Samantha LaLonde, rookie of the year

Samantha LaLonde's team at the Ceremonial Start
of Iditarod 53. March 1, 2025. Anchorage, AK.

The first rookie musher crossed under the burled arch early Sunday morning, becoming the 2025 Rookie of the Year. Samantha LaLonde of Farmington Hills, MI finished he race in 12 days, 14 hours, 20 minutes, and 56 seconds. LaLonde had nine dogs on her team when she came into Nome, leading the way was LaLonde's "baby girl" Gibbs. 

Samantha was running a team made up of 15 dogs from Dallas Seavey's kennel, and one very special dog all her own. Gibbs is Samantha's sled dog and Gibbs was a star leader in her Iditarod team leading in single lead for much of the final run into Nome (except when they hit the crowds and Gibbs got shy). Sam was incredibly proud from even before the race began to speak on how Gibbs (named for an NCIS character) had made her Iditarod team. For her pup to make it not all the way but to lead for much of it, the musher couldn't do anything but beam while talking about her.

From Nulato to Nome Sam was running with injury. As her team left the checkpoint of Nulato, Sam recounted, her powerful team took off a little too aggressively and she was slammed up against the berm they'd been parked next to and she "stepped wrong" causing an injury she was very worried was a broken foot. According to reports by her partner posting on Sam's Instagram page, "the gimp" was dealing with a sprained ankle. Another report later in the race said that her foot was so swollen she was unable to get her boot off. Mushers, right?

While Sam was out on the trail with her always jovial demeanor, back home her partner was gathering his own following on Instagram. Tucker's updates gave more insight into his and Sam's personalities than they did any sort of real race analysis, and fans ate it up. From putting a humorous spin to an injury, to sharing what Sam is eating on the trail (thank God for beef sticks), to even sharing what family and friends do in Nome as they wait for their hero to finish. Fans. Ate. It. Up. 

Samantha has worked toward her Iditarod moment for many years, she worked with several kennels before landing a couple of years ago in Dallas Seavey's kennel. Sam worked through her qualifiers, sometimes having the Iditarod champion handle for her in those races, and managed to be the lone representative of Dallas' kennel in the 2025 race. For many of the dogs on the team they've worked with Samantha to get to their Iditarod moment as well. Many rookies come to Iditarod in this same way, but all that hard work is their own and their bond with the dogs is strong.

For Samantha she was not focused on being the first rookie to finish. Her schedule was not one that in a normal year would be up there with the top, but she found herself comfortably in the middle of the pack of both rookies and veterans. As the unexpected difficulties of the trail compounded on the many... many.... MANY miles on the Yukon River, Samantha saw her position steadily rise. Her team managing every obstacle even after their musher didn't and injured herself. As she muscled through pain (imagine having to stand on a sprain on sled runners for hours at a time, and not always on smooth trail) the dogs kicked into that gear all too familiar after a week on the trail. Soon Samantha found herself running with rookie front runner Emily Ford. 

Though the two women had different schedules for their Iditarod, they found themselves on the coast together. As they made their way into Shaktoolik they formed a plan that they would run across the Norton Sound into Koyuk. A pact that many teams make as they cross the most anxiety ridden portion of the trail no matter what route they've taken to get there. They rested in Koyuk together, leaving just minutes apart, and there their schedules once again diverged. Sam was now going to do somewhat longer runs knowing her team could handle it as long as they kept a steady pace. They had an 8 hour mandatory layover in White Mountain and then a 77 mile jaunt to the finish. Ford chose a bit more of a conservative approach and remains on the trail Sunday morning.

Samantha LaLonde at 2:20am AKDT finished as the top rookie, perhaps not as planned, but certainly as earned as if he had. Her blue eyes bright, her smile wide. She laughed at some of the questions asked her by Nicolle the Clipboard Lady, she thanked "everybody" and then named some of them Dallas, Tucker, Her Parents, Tucker's parents... everybody. And the dogs. Those awesome nine dogs that took her all the way and the 16 who all worked to make sure their musher could get to Nome. 

Before Tucker signed off from Sam's account he announced that he and Sam have started their own kennel and encouraged all of their fans, old and new, to follow their journey post Iditarod.

Top Ten in Nome

It's been a slow but wild ride to get the top ten into Nome. With the longer trail it seems the run to White Mountain gave each team a cushion and spread out what is normally a quick first ten teams into the finish. Holmes came in Friday morning and tenth place did not finish until Saturday Afternoon. This feels more like the "good ol' days" of mushing when finishes went on for a week or more. We don't have that many teams left on the trail to make a weeks worth of finishes possible, but it's still a strange and wonderful feeling to have Iditarod last "just a little bit longer."

Second place Matt Hall came into Nome just three hours after the champion. This is Hall's second second place finish. The musher chose to focus his entire season on Iditarod and had mentioned ahead of this year's race that he would not be able to run down teams using the carry dog strategy, however Hall did keep up with two teams doing just that. Matt was always in good spirits during this year's race and fans ate up his baby talking encouragement to the dogs (especially when he couldn't turn it off when talking to people while caring for the dogs). Matt was in White Mountain letting village kids play with his sled and pet his dogs. In Nome Matt's dog Dyea swallowed his celebratory steak whole. At the finish Matt joked about how long the race felt on the Yukon, turning around afterwards and asking "ONLY ten days and seventeen hours?! It felt like two weeks!"

Third place was Paige Drobny and the Squids. The team was enthusiastically cheered into Nome by the team of handlers decked out in boas and flashy tinsel skirts - they even did a kick line. As they cheerleaded out "Paige-Paige Drobny!" a strong line of eleven dogs trotted up into the finishers chute. Paige was greeted with a flower boa from husband and kennel partner Cody Strathe as she walked down the line petting and praising each of her canine teammates. Paige was a very last minute addition to the Iditarod roster. Like February last minute. Paige told everyone in her finish "interview" that after seeing how well the dogs had done in races in January that they "deserved to be here" in the Iditarod. And belong they did. The team that surprised everyone last year with a 4th place finish as a bunch of young "rookie" dogs have proven they were no fluke. This team is special and Paige/Cody better make the decision now that a third go needs to happen.

Fourth place saw Michelle Phillips cross under the newly installed burled arch. The Canadian musher was in stealth mode for most of the race. Fans certainly kept her on their radar, but she wasn't really in the conversation for a top spot for most of the race. Phillips and team kept a low profile and by the coast began to pick off teams with ease. As "Clipboard Nicolle" welcomed the musher to Nome and announced her finishing time of 11 days 4 hours, Michelle giggled and said "Wow. That's a Quest race!" referring to the now bygone thousand mile race across Alaska and Canada. Michelle's 9 pups were perky and they quickly trotted down to the "barking lot".

Perhaps the surprise of this year's top ten is fifth place musher Bailey Vitello. The musher is most likely in the running for "most improved" musher, having jumped from last year's 17th place finish to this year's fifth. The musher known for his personality and his mullet came to Alaska in 2022 to run the Iditarod in 2023 - it was going to be a one time thing. "Problem" was - he fell in love with Alaska and with the Iditarod. With this fifth place finish it's likely he'll be here to stay for a while. Bailey was greated by friends and family in the chute, in his sled bag was his dog Jenny who he said was on her last race and he felt she deserved to make it to Nome so he chose to carry her on the last leg. The pup seemed content to ride, but also looked like she wanted to jump out and join the rest of the team eating their steak dinners. He said at the finish "I've always wanted to run the Fairbanks route, but I don't ever want to run the Yukon again." He's promised he will be back.

Travis Beals managed another sixth place finish having leap frogged over several teams late in the race to get there. Travis admitted at the finish that he tried to be a little more laid back this year after having gone a little too hard last year to end up going from leading the race to dropping quickly behind on the race to the Coast, but "it was maybe a little too laid back" this year. Beals came in early Saturday morning and was met by his family under the newly constructed Burled Arch that Beals helped with by finding "the perfect tree." The tree came from Seward, Beals' hometown and original training trails, and when Ramey Smith was on the quest to find a new burled tree for the arch Travis said he had just the one. Travis has the fastest time from Safety to Nome of the Top Ten taking only two hours and forty-four minutes (the award, though, is determined amongst the top twenty teams).

Seventh place had many fans worried as Mitch Seavey was poised to take fifth place when he came into White Mountain ahead of both Bailey and Travis. The three-time Iditarod Champion had leapfrogged over many teams along the coast to get back into contention, and he seemed like a shoo-in for that fifth place (or maybe battling for forth with Michelle), but then he stayed in White Mountain. And he stayed... and stayed a little more. Sean Underwood of the Insider reported that all was fine with the team but that Mitch had "hit the snooze button". It was offered that Mitch had maybe injured himself and was having a difficult time. Still, when the musher did finally pick the team up and point them Nomeward the team trotted down the trail at the typical pep and step of a Seavey team. Seavey didn't stay long in the finisher's chute, opting to get the dogs bedded down in the barking lot and then heading to his bed. Handlers report the musher is still in good spirits and that he just needs some rest and time to recover from this very long and difficult Iditarod.

Six dogs ran into the chute for an 8th place finish for the 2023 Iditarod Champion Ryan Redington. Ryan had had a fantastic and seemingly flawless first half of the race. Even with the punchy trail that caused some dogs to be returned home much earlier than expected, Redington was in good spirits and had high praise for his mighty team. Things seemed to go sideways on their way to the coast, but they managed to stay in the top ten even with the smallest team. Ryan noted the difficult training conditions he and many of the mushers faced this year and how he was so proud of the little team that managed to complete one of the most difficult trails to date. Ryan said he was proud to continue the legacy of his grandfather and hoped for many more Iditarods to come. Before leaving the chute, Ryan made sure to take to the microphone to congratulate the newest member of the Iditarod Champions club Jessie Holmes.

It isn't Iditarod if there isn't drama, and Mille Porsild gave everyone a good bit of it again this year. Not the bad kind of drama. Not the medical kind of drama. No, the tracker fell off the sled kind. The tracker somehow managed to disconnect from the musher's sled around the shelter cabin at the entrance of the infamous "Blowhole" and so no one thought anything of it to see it showing as "resting". With no way to track where the musher was, or even any indication that they weren't tracking her, volunteers decided they could let their guard down and rest as well. As they kept watch on a non moving tracker, no one was aware that Mille was nearing the final stop of Safety. When she made it in no one apparently was around, so she took it upon herself to check in and out and she continued to Nome. Weird, but not anything she felt overly concerned about. It wasn't until several hours later when the next team came into Safety that volunteers even realized Mille'd been there and realized she didn't have a tracker. Nome was notified and soon "clipboard Nicolle" was woken up from her nap and told they were going to have to do this finish "old school". Mille pulled into the finish shoot and shouted "Well that was difficult!" also exclaiming how happy she was to be in Nome. She was greeted by friends and family and Iditarod Champion Jessie Holmes - who then went right to work unbootying the team while Mille checked in with Nicolle. 

Riley Dyche rounds out the top ten coming in Saturday afternoon and is currently the most recent finish off the Iditarod trail. The Dark Horse Kennel's musher came under the burled arch declaring "that was a tough one." Riley took a year off from Iditarod as he made some big changes for his kennel, moving from Two Rivers to Big Lake where he worked on renovating the home and property to make it into the kennel set up he wanted. The musher is also now the one running the cart rides at the Iditarod HQ property in Wasilla - taking the reins from Raymie Redington. Riley said he had a strong core of yearlings in his 2023 race that he spent the last two seasons building around. He admitted that this year's race was a challenge and didn't go according to plan, though he also conceded he believed it didn't go to most people's plans, and said it proved to be mentally challenging. Through its challenges, though, Riley's team broke the top ten, which is an 8 place jump over his last Iditarod. If Riley isn't careful he may need to change the name of his kennel because he is quickly becoming anything but a dark horse.

There are still thirteen teams on the trail, with a battle for 11th place currently being run from Safety to Nome. Will it be Matt Failor who currently has a three mile lead, or will Nicolas Petit do what many expect him to do and continue to speed up and over take the 17th Dog. Petit is often able to claim the "fastest from Safety" prize, and currently shows as running over 2mph faster than Failor.

Our current Red Lantern made her way off the Sea Ice and into Koyuk earlier Saturday and is currently resting in the checkpoint. Jenny Roddewig has been able to successfully navigate much of the second half of Iditarod alone. She has 170 miles to go.

Look for the next teams to come into Nome around 7:45pm AKDT. 

Jessie Holmes is your 2025 Iditarod Champion

Jessie Holmes at the ReStart of Iditarod 53.
March 3, 2025. Fairbanks, Alaska.

It's a long way from Alabama - the Alaskan Wilderness - but somehow Jessie Holmes was drawn to the vast and sometimes lonely space. He embraced the lifestyle of living "off grid" away from what many consider modern civilization. He created a life he found worth living. He got dogs and used them to travel where vehicles could not go.

Those dogs became more than a team and a mode of transportation. They became a part of him.

When he first came to the Iditarod in 2018, many considered him in it for the glory. It was a publicity stunt. After all, he was starring in one of those "reality shows" based in Alaska that most Alaskans make fun of while secretly binge watching with the rest of the world. He won Rookie of the Year and immediately set his sights on winning the whole thing. He bragged about his dogs, his team, his ability. Some around him rolled his eyes still considering him "the reality star." If the critisisim got to him he never let it show.

Two years ago fans wondered if Jessie would even make it to the Iditarod. After having a house collapse on top of him while he was in Golovin helping clean up after the devastation from Typhoon Merbok many wondered if his body could heal up enough to be active. He had been lucky to be alive, and yet that winter he was on the back of his sled and competiting with the top teams. He came in 5th in 2023.

Last year Jessie felt it was his time. He had a strong team. He had fast times. But like most mushers, he left that confidence in himself and his dogs and he felt he needed to push. He needed to keep a certain team behind him. And so he pushed his team early. And it caught up to him. By the coast, Holmes' team was still hardy but their speed wasn't there. He watched as that team he was trying to keep behind him went ahead of him. Then a second team passed him by. He was third, and he vowed to learn from it.

And learn he has. The musher made his plan and stuck with it. Even with the late course change. He had campaigned for a course change after seeing trail conditions from the Iron Dog. The Fairbanks route was the safer route. It was going to be, by some, to be the easier route. It didn't matter it would be longer, there'd be snow not dirt.

Then the Tanana decided to throw silt in the teams' faces. The trail wasn't as solid a trail as they thought. It was sugar snow. It was punchy. It. Was. Slow. The trail that was going to be 600 miles of "boring" river run proved to be anything but boring. It frustrated many of the top teams. But Jessie kept with it. Rarely did you hear a complaint in his interviews. It was just shrug it off and everyone has to run the same trail. 

He didn't fight to lead the whole way. He kept his cool. He kept to his schedule. Paige Drobny led into the 24. Matt Hall led to Kaltag. Jessie Holmes then made his move. He hit the loop and he kept Hall and Drobny behind him. Every run he'd gain a little more. The musher had banked so much rest by the halfway point it was clear that he was going to have to make a couple of mistakes before anyone could challenge him.

By the coast, it was all but over. He had over an hour lead and he was gaining more. No matter what Hall or Drobny pulled out of their hat, it didn't matter. Then the big runs to try and catch him happened and that gave the musher a three hour cushion. Only mother nature could stop him, and she was all too kind. He couldn't have asked for better weather to run that final 77 miles to Nome. Under a full moon, Jessie ran that "magic run" he's been working towards for seven years.

Seven years. It only took him seven years to get here. Seven years for "the reality star" to prove his team belongs here (we can argue he proved it before now).

As the team ran under the burled arch at 2:56am he fist pumped his way to victory. Nicole the checker went through the checklist, she announced him the Iditarod champion. She announced his win in ten days and change. "Those were ten quality days," the musher stated, "I got my monies worth." 

Holmes was all smiles, handshaking everyone in the crowd. He fed his team giant steaks cut specifically for them by his friend and former employer, a butcher in Fairbanks. When asked for his thoughts "I damn sure ain't tired," he quipped. Everyone watching could see the electric energy bursting from the musher who for over 10 days ran behind his team, cared for his team, asked so much of his team. 

He chose his leaders, littermates, Polar and Hercules for the yellow roses, but he could have taken all of them up there with him if they would let him. Looking over his ten teammates he mused, "It's not about this moment. It's about all those moments on the trail."

Thirty-three teams started the race. At the time of Jessie's finish, twenty-three teams were on the trail. The first one signing off the trail and collecting his spot in Iditarod history at 2:55:41am. It was what is considered the longest Iditarod race in history milewise and he did it in 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes, and 41 seconds.

Holmes is 77 miles to victory

Riley Dyche (l) and Jessie Holmes (r) at the
2024 Iditarod Picnic & sign ups. June 29, 2024.
Wasilla, Alaska.

Jessie Holmes left the checkpoint of White Mountain for his hero's run to Nome. The next seventy seven miles will be anything but easy as the team still has to make it out of the Topkok Hills and out of the infamous Blowhole. We've seen mushers' races go sideways on the run from White Mountain to the final checkpoint of Safety. Jeff King will tell you that a large cushion of a lead does not mean your win is certain. 

Holmes seems prepared and confident. Leaving White Mountain the Life Below Zero star chose to stay an extra fifteen minutes past his mandatory 8 hour rest acknowledging he had a large enough lead over Matt Hall that he could afford to stick around. At 8 hours and 15 minutes, Jessie Holmes took his lead dogs' faces into his hands as he calmly said over and over "good boys, such good boys". After a couple of pats on their back the musher gently commanded "haw" and the team began to march out of the checkpoint.

The dogs all dressed in their coats to help combat the wind and conserve energy pointed their noses towards the trail and as volunteers and onlookers cheered on Jessie Holmes shouted a thank you to everyone before letting off a "Woo Hoo!" and took off down the trail.

The winds have picked up on the coast, though reports for the Topkok Hills and Blowhole are few and far between and just basically say "there's always wind". In a blink of an eye the always wind can become harrowing. Holmes has run several Iditarods where the winds played a role in how the end of the race played out. He will no doubt prepare as best he can for anything. He has 10 canine friends in front of him he is responsible for - he has their needs before he can win.

From the Blowhole will be the checkpoint of Safety, a little roadhouse that will no doubt have fans and friends sitting and waiting to catch a glimpse of the soon to be champion. He'll get his final back slaps and instruction before he takes off for the final 22 miles. 

Those 22 miles is when many a champion says it sinks in. They'll have one more mountain to climb, Cape Nome will be the final test. From there it's a run along the Nome River and beach until they finally climb up onto Front Street. It's that run, though, from the river that gets the musher in the feels. The dream realized. Just several miles away from victory. The first one is always so hard and so rewarding. The musher will stop and thank his dogs, he'll make sure the bib is on straight, he'll look towards Nome.

Holmes is running now along those final 77 miles. The hills, the wind, the mountains, the ice. It won't be what he deals with for much longer. 77 miles until victory.

Judging by Jessie's out time and the average number of hours it takes for a finish - he should finish around 2:30am AKST. Make sure to check in well before that as teams sometimes come in a heck of a lot faster than they're supposed to (and sometimes things go to heck and nothing makes sense *eyes 2014*).

Jessie Holmes on his way to White Mountain

Iditarod fans woke up to a surprise to see Jessie Holmes not already in White Mountain. With the lead the musher has over the next closest teams, Holmes chose to rest in Elim for three and a half hours before heading towards the mountains and the village of White Mountain. Holmes left the checkpoint several minutes before Matt Hall arrived.

Jessie Holmes has lead for most of the second half of the Iditarod, having what many consider to be the "magic ride". Even when things went apparently sideways for the musher, Jessie perservered and stayed with his plan and ran a seemingly flawless race. With about 80 miles left to go, it's still possible for Mother Nature to throw one or two more curveballs at Team Can't Stop, but for now it looks like Jessie is solidly taking home the title of Iditarod Champion.

Matt Hall is about twenty four miles behind the leader, and has also run an impressive race. Behind Hall, Paige Drobny is resting in Elim. Depending on when Paige and team leave the checkpoint, second place could be an exciting battle.

In the back of the pack current red lantern is now Jenny Roddewig mileage wise, she is the only team not in Kaltag. Calvin Daugherty had to take his mandatory rest in Kaltag and should be leaving in a few minutes with a well rested team. 

If Jessie makes it to White Mountain around 8:45am he will be able to leave by 4:45pm. It's a 77 mile jaunt to Nome from White Mountain and is normally run in 10-11 hours, so we could see a champion around 2am Friday morning. We'll know more once Holmes' team gets into the checkpoint.

Iditarod Press Release: One Scratch, Two Withdrawals

 "Rookie Iditarod musher, Quince Mountain (bib #27), of Mountain, Wisconsin was withdrawn from the race at 1:30 p.m. today at the Grayling checkpoint. While Mountain wished to continue the race, the decision was made based on rule 36 of the official Iditarod race.  Rule 36 states:  Competitiveness: A team may be withdrawn that is out of the competition and is not in a position to make a valid effort to compete. The Race Marshal may consider, but is not limited to, weather, trail conditions and the overall pace of the Race when invoking this rule. Mountain had 10 dogs in harness when he arrived at the Grayling checkpoint at 12:25 p.m. today.

Rookie Iditarod musher, Sydnie Bahl (bib #8), of Wasilla, Alaska was withdrawn from the race at 1:30 p.m. today at the Grayling checkpoint.  While Bahl wished to continue the race, the decision was made based on rule 36 of the official Iditarod race.  Rule 36 states:  Competitiveness: A team may be withdrawn that is out of the competition and is not in a position to make a valid effort to compete. The Race Marshal may consider, but is not limited to, weather, trail conditions and the overall pace of the Race when invoking this rule.  Bahl had 13 dogs in harness when she arrived at the Grayling checkpoint at 6:14 a.m.today.

Withdrawal is a process that must be imposed by a three-judge panel, either by a majority or unanimous vote, and which has the effect of involuntarily eliminating the musher and team from the race but which does not imply any deliberate misconduct or violation. The team and musher must leave the trail and will be assisted by the ITC. This process can be found in Rule 51 of the Official Rules of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race®.

Additionally, Rookie Iditarod musher, Justin Olnes (bib #29), of Fairbanks, Alaska scratched at 12:45 p.m. today at the Eagle Island checkpoint, stating that his team needed more rest to stay competitive. Olnes arrived at the Eagle Island checkpoint with 10 dogs in harness and departed the checkpoint at 5:22 p.m.  Shortly after departing the checkpoint, Olnes returned back to the Eagle Island checkpoint in the best interest of his team.

Justin has been a great competitor in this race and we hope to see him on the Iditarod Trail again next year."

Jessie Holmes is into Koyuk

 First team off the Norton Sound and into Koyuk was Jessie Holmes and his crew of 11 dogs at 11:30am Wednesday morning. The musher came in and quickly got the dogs bedded down for vet checks. Villagers from Koyuk and the surrounding area came out to greet the team as he was spotted running over the sea ice.

Holmes has commanded the lead for much of the race. The musher making darn sure he did everything in his power to not let the win slip away this time. While he played leap frog on the run from Unalakleet to Shaktoolik, Jessie's been on his own for much of the morning into Koyuk.

Thirty miles back are Matt Hall and Paige Drobny (Hall has a several mile lead over Drobny). with a chase pack behind them on their way to Shaktoolik. Bot Matt and Paige are currently working on crossing the Norton Sound.

The weather is oddly pleasant for this stretch of the race, bright sun and of course wind (which is directly in the teams' face as they cross). The dogs in Koyuk will get a nice meal in and some rest in the warm sun. As usual, Jessie has piled the dogs into what fans affectionately have termed a "cuddle pile". He'll have a several mile vantage point in spotting his competitors crossing, giving him enough time to pack up and head on down the trail should he choose.

Jessie Holmes first into Unalakleet

Tuesday evening the village of Unalakleet welcomed the first of many Iditarod to the coast of Western Alaska. Jessie Holmes and his team of eleven dogs loped into the checkpoint of Unalakleet just a little after 7pm. The musher was all fist pumps and smiles as his team expertly weaved through the crowd to get their check by the vets and the musher given his award and handshakes.

The first team to the coast is awarded gold nuggest and other swag from the village and the award sponsor. The musher and his team was surrounded by fans and villagers crowding in congratulating him as he accepted the award. The presenter will re-present the award at the finishers banquet in Nome on Sunday.

Jessie Holmes stayed in the checkpoint long enough to grab his supplies, accept the award, and pack another bale of straw before heading back out onto the trail. The musher remains running eleven dogs as he begins his final leg of Iditarod 53, bu has ditched his trailer behind his sled. It's all about efficency and light weight from here on out for these teams.

Jessie previously told Insider that he plans to camp on the trail and not stay in checkpoints for the rest of the race (except White Mountain, of course). Jessie and team will run over land, across the Blueberry Hills, and down onto a little spit of land into Shaktoolik. As always the wind will play a huge part in the next two days for the teams. Often teams who do not stop in Unalakleet will rest between the checkpoints and then begin their journey across the Norton Sound.

Behind Holmes are Matt Hall and Paige Drobny. Both mushers camped on the run from Kaltag and Hall is now about 8 miles from Unalakleet. Matt is within distance of catching Holmes - if Holmes makes a mistake or the wheels start to come off. Drobny, too, has a very good chance of catching both, but she is currently resting 10 miles away from Unalakleet. Both mushers are about to quickly run out of miles to catch and pass the leader, but it's doable.

In past year's we've seen what was believed to be a solid time falter on the crossing of the Norton Sound. Teams have gotten lost in the ground storms that most always pop up, the wind batters down the teams to where they stop while others continue, and some just full on run out of gas. We saw that with Holmes' team a smidge last year when he dropped back a few places trying to hold onto a lead he didn't really have (trying to keep Dallas behind him). It's just how this race goes.

Behind Hall and Drobny are the chase pack currently led by Mille Porsild. Michelle Phillips, Mitch Seavey, Nicolas Petit, and Bailey Vitello are also on the run from Kaltag to Unalakleet. The top six seems fairly secure in their placements, but the next two runs will no doubt play a huge factor.

At the back of the pack Quince Mountain is still running as the Red Lantern, resting currently in Grayling. Everyone else is either resting in Shageluk or on their way back through the loop. Several teams are on their mandatory 8 on the loop, others still jockeying for that "perfect" time to take it.

We are now solidly in race mode for the front pack. Still looking like Thursday for a champion finish (at the earliest).

Rookie Bryce Mumford scratches in Grayling

Iditarod released a statement Tuesday morning that second year Iditarod Rookie Bryce Mumford has scratched "in the best interest of his team." The musher was in Grayling when he chose to scratch. Some speculate due to someone in the Insider chat with supposed ties to the kennel that the musher didn't so much choose to scratch as the race judges told him to scratch or be withdrawn. 

Judges do not make those decisions lightly, they do everything they can not to have to, and there are a number of factors that bring them to said decision. Mumford has been running with eight dogs for several days now, and with only being at the halfway point that was most likely a concern by the judges. Teams must finish with no fewer than five dogs in Harness in Nome, and with still 500 miles to go, if some dogs were showing tiredness or soreness in Grayling, judges may have felt it was too much to ask. (This is just one possible explanation, this in no way is what is known to be the reason IF the musher was asked to scratch at all.)

Mumford was not the last musher on the trail, there were two other mushers behind him. Sydnie Bahl is currently in Grayling and Quince Mountain is on his way to the checkpoint. It's another thing race judges are looking at - if the "stragglers" get too far behind, they are encouraged to speed it up (suggesting dogs don't need 8 hours at every rest stop, for example). 

Mumford had eight dogs in harness all in good health, according to the statement.

Jessie Holmes first to Kaltag2

As predicted, Jessie Holmes was first into the final checkpoint of the Iditarod Loop. Holmes and his team of athletes ran up into the village of Kaltag around 9pm Monday. With his first into Kaltag, Jessie Holmes won the Fish First award which comes with a check for $2000 as well as 25 pounds of Bristol Bay salmon.

Jessie Holmes had full command of the loop over the last two days and has chosen to take his mandatory 8 in this final checkpoint of Kaltag 2. Iditarod Insider also reported that Jessie has elected to send one of his dogs home, leaving him with 12 dogs - which is more than enough dog power for the final leg of the race.

Behind Holmes is Matt Hall currently resting 33 miles from Kaltag. It would be a good assumption that the 2017 Yukon Quest champion plans to not stay long in Kaltag and hopefully leapfrog over the current leader. Hall chose to take his 8 several checkpoints back and is in the wildcard position of the top three to take the lead.

In third is Paige Drobny who rested earlier in the day on the trail and is now just 13 miles until she passes Hall. It's mused that Paige will also choose to not stay long in Kaltag and camp somewhere between Kaltag and Unalakleet.

From here on out the trail should be familiar for both veteran mushers and the fans. Most know that the run from Kaltag to Unalakleet is where the leaders are separated from the rest. Just last year, those that led for much of the second leg of the race were thwarted on their run to the coast. Some of those teams are now once again at the front of the race and staring at that same trail that derailed their run.

Further back in Eagle Island is Mitch Seavey currently taking his mandatory 8. The three time Iditarod Champion has run in fourth position for most of the day, choosing short rests on the trail long enough to feed the dogs and give them some time off the trail. Knowing that he planned to take his 8 at the next checkpoint the veteran musher is banking on the rest he's built up in the team to help them bounce back from this long run and be ready to challenge and overtake anyone who stalls on their way to Unalakleet and Shaktoolik.

Michelle Phillips has used Seavey's mandatory to be able to slingshot ahead of him and is now the race's fourth place team. Phillips has quietly been in the mix of the chase pack and could play spoiler much like Seavey should one of the top three's wheels start to fall off.

For the back of the pack Quince Mountain - current Red Lantern - made it to Eagle Island as the sunset over the Yukon. The team looked well rested but also thankful to be getting a good bit of rest. The musher broke up the run from Kaltag to Eagle Island into two runs and will most likely rest six hours before continuing on. The next furthest back of the pack musher is Dream a Dream Kennel's Sydnie Bahl who is running a very conservative race with the goal of finishing not placement according to mentor Cindy Abbott.

Jessie's official time in shows at 9:28pm meaning he can leave the checkpoint at 5:28am Tuesday.