (snowmachine incident in November, and homicidal moose on the Iditarod). You may want some kleenex.

As stated, this is by no means all that was posted this week on social media, it's just a sampling. Check back next week for the next round up!

If you like what you see and want to support my addiction (I mean HOBBY) of following these races and stalking (I mean cheering on) the mushers, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that really goes to paying for my internet/web expenses).

No one has won it more

Dallas Seavey and his string of ten dogs that are "all heart" rode into Nome at 5:16:08pm Tuesday. The 37 year old musher cheered and pumped his arms as he ran alongside the sled into the chute. With a crowd cheering and speakers blasting the announcer's words to the crowd the little dog team that could hardly seemed phased.

It's been a tough season for Seavey. In November during a training run with Seavey, Isaac Teaford, and handler Josiah Liebe a snow machine drove into the team driven by Liebe. Several dogs were killed while three were injured with life altering injuries. Josiah was driving a team filled with Dallas' core Iditarod team and it was suddenly gone. On top of that were the horrible sounds and visions of the carnage Dallas came upon when he got word that the team behind him had been hit. It wasn't something you just shrug and move on with.

Seavey borrowed dogs from his father, three-time Iditarod Champion Mitch Seavey, and rebuilt the team and plan for the race season. He tested them out on the Copper Basin. He tweaked the roster. He tweaked the game plan. Everything was plugging along, but he just wasn't getting the same vibe from the team as in years past. They weren't the machine (or monster as his other teams were called) he was used to.

Iditarod start weekend rolled around and his game face was on. He looked prepared but he hedged his bets in interviews. He wasn't yes we're going to win, it was yes we're going to make damn sure we do everything we can to be in the mix so that if we can get position to win we can. Then a moose ran into the team not even 12 hours later. A dog was critically injured. Dallas had some sort of mental shift and he "lost his head" and didn't do what he thought he did. He didn't communicate properly with officials. He didn't gut the moose properly. He leaves the injured dog that he thinks just has a deep cut in Finger Lake with the race vets and by Rainy Pass he's getting a call asking if he wants them to perform surgery on the dog. What?!

In McGrath he's told that race officials convened and determined he did not gut the moose sufficiently, he was assessed a two-hour penalty that would be tacked onto his mandatory 24hour rest. What was supposed to be a 25 hour rest was now going to be 27 hours. He would be two hours behind. He accepted all of this and moved forward. In Cripple on his 24 he conceded he probably wasn't going to win this year, he was hoping for fifth.

When asked at the finish line how he came back from being five hours behind the leader out of Cripple to winning by three or more hours Dallas explained he has two sides. "There's the side of just taking care of the dogs and getting to the next checkpoing, and then my analytical side where I am analizing and studying everything." He said when he did the numbers and realized he had a chance, he took it.

"I knew that to win six it was going to have to be hard. You can't win six and it be easy. It can't be not special." Dallas spoke after he came into Nome acknowledging that while his first one will always be the most special, number six just may always be the hardest. He spoke of dogs that maybe weren't the cohesive team he was used to but they were all heart. He choked up mentioning the hard season, what he and the team and his kennel have been through. What they are still going through.

Rick Swenson held the record of most wins for 30 years before Dallas matched it in 2021. Rick's last win wasn't a pretty one either. It was hard. And it was in a time when you didn't have an Insider camera watching your every move in a checkpoint or a GPS tracker attached to your sled. There's a reason why Jeff King would tweet out to Tom Brady the year Brady won his fifth - but at the time it didn't look like it as he was down by 25 points or so - "The fifth one's a Bitch!". 

It was said that the record would never be matched or broken. For 30 years that rang true. Then it was, well, you can match it, but you won't break it. And now here we are. Six wins in. Dallas has grown up a lot in the 12 years since his first. He's become even wiser, even more wise in how this all shakes down. 

What hasn't changed is the love for the race and his dogs. It was evident as he made his way to the finish line. His tradition of stopping the dogs on the beach before the hustle and bustle of town to thank each dog. To take in the sights, the sounds, the smells - the quiet before the media storm. 

It was evident as he waved to everyone lining Front Street shouting out thank you for coming! It was evident the way he cheered his 10 dogs up into the chute. The way he immediately went to each dog telling them good job and thank you. The laughter and joking he had with the checker (hi Nicolle!). The smiles, the cheers, everything about it was just so Dallas Seavey that kid all those years ago watching his dad come into Nome. Getting excited for Iditarod every year. Hero worshipping the mushers who came before him.

Now Dallas Seavey has been declared the Greatest Of All Time in the sport of Iditarod. Number six was a bitch, but if anyone could do it with as much grit and determination as it takes, it's Dallas. Dallas Seavey.

"THANK YOU! See you in Nome!"

Dallas Seavey pulled the hook at 7:53am in White Mountain and his team of 10 Alaskan Huskies trotted back out onto the Iditarod Trail, they have just 77 miles until they reach the finish line. Seavey has a three hour lead over current second place team of Matt Hall. Should Dallas maintain his lead he will achieve an historic sixth victory in the Last Great Race.

While it may seem like this is a runaway win for Dallas Seavey, the veteran musher knows not to celebrate just yet. Just ten years ago Dallas was third out of White Mountain following well behind the leader Jeff King who was nearly three hours ahead of Seavey. Aliy Zirkle was chosen to play spoiler having left White Mountain an hour behind King. As the trackers made their way through the Topkok Hills it looked like everything was going to stay as it was. No one was gaining, and King wasn't faltering...

...until he did. Halfway from the hills to the checkpoint of Safety King's tracker stalled. And stayed stalled. Reports came in of hurricane force winds in the Blowhole. Joe Runyan blogged that anyone out there was risking their life. A midnight, Jeff King hit his SOS button ending his race. He was blown off trail with no way to continue. Aliy Zirkle in the meantime was totally unaware of Jeff's misfortune and made it to the checkpoint of Safety completely rattled by the storm. She was advised to stay and wait until the winds died down. She had a two hour lead on Dallas and it seemed the right idea.

Then Dallas came into Safety and quickly signed out - he didn't want to be in the wind anymore than he had to be, and with no real barrier from the wind for the dogs it was better to keep moving in his opinion than sit there and wait it out. He was unaware Aliy was still there. Unaware that Jeff was not in Nome. 

Dallas won his second Iditarod that night in crazy dramatic fashion.

A similar storm hit in 2022, Dallas didn't win that year, but he came awfully close to it. We can sit and rehash the fairness of Brent Sass getting a message on his InReach device telling him to get moving as Dallas was still moving while Sass hunkered down to wait out the storm, but it's done and over with. Sass managed to hold Dallas off, but again Dallas proved that while one team is stuck in the final leg another can make progress. If anyone knows that the race ain't over in White Mountain, it's Seavey.

Faster finishes from White Mountain to Nome take 10 hours, sometimes they can take 11 to 12 hours. If Dallas manages to stay first and doesn't get stalled in the Topkok Hills or The Blowhole outside of Safety, look for a finish around 5:30pm AKST tonight.

Seavey 8 miles to White Mountain

Dallas Seavey pulled away from the lead pack Sunday in Unalakleet and never looked back. While not running a blistering pace, the five-time Iditarod champion will be into White Mountain close to Midnight at the rate he's traveling.

The next teams are still two hours or more behind him. 

While it's still 77 miles to Nome from White Mountain, Seavey is in very good position at this point. Still, we all remember what happened 10 years ago when Jeff King had a run away lead going into White Mountain only to get blown horribly off course in the blowhole on his way to the final checkpoint of safety. The Iditarod Legend had to hit his SOS button and end his race. Dallas Seavey unknowingly won his second Iditarod win later that morning.

It's still a dog race, and it's still anyone's game, but right now it looks to be Seavey's to lose.

Seavey continues to distance himself

Dallas Seavey is now twenty miles ahead of the chase duo of Jessie Holmes and Matt Hall. The five-time champion checked into Elim at 5:30 and spent only four minutes in the checkpoint. Seavey no doubt will stop and feed the dogs on the trail, but it's clear his plan to run straight through to White Mountain where an 8 hour mandatory rest awaits each team.

Jessie Holmes and Matt Hall are duking it out for second and both content with that idea. Holmes in Koyuk this morning told Insider he didn't expect to see Dallas again until White Mountain. Both Holmes and Hall have put up fast speeds on the leg to Elim and should be into the checkpoint soon.

Travis Beals is solidly in fourth and his kennel partner and wife Sarah Stokey reports that he is happy with where he is and that he wants to maintain the gap between his team and the chase pack. That pack is currently being led by Paige Drobny and Jeff Deeter who left Koyuk in the late afternoon. The rest of the top ten sit in Koyuk having just arrived in the last hour and a half and all have elected to stay in the checkpoint.

This afternoon another team chose to end their race early in Unalakleet. 21-time finisher Aaron Burmeister chose to scratch to preserve the mental health and wellness of his team and for the future. This brings the total number of scratches to six, two more than the total number of scratches from last year's race.

Seavey's lead grows as he blows through Koyuk

While it's still nearly two hundred miles to go, so very premature to call the race now, it looks like Dallas Seavey is on his way to making history again this year. While some may roll their eyes and grumble about him winning again, there's still a lot that can happen to stop that from happening in Iditarod 52. 

Dallas pulled into Koyuk officially at 7:11am and immediately got to work opening up drop bags and packing his batsled. Seavey informed the crew in the checkpoint he was not going to stay but keep going towards Elim. He grabbed straw and attached it to his sled. He moved quickly and decidedly, and at 7:23am he was off again heading toward the shelter cabin fifteen-ish miles up the trail where it is believed he will camp for a time before going through Elim and on to White Mountain and his final 8 hour mandatory rest. 

Dallas gained at least another half hour on Jessie Holmes in this run across the sea ice. Holmes is running barely a mile ahead of Matt Hall on the Norton Sound and should be into Koyuk by 9am. It's anyone's guess if either will stay or go. If they stay, Dallas' lead will continue to grow. If they go through we may very well have ourselves a dog race to the finishline.

The chase pack is into Shaktoolik and out on the Norton Sound. Lots of leap frogging which makes for an exciting race for the top twenty positions (especially the top ten)!

In sadder news, fan favorite Hunter Keefe has scratched in Unalakleet according to a statement released by Iditarod early Monday morning. Keefe scratched pursuant to rule 42 (expired dog). This is the second rule 42 scratch in Iditarod 52. Keefe was on his way to having another close to top ten finish in the Iditarod and had 10 dogs in harness when he scratched. 

Seavey blows in and out of Shaktoolik with commanding lead

Dallas Seavey and team at the ReStart.
Willow, AK. March 3, 2024

In a turn of events today that not many saw coming, Dallas Seavey reminded everyone how he became only the second musher in race history to win five times. Seavey, who had very little chance by most estimates to lead at all after the halfway point now has a solid lead of over an hour over the next team Sunday evening.

The five-time champion checked in at 9:13pm and spent enough time in the checkpoint to grab some gear out of his drop bags, some straw, and send a pup home. Seavey was second into the first coastal checkpoint of Unalakleet but chose to continue up the trail leaving Jessie Holmes to rest alone until the chase pack caught up Sunday morning. Seavey chose to camp on the trail for a couple of hours on the way to Shak. The strategy put at least a good hour between him and Jessie Holmes once Holmes got up and continued on.

The winds are ripping on the coast as they almost always do and some reports have the hills between Unalakleet and Shaktoolik as being especially difficult with the wind blowing right at the teams. Seavey's team are still quite peppy after running in the wind all day and they will no doubt have more as they head out onto the sea ice. It is a good bet that Dallas will camp about 11 miles out of the checkpoint at a shelter cabin popular with many mushers before continuing across the Norton Sound and into the Koyuk checkpoint. 

Unalakleet is busy tonight with many teams choosing the take a nice long break between the snow berms made for windbreaks for the teams - plus there's some really yummy pizza waiting for just about every musher thanks to fans and friends calling in pizza orders to be delivered as the teams come in. Peace on Earth Pizza watches teh tracker and makes the pizza fresh to meet the teams soon after they come in. 

Unfortunately it's not all good news tonight. Four teams have had to scratch Sunday. The first was Erin Altemus who unfortunately had a team not quite mentally prepared for the cold winds on the Yukon and for the good of her team she chose to end her race early. Isaac Teaford had to scratch after the passing of his dog Bog in the checkpoint of Nulato. While it is unclear why the dog died, all teams that have a dog death (unless clear that it was out of musher control like an animal or snowmachine attack) must scratch or be withdrawn. Connor McMahon, another rookie, also chose to scratch today in Galena out of concern for his team - but there is no word as to what it was exactly. Finally, Deke Naaktgeboren reported having issues on the river out of Nulato today as his dogs were unnerved by the popping and shifting of the river ice. After returning to Nulato where they rested a few hours, the veteran decided to end their race early.

Jessie Holmes is about four miles to Shaktoolik. It will be interesting to see what he chooses to do once he realizes Dallas didn't stay. Monday it will be all about crossing the Norton sound for the lead and middle of the pack.

Jessie Holmes first to the Coast

Jessie Holmes pulled into Unalakleet Sunday afternoon and was awarded the First to the Coast award. The musher accepted the greeting and congratulations and then parked his dog team along the snowberm built to protect teams from the constant Western Alaskan winds. 

Holmes' official time in was 12:33pm. Not long after Dallas Seavey pulled into the checkpoint in his fast paced get in and out of the checkpoint sort of way. He grabbed straw and then his drop bags and maneuvered his team close to the exit of the checkpoint. Snacking his dogs he then go to work of preparing to get out of the checkpoint. Unofficially Dallas left at 1pm. All dogs ate their snacks quickly and were barking to go.

Travis Beals and Matt Hall are about 10 miles from Unalakleet and are running close together. Still in the hunt, but it'll quickly become difficult to catch up as we just have over a couple hundred more miles from here.

It is anyone's guess how long Holmes will stay in the checkpoint. He has a team of young dogs and while they are posting impressive speeds, it does seem they need to take big breaks between these pushes.

Party at Old Woman Cabin

In a turn no ones truly predicted, the entire lead pack chose to rest at Old Woman's Cabin early this morning. Dallas Seavey was first to the cabin followed by Jessie Holmes, Travis Beals, Matt Hall, Pete Kaiser, and Paige Drobny. They didn't all come in together, but it was an interesting sight to see at the front of the Iditarod all of the potential winners huddled together waiting for the other to twitch.

At around 8:40am, though, trackers indicated Jessie Holmes was out first from the party pack.

Judging by the slow going - well under average speeds for these teams on this leg - the trail conditions must not have been ideal. Dallas Seavey led all night but managed only to make it as far as Old Woman. Travis had a four to five hour rest on everyone at his campout and yet he chose to wait until after Seavey passed to get moving, and he didn't make up any time on the five time champion.

Dallas has taken shorter rests - other than the mandatory 8 - on the Yukon to catch back up to the others and then did this push in what seems to be tough trail. It's a gamble that may or may not pay off, but it seems to be a risk Dallas was willing to take.

This is anything but normal in recent memory. Most often your leader was out on the trail all alone. Now we still don't have a clear favorite to win, and it's all guesswork. 

At 8:48am the tracker showed Dallas Seavey on the move giving chase. This is far from over, folks. Buckle up and settle in, the last leg is going to be a WILD RIDE (see what we did there?).

Seavey makes a move

In an interesting turn of events Dallas Seavey has "cut rest" and headed back out on the trail after spending just two hours and twenty-five minutes out on the trail. The Five Time Champion has banked more time than the other front runners in part due to his two hour penalty added on to his 24 hour mandatory rest. However, Dallas and his team of fifteen dogs seemed to hit the Yukon and kick into a gear many didn't expect - at least, not realistically.

Dallas pulled the hook at 9:01pm and left Kaltag after sending three dogs home. The musher had thought about leaving them with the volunteers in Nulato, but chose to keep them in the team for the run to Kaltag, however now speed matters and the fewer dogs he has the more efficient he will be when he takes breaks out on the trail and in checkpoints.

As Dallas was pulling out of the checkpoint, Jessie Holmes was readying his team to do the same. Jessie pulled the hook forty-six minutes after Dallas and gave chase. Matt Hall also pulled the hook and left just two minutes after Holmes. 

At last glance at the GPS tracker, Travis Beals is still resting at the shelter cabin 13 miles outside of Kaltag. It's anyone's guess when he will decide to pack up and head to Unalakleet, whether he knows Dallas and Jessie and Matt are all on their way. The race to the coast looks to be a close one.

Dallas packed straw in his sled, expect the champion to camp before Unalakleet as is his habit.

It's too quiet

Kaltag got busy this afternoon as first Travis Beals and then Jessie Holmes were followed by Paige Drobny, Matt Hall, Ryan Redington, and Dallas Seavey into the checkpoint. Only Beals chose to cut and run after a quick stop to grab supplies. Beals went 13 miles up the trail and camped. 

That was this afternoon, the sun has now set and no one is moving. It seems the front runners are all still trying to preserve as much energy as possible from their teams. Dallas Seavey who was two hours behind his schedule due to a penalty given at his 24hour mandatory seemed just a day ago to not be in the running to challenge Beals, and now he's acting as though he might be the first of the chase pack to leave Kaltag. 

In the back of the race the final two teams are running into Ruby and then everyone but Beals will be on the Yukon. Beals, of course, left the river and is now on his way to Unalakleet (or will be once he stops camping).

This race is far from being determined. All of the teams resting in Kaltag (and the one camping) look phenomenal. This may be one of those races that isn't declared until the teams run up Front Street in Nome. 

First three -no, FOUR- are into Nulato

It was a long night on the Yukon for the top teams as they traveled down the wind tunnel known as the Yukon River. By 10pm the air temp was already -10 (according to Dallas Seavey's sled thermometer) and getting colder. Teams were running into Galena to meet up with Travis Beals who has a strong handle on the lead. Beals chose to take his mandatory 8 in Galena and pulled the hook at 11:24pm and found himself pulling into Nulato at 5:49pm giving him a run time of 6 hours and 25 minutes.

Dallas Seavey left Galena after a 3.5 hour rest in the checkpoint following forty minutes behind Beals. Dallas had a six minute faster run. According to commentary on the Insider it is believed Dallas will take his 8 in Nulato. Of the top 10 teams, Seavey is the only one who has yet to take his 8. This should not be surprising considering his over 27 hour break in Cripple. The team has been power charged this whole race and the longer than normal rest did not seem to slow them down (which can sometimes happen if a team isn't managed correctly).

Jessie Holmes came into Nulato at 8:15am and he ran it 10 minutes faster than Seavey. Holmes has the smallest team of the three as he is down to 11 dogs (not something to worry about), Beals has 12, and Seavey is still at 15. Holmes team looked fast and loose coming into Nulato. Holmes has taken his 8 so this shouldn't be a very long break for him.

Nulato will continue to see mushers come in Saturday morning and afternoon, and it will no doubt unnerve Seavey that he is "stuck" there as Beals and presumably Holmes take off well before he can. Beals has never had to "protect his lead" in the Iditarod, it's all new territory for Travis and he, too, will have to survive the mental gymnastics that entails.

Paige Drobny is picking off teams one by one as she goes further down the trail. She is now fourth into Nulato with a blistering pace of five hours and forty-five minutes. The Squids are definitely going to play a huge factor in how Beals and Holmes race the Coast.

At -30 on the river this morning, there's only one more checkpoint on the river before they cross over to the coast. Early Sunday should be when we see the first team hit the coast. (And, yes, folks we're to the point where you should probably order those Peace on Earth pizzas in Unalakleet for your favorite teams, and maybe some for the volunteers on the trail). 

There's no clear shake down yet, which seems a little strange. There is a huge field of contenders late in the race and it may not be until Shaktoolik that we get a better picture of how this all ends. 

In the back of the pack there was quite teh shake up last night as Calvin Daugherty turned around and went back to Cripple about two hours into his run to Ruby. According to chat fans KattiJo reported over night that Calvin had forgotten his mittens and chose to go back to get them. He is now about seven hours behind schedule and third from last place. Robbins and Mumford continue to go back and forth in the Red Lantern position.

The leaders are on their way to Ruby

 

As Nicolas Petit makes his way into the checkpoint of Ruby to win his first to the Yukon Prize (which sounds super yummy again this year!), the teams behind him are strongly making their statement that they're the teams to beat. Travis Beals, Paige Drobny, and Jessie Holmes have slingshot themselves over Dallas Seavey and are now in control of the race to the Yukon. 

While Petit may be furthest along, he's also furthest behind of those out in front. Why? One simple reason, the musher has chosen to wait to take his 24 hour mandatory rest presumably in Ruby. This was the plan, the musher assured fans on Insider back in Ophir, to go as far as possible before taking the 24. He had Jeff King do just that two years ago with his team, and he's back trying it again.

There are currently five teams on the trail out of Cripple. Dallas Seavey remains in the checkpoint of Cripple preparing to leave in just over an hour when he can finally give chase to those who passed him this afternoon. Seavey spoke at length with Iditarod Insider Thursday afternoon giving the run down on just what happened with the moose and the choices he made in the aftermath of dispatching the animal. In the nearly thirteen minute interview Dallas accepts the penalty the Race Marshall handed down (which yes Dallas knew about it back in McGrath so it wasn't a surprise into Cripple), he also apologizes for not doing things properly out of shock. All in all, Dallas is ready to move on and finish strong.

It will be another exciting night of Iditarod, and for those that can watch without having to go to work in the morning: just know you are very envied.

Tomorrow the race on the Yukon begins.

Petit is going to Ruby

Nicolas Petit and team rode into Cripple Thursday morning at 7:39am AK time. Petit chose short term parking and did not declare his twenty-four. Petit has a full string of 16 dogs and stated that the current schedule he's on is one he's had planned for two years.

In an interview Wednesday with Iditarod Insider Nicolas Petit stated that when he got Covid in 2022 and was forced to sit out the race just several days before the start he asked Jeff King to take his team to Ruby for his 24. Petit said he had always wanted to get past Cripple before the long rest and that in 2022 he felt he had the team to do it. Last year, he said, he 24'd in Nikolai and that was "a big mistake."

The veteran musher quickly got to work bedding down his dogs and feeding them before wandering over to the lovely smells of bacon. Look for Nic to take a few hours of rest before continuing. Team Petit is the only team not actively taking their 24 or running with a completed 24.

In other news, Mille Porsild's social media team shared the veteran musher is battling pancreatits. She was monitored during her mandatory 24 with the caveat that race officials had to clear her before she could continue. Porsild was allowed to pull the hook, as they say, and head off down the trail. Mille's team says that she will take the race one checkpoint at a time as she continues to deal with flare ups. She currently sits in Ophir.

Mille isn't the only one dealing with illness, though probably not as extreme, Travis Beals reported to his family that he is suffering from a very bad cold (possible flu?) but that he is on antibiotics now and had hopes of bouncing back during his 24. Beals is currently out of Ophir on his way to Cripple. It seems a very bad flu bug is going around Iditarod with many of the volunteers having reported being sick as early as the Ceremonial Start (if not before).

In regards to Dallas Seavey's two-hour penalty - it seems we won't have more detail until Insider chats with Dallas later today. They wanted to give Seavey ample time to rest in Cripple before bothering him as they report he's run the race so far with very little sleep. If you aren't an insider, now might be a good time to subscribe as the race is truly underway now.

Seavey assessed a two-hour penalty for moose kill

The Iditarod released a statement Wednesday stating the Race Marshall Warren Palfrey after convening a panel of three race officials decided that Dallas Seavey had not efficiently gutted the moose after dispatching it Monday morning.

You can read the full press release here.

Seavey is currently 29 miles to Cripple where it is assumed the musher will take his mandatory 24-hour plus differential break. This will now include an extra two hours for the penalty. It is unknown whether Seavey knows about the decision.

This is a developing story. 

Update on Seavey's injured dog

Fans were happy to learn Wednesday morning that Dallas Seavey's dog Faloo, who was attacked early in the race by an aggressive moose, has recovered enough after surgery to be released into the kennel's care.

That's right, the dog who went from a 20% chance of survival to a 50% chance of survival is now looking to be picked up later Wednesday to travel home to Talkeetna to recooperate!

The kennel was sure to praise the Iditarod Vet team and Pet ER in Anchorage for their care of Faloo and thanked them.

Faloo's musher is currently on his way to Cripple after a more than three hour rest on the trail where it is suspected he will declare his 24 hour rest. Seavey has fifteen dogs on his team, the only team member missing is Faloo.

Seavey's dog has surgery

In an update via social media Tuesday morning, Dallas Seavey's kennel reports that Seavey's dog Faloo was out of surgery but still in Critical Condition. 

Faloo sustained injuries during the team's run in with an aggressive moose that Seavey was forced to "dispatch in order to protect his team and himself. By the time the moose was shot it was close enough to die on top of Seavey's sled. 

Dallas' team was not the only team to tangle with the moose, earlier Jessie Holmes' team had a run in with the moose and the musher was able to get the moose to move on by "punching it in the nose". Moose are a common obstacle on the trail, often stalling teams for minutes to hours in stand offs as the large animals prefer packed trail to wading in deep snow. Most encounters are merely an inconvenience, but there are many factors that can cause a moose to become aggressive without much provocation. 

Per Iditarod rules, Seavey stayed and field dressed the moose and reported it to race officials so that the meat could be salvaged and donated to local communities. In an amusing twist, where the moose dropped it was in a blind spot area that several teams ended up running over the carcass before realizing what it was that was in the trail.

Seavey's team will no doubt keep fans updated as they are able on Faloo's condition. At this time there is no campaign for vet funds.

Dallas Seavey is currently running in fourth place on his way to Nikolai.

Less than twelve hours in and it's chaos

Dallas Seavey and team leave the starting chute.
Willow, Alaska. March 3, 2024.

The Iditarod left little time before bringing all the drama in the first hours of the race Monday morning. In less than twelve hours the race saw its first reports of an aggressive moose having to be dispatched by one of the race's biggest names. By the time the sun was up fans were frantic trying to find out just what happened, and were saddened to hear that a dog was injured enough to have to be flown to Anchorage for examination and treatment.

Roughly at 1:40am Monday morning a report came into Iditarod officials in Finger Lake that an aggressive moose had been shot by five-time Iditarod Champion Dallas Seavey. This same moose had attacked Jessie's Holmes' team just a little while before tangling with Seavey, and Holmes fought it off of his team by "punching it in the nose." Seavey could not fend off the moose and was forced to dispatch the animal. According to Seavey, the moose was so close when he shot it that it landed on his sled.

Iditarod rules state that anytime a moose has to be put down by a musher on the trail, the musher MUST dress out the animal and report it ASAP to Iditarod officials. For dressing out the musher must skin the animal as well as remove all internal organs so as not to have the meat spoil. Once officials are alerted they will report to Alaska Troopers who will recover the meat and disperse it to local communities. No team behind the musher can advance past the musher and must help field dress the animal. Once the original musher leaves the site then the other mushers may continue.

Dallas did everything right, but where the moose was dispatched it was in a part of the trail that the carcass could not easily be seen by teams. Several teams including Paige Drobny, Wally Robinson, and Gabe Dunham reported running over the moose! Everyone seemed to have a good laugh about it, though.

Seavey did have one dog injured in the moose encounter. The pup, named Faloo, was "returned" from the trail when Dallas came into Finger Lake and is with vets in Anchorage being evaluated and tended to.

This was not the first moose encounter for Dallas Seavey in Iditarod 52. About halfway through the Ceremonial Start the champion team was stalled as a young moose stood in the trail while the musher held his lead dogs and kept things calm. 

This morning's event was definitely not what the birthday boy had planned for his race, much less how he planned to spend his birthday.

In other race news, currently it's Travis Beals out in front with Dallas running right along with him. Beals still has all 16 dogs where several teams have dropped to 14 (all dogs are safe as returned dogs waiting to be transported home). The race cannot be won this early on, but it can be lost if a team gets ahead of itself and is allowed to run beyond its capabilities. However, according to a post by Beals' facebook page he is right on schedule (which his partner says is kind of a first for him.)

Jessie Royer crashed for the "first time ever" in the Happy River Steps area, a notorious bit of trail who has taken out many a musher and sled. While musher and sled seem to have made it in one piece, Royer's jacket is not so lucky. She says she hopes she can wait to mend it (it's a sizable rip that nearly took off her pocket) in Takotna, so it's safe to assume that's the checkpoint she plans to take her 24.

The front runners are on their way to Nikolai and should arrive in the wee morning hours, unless they choose to camp to sling shot past the checkpoint and continue on. This is where we start to see the gaps form between the leaders, chase, and back of the pack. This is the last time fans should feel good about taking naps/get actual sleep until everyone begins their 24s in the next day or two.

Iditarod 52 top "ten"

Let's face it, this blog will never have a true top ten. With a smaller roster and more competitive teams than ever it's more than impossible to narrow it down. Too many variables. Too many changes to roster last minute that could shake things up. Too many, too many, too many!

With the news last week of first Eddie Burke Jr. being DQed from the race last Tuesday (only to be reinstated Friday, then announced Monday he's withdrawing) and Brent Sass DQed on Thursday, predictions blew apart for everyone. It will be interesting to see how the drama will effect not just the teams involved, but the race in general. If this race goes off like other "over dramatc" years, it may all be forgotten for the two weeks of Iditarod as everyone gathers to celebrate. Often the pomp and circumstance of the Ceremonial and Re-Start have a way of helping fans and the mushing community move on - especially if the starts are a success.

With a roster of thirty-nine teams the roster is a who's who of competitive long distance teams. Three Iditarod Champions are on the roster, two teams are back after a short hiatus, and perennial favorites. It's a roster that seems very familiar, and yet new at the same time.

But who takes top prize is anyone's guess. Let's take a look at some solid bets for your Fantasy Team.

Aaron Burmeister - One of the mushers that has tried and failed to stay away. Burmeister took the 2023 race off as a hiatus to spend more time with the family. Burmeister has found himself consistently in the top ten over the last decade with just a couple of dips out of it. He came close to winning the whole thing in 2021 when he almost caught Dallas in the final hours of the Gold Loop Trail. Burmeister's been quiet this season, choosing not to run the Kusko 300 as he'd originally planned citing concerns over the weather and trail conditions. Could the year off be what Aaron needed to finally bring his first win in his home town?

Dallas Seavey - The other musher who chose to take last year off and then surprised many when he showed up in June to sign up for the 52nd running of Iditarod. The five-time champion spent last year's race on the back of an iron dog to - he said - share the experience with his kiddo... but was he also studying his future competition? One thing is for certain, Dallas' quest for six is back on and it may be a bumpy one. Fans will remember that one of Dallas' handlers was running a team on the Denali Highway when it was struck by a snow machine. Several dogs were injured and killed - some that may have made Dallas's team for Iditarod otherwise. Dallas' operation is big enough that he should still have a strong team to challenge for another title, and it never hurts to run with a chip on your shoulder. The real question is - will we see The Sweater?

Jessie Holmes - Six Iditarods. Six finishes. Four top ten finishes. It looks like Team Can't Stop lives up to their name. Jessie Holmes is the "reality star" though he's more than capable of long distance mushing. He's had a short race season this year, but he very nearly ran down Brent Sass in the Copper Basin 300. Holmes has the goal and drive to win Iditarod, but as we all know it's a whole lot easier on paper than it is to actually do. Jessie is an interior musher who lives a subsistence lifestyle. His dogs are used to colder temperatures so this crazy winter weather Alaska's had recently could play a huge factor on how his team responds to the race. Look for Jessie to run a very aggressive race unless things warm up.

Jessie Royer - One of the few mushers to finish "in the money" with the full team of dogs (and when it was still sixteen dogs at that!), Jessie Royer is a constant in the top ten. The Musher who divides her time between Montana and Alaska (and also divides her time between mushing and mounted shooting) is a fan favorite. She's one of the quiet ones, the steady ones, she's always in the mix but she isn't getting much of the attention. She isn't flashy, she isn't showing off in anyway. She just does it. She rarely complains, she rarely gets excitable. She takes care of her dogs, they head down the trail, and they do well. She calculated and strategic. A good combination for a team. Look for Royer to hang back for the first third of the race before she picks off the teams in front of her.

Matthew Failor - The "17th dog" dog team and musher, Failor is coming off another second place finish in the highly competitive Kuskokwim 300 narrowly missing the chance to run down Pete Kaiser. Failor told the local media that he is "really, really good" at finishing second. Failor finally cracked the top ten last year finishing 8th in the Iditarod. Matthew's won the Most Improved musher several times in Iditarod, and won Most Inspirational for having to dispatch several moose on the trail sacrificing his race as he had to dress each one. He prides himself on having won several humanitarian (ie best cared for dogs) in other races. The new dad should have a good run to Nome.

Matt Hall - This newly wed combined kennels with his bride and is now one half of the mushing team of Silver Aces kennel. Hall is a former Yukon Quest Champion (back in the day of thousand mile races). Matt pulled off a fourth place finish in the Iditarod and in 2021 won most inspirational musher. He's been mushing the majority of his life, starting his own kennel at age 16. Matt's finished in the top ten twice in his five Iditarods - his rookie year he barely missed the top ten coming in 11th place. Hall had a strong finish in the Copper Basin 300 this year placing fifth. If all goes right he should see another top ten finish in this year's Iditarod.

Paige Drobny  - Squid Acres is the place to be! Dog mushin' is the life for.... sorry, got carried away. If you aren't aware of Paige Drobny you haven't been paying attention. Drobny and her Squids are often near or on top of the podium at any race, and while she hasn't always cracked the top ten at Iditarod she's poised to jump back into that ranking with the Squids not being divided by two teams this year. Paige came in fourth place in the Copper Basin and her husband Cody Strathe came in third. Combining the best of both teams into one mega team just may be the key to Drobny meeting or beating her best placement (two 7th place finishes). 

Pete Kaiser - The 2019 Iditarod Champion just won his eighth Kukso 300 with a full compliment of 12 dogs at the finish. Kaiser owns his hometown race, focusing much of his energy in competiting for top prize. The last couple of years for Iditarod fans were left wondering if Kaiser had plans to sign up, the champion choosing to wait and sign up later than what most do. Pete gave last year's champion a major run for his money, seeming to catch up to him in the final leg and be poised to overtake him, but the Bethel musher chose to hang back and give his dogs more rest - reading their needs over his need for a win. Second place is nothing to sniff at, and Pete gave quite the show for fans (he also got high praise from Dallas Seavey in the impromptu Insider feeds). Could it be Kaiser's turn to repeat in Iditarod this year?

Ryan Redington - Speaking of last year's champion. He did it. A Redington is finally champion (and for this year reigning) of Joe Redington Sr's race. As most champions will tell you, repeating is crazy hard. Few have won it a second time much less consecutively. Many of the ones that have in modern race history were generational mushers. Ryan is a generational musher. Redington had to change all of his mushing plans this year as his winter training grounds in the Lower 48 never had winter, so he pivoted and traveled to Alaska to hit up all of the races he normally misses. The reigning champ has a new found swagger of confidence which could help him navigate his defending championship run. 

Travis Beals - Though the last couple of years he's not made it to the top ten, Travis seems to be in a very good headspace with a strong team to make it back in and challenge for a top spot. Beals is a new dad who is now training out of Knik, home of many wonderful trails - including the Iditarod trail he's planning to head down this weekend. Travis finished third in the Kusko 300, a huge achievement. Travis writes in his Iditarod Bio that he feels he's starting to get to the point where the things in his life outside of mushing are in order to make his goal of winning Iditarod possible. Travis with partner Sarah Stokey welcomed their first child, Elias, this past year.

But, what about...?! you say. Of course we aren't going to stop at ten. When has this blog ever stopped at ten? We have a few honorable mentions/wildcards. 

Let's not forget Amanda Otto who nearly ran down Brent Sass last year in the Yukon Quest Alaska with a crazy amazing run in the last leg after banking a ton of rest to push her team on a monster leg. It was incredible and showed her tenacity and her ability to read her team and know how far she could ask them to go. She runs a team out of Jeff King's Husky Homestead so you know it's a good one.

Let's also not forget Hunter Keefe, the happiest musher the world has ever seen. Okay, that's a made up on the spot declaration on this blog's part, but seriously - HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE HUNTER? Keefe runs dogs out of Raymie and Barb Redington's kennel... the parents of the reigning Iditarod Champion. Hunter narrowly missed out on winning Rookie of the Year, and he's had a fantastic season this year as well. Hunter came in fourth at the Kusko 300 in his rookie race. Keefe's positive attitude through any number of trials on the trail keeps his head on straight and he just goes. He even beat Ryan Redington this year! Honestly he probably SHOULD be in the top ten.

We'll put Mille Porsild in here as well, though Mille reported early in the season she's in a sort of rebuilding year with a very young team. Mille's also been sick recently and has had to rely on help of others to keep the training miles up while she recovers (she says she is now on the mend.) Still, Mille is a force on the trail (and off) so if the chips fall into place expect her to blow the top ten wide open.

Last but not least Nicolas Petit needs a mention. Why he isn't in the top ten this year is mainly due to his very lackluster season. While he hasn't bombed completely the musher has been very open about his struggles this year. Not able to get the right food his team enjoys (quality beef), stressing about finances, and just a series of unfortunate setbacks. Petit decided to scale back and focus on the Iditarod - but he kept up appearances by commenting on each race he missed (and some he attended as a spectator - like Fur Rondy this past weekend) via social media. He weighed in on the Idita-drama, and genuinely enthralled his fans with his haiku like posts. It's anyone's guess how Nic's Iditarod plays out this time.

One last musher that needs a mention - Anna Berington. For the first time in *counts on fingers but gives up* a long time, the Beringtons are not running the Iditarod together. Due to rising costs of running a successful racing kennel, the reinstating of the 16-dog team, and Kristy wanting to start a family with her husband, the Seeing Double Racing Kennel decided to take the next step and create one very competitive team. This could be another wildcard, and Anna may very well end up with the award for most improved musher. Anna placed 22nd in last year's Iditarod, so depending on where she ends up finishing she could have the biggest jump in placement.

As with every Iditarod, the certain is never truly certain. So many factors come into play, and just one wrong hair can be enough to derail a top team's plan. But, these names are almost certain to keep you in the running in the Fantasy Mushing realm. (That being said this blogger has yet to crack the top 100 much less the top 10 in Fantasy Mushing.)

So, who are your top ten? Who do you hope takes the top prize? Comment below with your thoughts on this top ten (and then some).

If you like what you see and want to support my addiction (I mean HOBBY) of following these races and stalking (I mean cheering on) the mushers, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that really goes to paying for my internet/web expenses).

2024 Copper Basin 300 race preview

It's a big anniversary for the Copper Basin 300 this year as it will kick off the 35th race in Glennallen, Alaska on Saturday. The "toughest 300 miles" is a popular mid distance sled dog race by both fans and mushers. It always boasts a healthy roster even with its reputation to being positively frigid temperatures (there've been a few -50F and -60F degree races over the years). 

This year is no exception, though the roster has seen some changes and may see changes all the way up to the bib draw on Friday. A combination of musher injury and illness have kept some teams home this weekend, others having issues with logistics. 

This year mushers are banking on it being a "balmy" CB300. By balmy, the forecast has it around 0F at the time of the start with a high of 7F. That's somewhat unusual - we normally see it below zero. The mushers won't know what to do with themselves. Break out the tank tops and shorts. Snow is also forecast during the day with a 76% chance. The trails are set and groomed ahead of the race (in large part due to the Valdez Snowmachine Club) but even just an inch of new snow can change the course dramatically. Sunday sees partly sunny skies and a high of 16F, though on the river it will most likely be colder. For the finish on Monday we'll see the temps dip back down to a high of 6F. 

The Copper Basin 300 is also the opening race for Fantasy Mushers to choose teams and have a go at picking the perfect 7 teams to get them to the top of the score board. As always, we're going to try and guess who some of the teams are that will take top spot to maybe give some insight into who you'll want to put on your fantasy team.

Who to Watch

Cody Strathe & Paige Drobny - The pair from Squid Acres always head up teams that show a strong finish. Not knowing which one may have the "A-team" or if they are splitting the teams up equally leaves us to just put our bets on both of them. Never count out the squids.

Dallas Seavey - This name seems familiar somehow. Hmmm. All jokes aside, the five-time Iditarod Champion must have fallen in love with the idea of running this race after following along as a handler last year. While this is most likely being used as a training run, Dallas is very competitive - so look for a solid placement. His name on the roster will definitely make things interesting. Fans, though, may only be excited for him to run the race so they can catch a glimpse of *The Sweater*.

Jessie Holmes - Team Can't Stop - can't stop racing for the top prize. The sometime reality star, but always legit musher is always in the mix for top placement in the races he enters. Holmes exceeded just about every expectation last year when he ran just a couple of months after a near death experience when a house collapsed on him. This year he's fully recovered and no longer going to be the weak link in his team. 

Matt & Elke Hall - The former Yukon Quest Champion just merged his kennel with his new bride, going from "Smokin' Aces" Kennel to "Silver Ace Sled Dogs" combining both mushers' kennel names. Like the Squids it's possible both mushers will see their teams in top position, or one could be running the A team while the other has the "puppy team" - still, their both solid picks for your fantasy team.

Nicolas Petit - Nic "tried something new" in the Knik 200 and held his team to a schedule/slower pace. His "puppy team" run by Sarah Giles had to cut their race short last weekend due to the warm temps. Is it a new strategy for this season or was it a one and done? It's always hard to tell with Nic as he posts in riddles. 

Brent Sass - First he was going to CB300, then he announced around Christmas time he was enjoying running his remote trails and would be downsizing his race schedule and CB300 wasn't on his list, then Friday he posted "SURPRISE!" on Facebook announcing that he is in fact running the race this weekend. He came in second place last weekend at the Knik 200 losing to Jr. Musher Emily Robinson. This race is more Brent's style, though it is promising a little warmer than normal. Expect Brent to be in front running to the finish line.

Ryan Redington decided not to run the Copper Basin and elected to give his spot to Hunter Keefe. Hunter should have a solid finish here as well. Calvin Daugherty is running a team out of Mitch Seavey's kennel and would be a good bet for fantasy mushing teams to choose as Calvin's goal will be keeping the team together and having good runs. 

But how can you watch if you aren't right there with the action? Glad you asked...

How to Follow

Copper Basin has several areas where cars cant go and satellites can't find. There's a remote checkpoint that almost no instant communication comes out of. Still, CB300's all volunteer team keep race fans well informed. Here are the ways fans can follow the race this year.

GPS Tracker
TrackLeaders.com is once again supplying all of our GPS tracking obsession needs, you can find this year's map and teams here.

Radio Broadcast
KCAM Radio will broadcast the start beginning at 10am (or shortly before). If you're in the area you can listen to the broadcast on AM 790, or online through this link.

Kale Casey LIVE
That's right, your FAVORITE live stream of any dog mushing race will be covering the action of this year's Copper Basin 300. Kale left it up to the fans to choose if he would make the long drive over to Glennallen by holding an impromptu funds campaign and hit the goal within minutes. The mushing community LOVE Kale, and for good reason. He will certainly keep you entertained and excited to watch. Be sure to catch when he goes live by following his page on Facebook! And don't forget to buy him a coffee or two. Kale plans to go LIVE at the start an hour before the first team leaves, so tune in around 9am Alaska Time (and tell him I say hi)!

Social Media
Updates will most likely be posted on the race's Facebook page, and possibly their twitter account. There may even be live video feeds, but there's been no promise that systems will work for the whole start. If you are tweeting, instagramming, etc. the traditional hashtag is #CB300.

KCAM normally posts updates throughout the weekend on the race on Facebook as well. KTUU/Alaska's News Source is always good for a recap of the races.

Schedule of Events

Friday, January 12
10am-4pm Registration and Mandatory Vet Checks
5:30pm Mandatory Handler Meeting
6pm Mandatory Musher Meeting & Bib Draw
*Rookie Meeting follows directly after Bib Draw*

Saturday, January 13
10am - Race Start

Tuesday, January 16
6pm - Award Banquet

Will you be watching? Who are you hoping takes the win? Comment below with your thoughts!

If you like what you see and want to support my addiction (I mean HOBBY) of following these races and stalking (I mean cheering on) the mushers, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that really goes to paying for my internet/web expenses).