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a dog death (unless clear that it was out of musher control like an animal or snowmachine attack) must scratch or be withdrawn.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.

Dan Kaduce wins the Summit Quest

At 7:02pm Alaska time, Dan Kaduce of Dew Claw Kennel crossed the finish line in Central as the 2021 Summit Quest 300 Champion. 24 minutes later Deke Naaktgeboren crossed the finish line in second. For most of the race, Hugh Neff seemed destined to win as he managed to stay near the front of the back from the get go (drawing bib #2 helped). In fact, the first 24 hours or so Neff traveled closely with Jodi Bailey - Dan Kaduce's wife - out on the trail. 

Kaduce kept close, and managed to pull ahead by day two. Kaduce and Neff would play cat and mouse for most of Sunday with Naaktgeboren catching up and keeping pace. Though Deke was third for most of the race, he stayed close enough to Neff that one of the key factors in how he turned in a second place performance was his rest schedule. When the top three pulled into the final Checkpoint of Circle, Deke had the least amount of time left to take (five hours). Kaduce needed 5.5, and Neff 6. 

Kaduce along with his wife Jodi Bailey has mushed for over twenty years. The duo have raced mid-distance and long distance races for many years and are fan favorites. The next major race for Dan will be the Iditarod.

Kaduce and Naaktgeboren race to the finish, Neff gives chase

 

The Summit Quest should see its champion crowned tonight. Dan Kaduce of Dew Claw Kennel lead the charge out of the final checkpoint of Circle at 10:34am. Deke Naaktgeboren of Nautique Sky Kennel followed at 10:50. With needing an hour more than Deke, and half an hour more than Dan, of mandatory rest left on his plate, Hugh Neff (of who knows which kennel he is using these days he has so many different ones on social media) was third to leave Circle at 11:21am. 

The teams will now run back down the trail to finish in Central. Of the top three's runs INTO Circle, Dan was fastest at 8hr40m, next fastest was Hugh at 9hr5m but Deke is right there with him at 9hr 7m. If they keep their current speeds Kaduce looks to have this one in the bag and it will be a photo finish for second. Still, so much can happen in the switchbacks, and there's still a lot of trail left. Any one of these top three could end up pulling off a win.

Should Neff manage to catch and surpass both of the front runners, this will be the first significant win in his return to the Quest. The musher was suspended from the race in 2019 following the death of his dog Boppy. Neff's application to run in the 2019 Iditarod was denied by their Qualifying Review Board citing concerns over dog care in the 2018 Quest. As part of his censure, Neff has to complete the Yukon Quest 300 (this year called the Summit Quest) before he can apply to run the full thousand mile race again. Neff's wife, Olivia Webster (Shank) was allowed to enter in both the 2019 and 2020 races - she completed her first Yukon Quest last year. 

Should the teams keep pace with their outbound time start paying attention around 6:30 to see how close teams are. We could have a champion just a little after 7pm tonight (Alaska Time).

Meet the 2020 Iditarod Rookies

We're into the middle of February, just a couple weeks away from the start of Iditarod 48, so that means it's time to take a look at the mushers planning to tackle the Last Great Race. While everyone is wondering which team will cross under the burled arch first, there are a number of mushers just hoping to finish for the first time with happy, healthy dogs.

The 2020 Iditarod has twelve rookies listed on their roster, 10 male and 2 female. There will be some history made when teams leave the chute in downtown Anchorage and again in Willow, with the hopes of history being made all the way to Nome. Several teams are from established kennels, while others are dogs the rookie has cared for and trained from the start.

Some names are familiar to race/mushing fans. Some even have strong followings on social media. Some rookies are known for previous races where they turned heads, while others quietly qualified without much fanfare. They all have the same goal in common - to get to Nome and receive the finisher's belt buckle. The most important goal, though, is to run with a string of happy, well cared for, super canine athletes. So let's take a look at the Class of 2020 hopefuls.

Damon Ramaker - This Minnesota Musher established his Kennel in 2016 after getting involved with dog sports through skijoring in 2007. Ramaker spent the last two seasons working on his qualifiers in the Lower 48 and Canada. He cites Iditarod Finisher Cindy Gallea as his mentor who encouraged his love for dog sports. The family man lives in a yurt he built with his wife and three children and dogs. When not mushing, he is an ER Nurse and runs a Non-Profit organization encouraging kids to dream big and pursue them with skills to attain the goal. He is also working with an organization to build a sled that will give accessibility to riders with disabilities to be able to participate in the sport he's grown to love. You can learn more about Damon Ramaker and his Deep Root Kennel by visiting his Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Iditarod Bio.

Deke Naaktgeboren - The owner of Nautique Sky Kennel out of Fairbanks started his kennel like most. He fell in love with adventure with his dog in college, met a musher and got the mushing bug. Originally from Iowa, he studied in Colorado where he befriended his beloved Siberian Husky Nautique. From there he made his way to Sweeden where he learned more about the sport he was quickly falling in love with and soon found himself in charge of a 45 dog kennel. Upon his return to the States he moved to Seward, Alaska taking a job as a Law Enforcement Officer in the National Parks. Then it was back to the Lower 48 to work as an LEO in the Everglades before trekking back up to the Interior of Alaska to start living his dream. He's in his 7th year of owning his own sled dog kennel, and ran the Yukon Quest in 2019. Now, Naaktgeboren says, he's ready to tackle the Iditarod Trail. You can learn more about Deke and the dogs of Nautique Sky Kennel by visiting his Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Iditarod Bio.

Fabio Berlusconi - Don't look for long flowing hair, or a dude riding a white horse... Berlusconi is just another musher. Fabio hails from Italy, learned to mush in Sweden from Iditarod Veteran Mats Pettersson. In 2018 he moved to Alaska to run dogs with 2018 Iditarod Champion Joar Liefseth Ulsolm. For Iditarod, however, Fabio will be running a team of dogs out of Iditarod Veteran Linwood Fiedler's kennel. Fabio does not have his own kennel, and as such does not have a large footprint online. However he does have a personal Facebook page. Linwood's Wayfinder Kennel has a Facebook page that doesn't see a lot of updates, and the Website does not mention Fabio, they also have an Instagram account. You can learn more about Fabio from his Iditarod Bio.

Gabe Dunham - Alaskan turned Montanan, Gabe Dunham began mushing in 2000. Learning from Linwood Fielder, she now has her own kennel of 30 dogs at her home in Montana. Gabe runs a sled dog tour experience out of her kennel in Darby, Montana, and is taking a leave of absence from her tour to travel to Alaska to follow her dream of Iditarod. She just finished Montana's Race to the Sky race coming in second place. You can learn more about Gabe through her Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Iditarod Bio.

Grayson Bruton - If you are a fan and follower of Team Seavey, you'll want to keep an eye on Grayson's Iditarod team as he is the musher taking Mitch Seavey's Puppy Team on their run down the Iditarod trail. Grayson has handled for Seavey for the last few seasons, and works as a tour guide for their glacier sled dog experience in the summer. Bruton grew up in the heart of dog mushing country (Willow, AK) and helped his dad as a volunteer for Iditarod from a young age (sounds familiar). Iditarod is a lifetime dream for Grayson. With Bruton running Mitch's future Iditarod racing team, do  not expect him to be competing for top rookie in the race, his goal is to get as many dogs to Nome for their first time as possible. Grayson is on Facebook and Instagram, and while they typically focus mainly on the A-Team you can find information on the teams from the Ididaride Website, Facebook Page, and Instagram. You can also learn a bit more about Grayson from his Iditarod Bio.

Jesse Salyer - Dallas Seavey might not be running Iditarod 48, but his handler Jesse Salyer is! Jesse signed up on opening day, and had a lot of buzz surrounding him just for wearing the Dallas Seavey Racing logo to the sign up. Jesse has been given the reigns of a very qualified dog team and it will be interesting to see if he's running a conservative run or if he'll be given the go ahead to compete (sorry, I have no insider information on this one!) Without knowing what the goals are for the dog team, it's hard to judge where Salyer will run in the race, but he has the goods to make a push if he so chooses. You can learn more about Jesse on his Iditarod Bio, he has a personal Facebook page, and Instagram (with no posts). Dallas Seavey's Facebook page may give updates on Jesse's race, and you can learn about Dallas Seavey Racing from their Website.

Kaci Murringer - Mushing since childhood, Kaci moved to Alaska to pursue her dream of running dogs. For her first Iditarod, she will be driving a "puppy team" for Matt Failor's Kennel. Kaci will turn 30 while on the trail. Look for a happy musher and some happy pups as they run to Nome. It's just a guess, but I would expect Kaci to be further down in the standings being a rookie with a rookie team. You can find out more about Kaci from her Iditarod Bio, Instagram, and the 17th Dog Kennel Facebook page.

Martin Massicotte - A long time musher who started in sprint as a teen and moved up to mid-distance mushing in the 90s, Martin Massicotte is no stranger to sled dog competition. He is a 10-time champion of the Can-Am 250, and has won several Hudson Bay Quest races as well. Being very competitive in mid-distance races, he managed a 6th place finish in the Yukon Quest in 2003. Now he has his sights set on Iditarod. You can learn more about Martin from his Iditarod Bio, or his Facebook page. 

Mille Porsild - Iditarod fans should know Mille already. For many years Mille gave great insight into the race as she worked along side Joar Liefseth Ulsolm during training, and reported on his races during the season. Her photos brought the process to life, and her good humor made for wonderful recaps of legs of the Iditarod trail. She was a fixture alongside Joar's team at the mid-distance races with camera in hand. But what fans may not know is that Mille is very much a musher in her own right. Now the head musher of Racing Beringia, Mille will be looking to make a mark in her rookie Iditarod. You can learn more about Mille from her Facebook page, Website, and Iditarod Bio.

Quince Mountain - Sometimes plans have a way of speeding up, and Quince Mountain's Iditarod 2020 run is one of those examples. Quince is one half of the BraverMountain Kennel team that was "made famous" through social media a little less than 2 years ago when Blair Braverman (Quince's wife) went viral with her sharing of the team photos and stories (oh and that memoir of hers). Quince worked on his Qualifiers in Alaska as Blair trained for her first Iditarod last year. After Iditarod, it was thought that Quince would run Iditarod in 2021. However, thanks to the generous support of the BraverMountain fans known as Ugly Dogs and Raymie Redington offering Quince the opportunity to run his dog team - Quince will be at the 2020 Starting Line. Quince Mountain will make history at the starting line as the first Transgender Man to run in the Iditarod. Mountain is not a stranger to adventure, and has more than enough grit and determination to have a solid race to Nome. Like all rookies the goal is to finish with a happy and healthy team, but also expect some wonderful tales from the trail when all is said and done. You can learn more about Quince from his Twitter, Facebook, Website, Instagram, and Iditarod Bio.

Riley Dyche - The 2018 Yukon Quest Sportsmanship Award winner, Riley Dyche is no slouch on the trail. Having completed the Quest two years ago, his focus has been on Iditarod. He and his dogs tour in the summer out of Skagway with Alaska Ice Field Expeditions, and live and train in Fairbanks after tourist season closes. Dyche learned from Quest Champion Matt Hall, Copper Basin Champion Ryne Olson, and experienced dog musher Sven Haltman. He now owns a kennel of his own, and the dogs of Dark Horse Kennels are seemingly ready for their newest challenge. Look for Dyche to be running for Rookie of the Year, but ultimately he'll follow his dogs lead to see that they have a positive first experience on the historic Iditarod Trail. You can learn more about Riley from his Facebook page, Website, Instagram, and Iditarod Bio.

Tom Frode Johansen - Tom's sled dog team just finished the Yukon Quest with Nora Sjalin as the top rookie team! Though a rookie in this year's Iditarod, Tom is not a stranger to the sport, having begun mushing in 1984 and raced in Norway for decades. He ran the Yukon Quest in 2016, and now he's achieving his dream of running Iditarod. Johansen and the team run sled dog tours in Norway. Tom was Rookie of the Year in 2016 for the Yukon Quest, and will most likely make a run for the Iditarod Rookie of the Year in 2020. You can learn more about Tom from his Facebook page, Website, Instagram, and Iditarod Bio.



The Class of 2020 is an incredibly strong field filled with interesting characters and stories. It will be fun watching these teams attempt the most famous of sled dog races. Who are you most looking forward to following? Comment below!