Now is no time to stop!

"The winner came in, why are you still posting about Iditarod?"

While the Iditarod is first and foremost a race to see who can finish first, it's a feat many of us will never even attempt much less achieve. And, just like after the Superbowl we immediately start talking about Free Agency and the Draft, Iditarod does not end just because there is a winner.

There are currently seven teams sitting in Nome, finished with the task, and there are three more charging down the home stretch to make up the top ten. No, seriously, Otto and Kaiser are pretty neck and neck on the GPS tracker and Jessie Royer ain't too far behind! 

behind them are 22 teams making their way. Each one has their own reason for running the Iditarod. They all have their stories of overcoming obstacles just to get to the starting line. All of them have a deep love and bond with the dogs in front of their sled. 

All are worth following to the end. There are races within the race and there are stories of overcoming adversity. Why would we just stop at one story when there are so many behind it?

Good luck to all of the teams currently out on the trail. We're here cheering you all into Nome!

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.

Isaac Teaford's dog unexpectedly passes outside of Nulato

The Iditarod issued a statement Sunday afternoon informing of a dog death in this year's race. Bog, a two-year old male out of Dallas Seavey's kennel running in Isaac Teaford's team, collapsed coming into the checkpoint of Nulato. Iditarod vets sprang into action, performing life saving measures on the dog for twenty minutes but were unable to revive the dog.

The cause of death is unknown. The body will be transported to Anchorage for a necropsy to determine cause of death. 

Read the full press release here.

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.

Rookie Erin Altemus scratches in Ruby

 After 18 hours of rest in the check point, leaving only to turn around and come back, Erin Altemus' Iditarod has ended early. In a post to Facebook Sunday morning, her husband posted the news.

"Well my friends, this crazy iditarod experiment came to a screeching halt this morning and Erin had trouble leaving the checkpoint of Ruby. At that point she was in last and couldn't afford to rest her dogs anymore and get too far behind the leaders, in which she would have gotten withdrawn anyway," he wrote. "They had been dealing with some intestinal and mental issues and a tougher than normal trail. She had personally been dealing with a cold throughout the trip. The dogs and Erin are doing well and we'll get her back to Anchorage and give her lots of backrubs and love. I know she didn't give up easy and this was super tough for her. I'd like to say she'll try again but I don't really know yet. It's a huge sacrifice to get up here to the start line so we'll have to re-group and see what happens. Like they say it's just a dog race, we'll be ok, thanks for the love and support!"

Choosing to scratch is never an easy decision, but is always the right one. Even some of the greatest ever to run this race have had to make the decision. Altemus had ten dogs in harness when she chose to scratch. Musher and dogs will travel back to Anchorage via Iditarod Airforce. Erin is the first scratch of Iditarod 52.