Dallas Seavey leads out of McGrath

 Dallas Seavey left McGrath and headed towards Nikolai today at 5:32pm after taking his mandatory 8 hour rest in the checkpoint. Brent Sass, who was second into McGrath today, also declared his 8. Brent came in at 12:42pm and won't be able to leave until 8:42pm if he takes that full 8 (if he doesn't he'll have two more checkpoints to take it in). Dallas has just under 3 hours over Sass at this point. 

Third in was Wade Marrs. Wade's been sitting back in the chase pack for most of the race. According to his social media team on facebook, Wade's said that he planned to start pushing once he left the checkpoint of Iditarod, and clearly it's worked. He's caught up and managed to come into McGrath 59 minutes behind Sass. Marrs also needs to take his mandatory 8, so if that's what he does here, he'll be leaving McGrath at 9:41pm.

The former leader on paper Ryan Redington came in just under 2 hours after Marrs. Redington took his 8 fairly early in the race as well as his 24. When speaking with Iditarod Insider on his return to Ophir this morning Redington all but conceded the race stating that both Seavey and Sass had great looking teams and that his team can't catch them - he spent quite a bit of time resting in Ophir before giving chase. Redington is down to 9 dogs, which isn't too small a team, but it sounds like they're showing signs that they aren't up for the big push at the end. With his mandatory rest completed Ryan and team can leave whenever he feels they are ready.

As Dallas was pulling out of McGrath, Travis Beals was pulling in. Beals had already completed his 24 and his 8 and it was speculated he would try to blow through. Beals has -imo wisely- chosen to bed his dogs down for a rest in McGrath before giving chase. It will be interesting to see how long Beals and Redington stay in the checkpoint before challenging the leader.

In other news, Larry Daugherty's tracker has been glitching for over 24 hours and it's finally been replaced and he is once again shown as moving. So if you thought his name jumped significantly on the map, he was not perpetually in McGrath. It was the aliens, and they have finally released their hold on the signal. He currently sits in the checkpoint of Iditarod and will no doubt be headed back soon. Hal Hanson seems a solid Red Lantern at this point. I got curious last night and asked Dallas Seavey if a team of Seavey dogs had ever won the red lantern. He couldn't verify one did in Iditarod (he says it sounds right, though) but he did point out Dallas got the red lantern during the 2005 Knik 200. My how times change.

The race is on

Sure this blog should have gone out much earlier today, you know, when Dallas Seavey decided to cut his rest in Iditarod short and head back down the trail towards the finish. We've still got -hopefully- a full three days until a champion is crowned, but this is when the RACE part of the race truly begins. Up until now, they were all jockeying for position. They all pretty much feel they still have it. Dallas is miles ahead, but he didn't take his 8 in Iditarod like he first planned, and so now those that already have have a few hours on him. Not enough to declare this not Dallas's year (and I'd argue a top 10 finish in this deep of a field after a three-year hiatus would be a win), but it's not as clear cut as some would like.

On paper when you look at rest, it appears Ryan Redington is leading the Iditarod. This is exciting because in 48 races, a Redington has never won. Iditarod 49 looks like it's trying to change that (and what a story a Redington winning on essentially the original trail Joe Sr. dreamed of). Ryan, however, has pushed from nearly the beginning and has had to send a few dogs home (at last look he was down to 10). With just under half way to go, he should be fine, but it's still really unknown what the teams will expect running back across the burn and through the gorge. 

Aaron Burmeister and Travis Beals have also taken both the 24 and the 8 hour rests and are within striking distance of either of the two frontrunners. Brent Sass is still capable though he still needs his 8 (as do the three amigos of Pete, Richie, and Joar). Mille has taken her 8 and is finishing up her 24 in Iditarod and could really play a spoiler. 

Currently Dallas is shown as resting just 30 miles from Ophir S. It's a good guess that he does not plan to take his 8 in Ophir, which means who the heck knows how this will all play out. Apparently Dallas has made mention that he's still rotating carrying dogs (as he has all race) in the sled bag while running, and he's "still building the monster". He's hardly not a front runner or even in the top spot, whatever the Iditamath suggests.

This field is incredibly talented and it's just mind boggling how many combinations there are to decide who is going to finish where... and we haven't even hit the big obstacles that everyone keeps saying they dread (well all but apparently Hal Hanson who WANTS to see the Gorge again). 

Speaking of the back of the pack, everyone is out of McGrath, though it looks like either Larry Daugherty's tracker never reset/died or he left it behind (uh oh) because he is clearly listed as OUT OF McGrath on the standings, but his tracker still shows him as resting. I do believe he was planning to swap sleds and it could have been the easy mistake of never taking the tracker off/out of the old sled to put it with the new one. Either way it probably won't be remedied until Ophir so just keep refreshing the current standings.

Our current red lantern is Will Troshynski who stated in an interview with Insider this morning about how he is just taking in every experience and his "mistakes" have been so excited to talk to people to gain knowledge that he's left out of checkpoints hours later than he was supposed to. Whoops! His energy in the interview was infectious (though I don't want to think how much caffeine or sugar may have been in his system at the time) and it was just so great that Insider gave the back of the pack so much attention throughout the day (keep it up Insider, you give me a glimmer of hope that you're listening!) 

This may be the last night that I get a decent amount of sleep. I suggest everyone do the same. It's gonna be a *WILD RIDE* (do not judge me in all of my years of writing out into the void I've never used that to talk about Iditarod).

Mitch Seavey "takes his hat off (quickly)" to Copper Basin Finishers

Mitch Seavey was the latest musher to take to Facebook following his scratch from the Copper Basin 300. Temperatures averaged in the -40s all weekend on the trail, and reports had the second checkpoint on the trail hovering at -60. While 13 teams have managed to make it to the Chistochina checkpoint - the final stop before the finish - 15 teams so far have scratched. Seven teams are still racing, six have come into the finish.


"It was -44 F. at the start of the Copper Basin Sled Dog Race," Mitch wrote. "At the first checkpoint, 75 miles into the race, it was -52 and -60 at Sourdough, the next checkpoint. We (Hal Hanson with second team) scratched from the race out of concern for frostbite to the dogs. Personally, I was quite comfortable, considering the temperature. I’ve been experimenting with some new gear and called it a success, especially heated insoles in my boots! Using contact lenses for the first time avoided frozen glasses – another plus."
Several teams chose to scratch at Point Lake after hearing reports of the temperatures dropping so low, including Iditarod and Quest veteran Michelle Phillips. 
Mitch continued, "Caring for dogs in cold temperatures is a challenge. Booties, coats, leggings, male wraps, flank protectors and more are deployed. As long as the team keeps eating well, cold temperatures are manageable, unless something goes awry, such as a wrap or protector getting dislodged, urine-soaked or snow-filled. Then a problem can develop quickly.
Cold can also be depressing to the dogs. More than ever, they rely on their musher to set a positive tone and mood, and as long as we project joy and optimism, they will join in the festivities. But extreme cold can be depressing to humans, too."
Weather, and especially temperatures are always a huge factor in races. Mushers have to take into account what their dogs are capable of, and what they're prepared for. 
"The first time I won the Copper Basin Race was in 1997. Warm temperatures as high as 48 F. stopped teams as they waited for cooler evening temperatures. I kept going, developed a big lead, and won the race. I was criticized and even dissed by the race marshal at the finisher’s banquet for running when it was, “too hot” and for taking a “big risk.”
I shrugged. “Apparently, it wasn’t too hot,” I said flatly, as I took the check and sat down. Today, 50 F. is a common cut-off temperature for teams doing long runs, especially in fall training."
Ultimately, Mitch chose to do what was best for his team on the day of decision. That does not mean it was the right decision for another team.
He concluded, "Techniques, gear, experience and even the dogs themselves continue to improve as the years go by and conquering extremes is at the heart of sports. At 60 below my hat’s off (and back on quickly) to the teams who reached their goals in the 2020 Copper Basin. If I’d been carrying the diphtheria serum to Nome, I would have gone on. But geesh, I was just hoping for a nice training run! Congratulations finishers."
Hal Hanson's next race will be the Willow 300 on January 30. Mitch Seavey's next race will be the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race set for March 7.