Widow's Lamp extinguished, Red Lantern awarded

Richie Beattie at the Ceremonial Start of Iditarod 54.
March 7, 2026. Anchorage, Alaska.

The 54th running of Iditarod has all but come to a close. At 7:49pm AKDST Friday, Richie Beattie and his team of eight Alaskan Huskies crossed under the Burled Arch in Nome as the final team of Iditarod 54. The re-run rookie was all smiles and excitement as he was greeted by friends and family in Nome.

The team out of Wildthingz Kennel spent much of the race towards the back of the pack as Richie wanted to make sure his dogs were healthy and happy throughout the entire race. The musher would say in his interview at the finish that it was a mental challenge after what happened in his true rookie year.

Beattie did not come into White Mountain Wednesday as the Red Lantern placement, but Beattie mentioned that being a little older and possibly more experienced played a part in his decision to be one of the last to leave. "If you're in the back of the pack it's way cooler to get the Red Lantern than getting third, fourth, or fifth from last!"

Beattie also mentioned that it was night to just take his time in White Mountain Friday morning, to stretch and to not be in a rush. The White Mountain Nine spent 30-43 hours in White Mountain waiting out the storm. Richie said coming into Nome was great to be out of the wind and that it felt "downright warm!" in Nome. 

After going through the red tape of checking off mandatory equipment and handing over the promotional materials, trail mail, and vet book to the race marshall, the ITC asked one more thing of the musher - extingquish the Widow's Lamp. 

Iditarod Education Co-Director Jim Deprez wrote about the significance and history of the Widow's Lamp saying in part:

"The Widow’s Lamp is a reminder of, and connection to the older days of mushing. It is said to have served a dual purpose. Years ago, roadhouses used to keep a kerosene lantern hanging outside through the night. The first reason was to help light the way for the mail and supply teams still on the trail; to aid them in finding the location of the next stop. The second intention was also to help show others that a team was still on the trail. News of the mushers on the trail was relayed ahead, to have a lamp hanging outside for the weary mushers. The lamp was then blown out once the dog sled team arrived safely. A correlation can be made in this case to the Olympic torch, which is lit during the opening ceremony, and then is extinguished at the closing ceremonies to symbolize the end of the events. The Widow’s Lamp serves a similar purpose in the Iditarod. It is lit when mushers get closer to Nome and is blown out by the final musher to cross the finish line on Front Street. This signals to everyone that there are no more teams still on the trail, and the race is now officially over."

The Widow's Lamp is not the lamp awarded to the final team, however. The red lantern is a tradition in sled dogs races that started off as a joke. If you were last, you were the one that got to extinguish the lamp and it meant you were the slowest/latest. It wasn't a badge of honor... until long distance races came along.

Just finishing Iditarod is a feat - no matter the placement - and being the red lantern winner has become something that awardees take great pride in. In the last few years it even comes with a cash prize and not just a red lantern one can use as a paperweight.

Saturday mushers will continue to care for the dogs that brought them nearly a thousand miles over Alaskan terrain as they wait to fly out. The mushers will continue to heal from brutal windburn, sleep deprevation, calorie depravation... hopefully they all get showers (can never be too sure they will). There's a meet and greet set for Saturday afternoon for fans to meet all of the mushers who finished the race. Sunday will be the finisher's meeting, and then the musher's awards banquet.

And then....

...then Iditarod 54 will truly be over. And mushers, dogs, family, friends, and fans will have to go back to reality. Back to the grind. 

And maybe, just maybe, they'll countdown to Iditarod 55. 

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.

Iditarod 47: Rookie Round-Up

Iditarod Rookie, Blair Braverman, at the Tustumena 200 Vet Check.
Soldotna Sports Complex, January 25, 2019.

We're less than two weeks away from the 47th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. 52 teams are signed up (55 if you count the three who have since withdrawn), with ten rookies. Some names are familiar because while they may be new to Iditarod, they are certainly not new to the sport. Others are "social media sensations". As always, there are the tried and true rookies who are handling a second string puppy team for the top kennels. Four of the ten rookies are female. Six teams are from Alaska. Four countries (USA, Norway, Canada, and France) are represented. All have different levels of experience and vastly different backgrounds.

So who are the class of 2019's rookies looking to acquire the finishers belt buckle and an invite into the Iditarod Finisher's Club?

Alison Lifka - Like many rookies, Alison grew up fascinated by the Iditarod Trail and the stories of its heroes. She followed her dreams and moved up to Alaska to begin handling for different mushers. She now calls Willow, Alaska home. Her kennel's name is Bear Necessities. Alison lists photography as one of her passions, and she is definitely talented looking at some of her work she has shared. She will be running some of Iditarod Veteran Linwood Fielder's young dogs. Follow along via her Website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Blair Braverman - Hey "Ugly Dogs" (yeah, that's right, I see you!). Seriously, though, if you're reading my blog chances are you know who this rookie is. Braverman is an accomplished writer, who has grown quite the following thanks to her use of Social Media as well as publishing her memoir Welcome to the G--D--- Ice Cube. Blair moved up to Alaska to train for the Iditarod with her dogs and her husband Quince last fall, and has documented her entire journey to the starting line. "Team BraverMountan" (the combination of her name with her husband's) and their fans lovingly known as "Ugly Dogs" (there's a story that goes with that) have brought a lot of excitement to this year's race and it's been noticed by a lot of key players. If you want to follow along your best bet is Blair's Twitter and Quince's Twitter, she also has a Website.

Ed Hopkins - Mushing fans were all scratching their heads when Ed's name had "rookie" next to it after signing up, but it's true. Hopkins is not a veteran of the Iditarod, though he is a veteran of "that other thousand mile race" (the Yukon Quest). Hopkins is no stranger to the race, however, as his wife Michelle Phillips has run the race and done quite well for a number of years. Originally, Michelle had signed up to run the 2019 Iditarod, but she swapped with Ed. Ed and Michelle's Tagish Lake Kennel will no doubt be in the running for Top Rookie this year. You can find out more about their kennel on Facebook, and their Website.

Jessica Klejka - Jessica's life has revolved around dogs. She grew up mushing with her family in Bethel and was inspired by the Kuskokwim 300 sled dog race to get into mushing. This Iditarod Rookie is no stranger to the Iditarod trail, as a teen she won the Junior Iditarod (which runs a portion of the Iditarod race a week prior to the 1,000 mile race). Oh, and she beat some familiar names that year, like Iditarod Veteran Wade Marrs. Just sayin'. She has a Website, and you can follow her on Facebook.

Martin Apayaug Reitan - Martin has had a busy winter. He just completed his first Yukon Quest where he won Rookie of the Year (meaning he was the first rookie across the finish line). Reitan's older brother and father have both run the Iditarod in years past, so it's little brother's turn. Raised in both Norway and Alaska, Martin is no rookie when it comes to dog care. He's been mushing most -if not all of his life. When the family relocated permanently to Alaska, they brought the racing team with them. Martin has a bright personality, and is no slouch when it comes to racing. He is another team that is definitely in the running for Rookie of the Year in this race. There's really not a good way to follow him online as his website is for the family's polar bear watching tours.

Niklas Wikstrand - Originally from Norway - where he learned to mush IN SCHOOL! how cool is that?! Alaska we're slackin'! - Niklas will be running a team out of Pete Kaiser's kennel. The 28 year old rookie moved to Alaska to work for Kaiser Racing in 2016 thinking it would be a one year gig. Three years later he's heading to Nome. When not in Alaska he works as a tour guide in Norway. He shared the Kaiser Racing link as his Website, they also have a Facebook page.

Richie Beattie - This two time Quest finisher (and Rookie of the Year in 2006) is living his dream of running Iditarod this year. Running a kennel of what appears to be twenty-four dogs with his wife in Two Rivers, Alaska, the Wild Thingz Kennel has done well to prepare for the Last Great Race. Beattie should do well with his race, and it will be interesting to see how he does. He has a Website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Ryan Santiago - Wondering who gets the honors to run the puppy team out of Mitch Seavey's kennel, look no further. Santiago was a late entry into this years race as he finished up his qualifiers. He attended the rookie meeting earlier this season before signing up, so he's jumped through all of the hoops. Ryan won't be in the running for Rookie of the Year as typically the musher running the puppy team is running a not so competitive schedule, but look for him to have a solid run to Nome. No doubt a few updates on his run will be on the Ididaride Facebook page.

Sebastian Dos Santos Borges - Another wordsmith, Borges is another one of those small kennel teams that focuses on the relationship over the overall placement. Borges started his kennel using "shelter dogs" and says some are in his racing team. Sebastian is originally from France, but resides now in Alaska. He completed the 2017 Yukon Quest, and has run several mid distance races placing respectably.

Victoria Hardwick - Another dental professional turned dog musher, Victoria moved from Washington State to Bush Alaska five to six years ago. Another musher who dreamed from childhood of mushing, she has worked hard to be able to run the Iditarod. Another one of these mushers who doesn't leave much of an online footprint, you *might* be able to find her on Facebook.


This year's class of rookies is an interesting bunch, with several with the ability to vy for Rookie of the Year. Don't expect a performance quite as dramatic as last year's RotY Jessie Holmes, but we could see another rookie break the top 10 if they play their cards right. Some real talent and experience in this group.


Who's your favorite rookie? Comment below!