Sass is on the Yukon

Brent Sass pulled into Ruby, the first stop on the Yukon River, at 5:57 this morning. Brent did not stay long. The Wild and Free team took off down the river just five minutes later and has picked up speed as they are now on Alaska's "super highway". At this point only one other team has made it into the checkpoint of Ruby, but no one has truly given chase to the musher from Eureka.

At this point it looks like Brent Sass has a solid win on his hands, they've gotten through the hard part of the trail and now are on what is typically the best groomed section of the entire race. That being said, there's still another third of the race to go after the River, and we've seen teams have issues after dominating early.

Behind Sass are Hugh Neff, the only other team currently in Ruby, Dallas Seavey, who reported in Cripple that his dogs weren't eating like he'd like, Jessie Holmes who made his move to get into the chase pack yesterday, and Richie Diehl the only musher from the Alaskan coast in the mix. Each team has their own strategy, and it will really start to play out today. The race is on. Many of those that were confident they could catch the leader a day or two ago are now less confident. Sass says he's playing it conservative, and he's running like he's trained all season. 

Expect the lead teams to pick up speed today as they hit the fast trails along the Yukon. At some point they will all have to decide where they will take their mandatory 8 hour rest.   

Ryne Olson second musher to scratch

Ryne Olson chose to scratch just after 5pm Alaska Time today in the best interest of her team. The Ryno Kennel team was seemingly having some trouble when fans noticed that the musher was down to 9 dogs, having flown 5 back to Anchorage, and not even halfway through the race. While teams are only required to finish with five dogs in harness, you don't typically see teams return so many dogs this early in the race.

Ryne's social media team posted on her page after the press release stating in part: "We’ll leave the details up to Ryne for later on. But over all, for the health of the dogs and the musher herself, it’s the best decision for the team. Making these tough decisions and top notch dog care is what mushing and racing is all about. And if we’re not having fun, it’s time to rest up and try again another time."

Ryne has run the Iditarod three times (this being the fourth), with her best placement coming last year when she finished in 18th place. This is Ryne's first scratch in Iditarod.

Anja Radano scratches in Nikolai

Overnight the Iditarod reported that Anja Radano of Swamp Dawg Kennel chose to scratch in the checkpoint of Nikolai. The press release stated that she made the decision in the best interest of her dogs. Fans had been concerned much of Wednesday when they watched her tracker leave Nikolai only to return, with some faithful tracker followers noting that her tracker posted speeds closer to snowmachine than dog team on the return back.

This morning the folks running her kennel page while she is away confirmed she has scratched but said they would not comment further on the scratch or make  more posts on her behalf - that they would let her choose when to tell her trail stories when she returns in the next day or two.

Trail continues to be impacted by heavy, wet snowfall near McGrath as teams are in the midst of taking their 24s.

Radano had 12 dogs on the line when she scratched and is the first team to end their race early in this year's Iditarod.

Brent Sass first to Cripple, again.

 As in 2021, Brent Sass is first to the halfway mark of the Iditarod. The musher received 3000 dollars worth of gold nuggets as his prize. Brent should take his 24 in Cripple after what one can only imagine was much of a slogfest of snow and not well packed trail in the heat of the day. His dogs will no doubt need at least a little break before continuing on, and the musher has yet to declare and take his 24hour+differential rest in the race.

Dallas Seavey is running about 20 miles behind Brent, picking up a little bit of time off the front runner who most likely had to break trail. Behind Seavey are Hugh Neff (9miles behind Dallas), Mitch Seavey (3 miles behind Hugh), and Ryan Redington (4 miles behind Mitch). All of the teams on their way to Cripple have yet to take their 24.

Meanwhile back in McGrath Aaron Burmeister is counting down to when he can take off after taking his mandatory 24+. He should be out of the checkpoint sometime after 5:40pm Alaska Time (I didn't do the math to get exact time). The conditions in McGrath are wet, heavy snow and a lot of it. Teams behind those in McGrath are having slow yucky go of it. 

Still no scratches in this year's Iditarod which is a huge feat and I'm not even sure this has happened before. 

Hope everyone's enjoyed a much more relaxing day today. Tomorrow will run about the same as we wait for Burmeister to slingshot past those who are up ahead miles wise now but don't have their 24s completed.

The race will truly start from there.

Brent Sass on the trail to Cripple

As teams begin taking their 24 hour plus differential rests, the leader and the chase pack continued up the trail Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Brent Sass is currently running to Cripple - the half way point of the Iditarod in the Northern Route years - where as Redington, Neff, and Seavey Squared are all camped out further back and just outside of Ophir. With snow hitting the trail and the storm on the way it could be teams are trying to get out ahead of it before breaking trail slows them down. It could also be their strategy set weeks ago.

It's a good bet that these teams will twenty four in Cripple before hitting the Yukon River where they will have to choose a checkpoint to take their first of two mandatory eight hours. For the next day and a half fans need to get in their own mandatory rest. As teams stop along the trail to take their 24s there won't be much to follow, and so catching up on sleep, work, chores, etc should be the priority for those sitting at home.

Sass reported to the Insider earlier that he was surprised and "a little scared" of how fast his team is going, but he says he is taking the same amount of rest at this point as he did in both 2020 and 2019 so he feels his team is just very strong and fast this year. 

As I get ready to post this very short update - it looks like Dallas Seavey has popped the snow hook and started his run to Cripple now. He was camped near his dad Mitch, and will pass by where Neff and Redington are camped shortly. The race to the 24s is on.

Mushing Radio - Iditarod 50: Into McGrath

Burmeister looks to be first to McGrath

With just twenty miles to go, it looks like Aaron Burmeister is set to be the first into McGrath. With that will come the "First to McGrath award", according to Iditarod this year's prize consists of "a pair of musher mittens made of beaver fur and moose hide handmade by Loretta Maillelle of McGrath as well as a musher hat made from beaver fur and beaded velvet made by Lucy Miller of McGrath.  Alaska Air Transit will also be providing hand-made awards in Nikolai." This is the first of the "special awards" given out on the trail. 

Aaron Burmeister has had a solid, strong race to this point having kept right with Seavey and Sass as well as Redington. He narrowly missed beating Dallas Seavey for the top prize in last year's Iditarod and he is hungry to bring home the championship to Nome, his hometown. If he can continue as he is, he'll be right in the mix for first to the finish line.

Behind Burmeister are Richie Diehl, Ryan Redington, and Dallas Seavey. Brent Sass is camped out on the trail. Mille Porsild looks to getting nearing to passing where he's stopped.

The Insider live feed went down I assume they are getting ready to move up the trail, and hopefully they'll have the McGrath feed up soon.

Nikolai is about to get busy

The front teams are making their way into Nikolai as the sun comes up (though it's overcast in much of the State today, including on the Iditarod trail). First three teams of Burmeister, Redington, and Diehl are already in and bedded down their dogs for a nice rest while at least three more teams should be coming in within the hour.

The biggest concern by race fans has been where is Brent Sass? Sass' tracker hasn't updated in almost twelve hours and shows him still near Rohn, however chatter overheard on the Iditarod Insider live view of the checkpoint of Nikolai has volunteers discussing the next order of teams coming in and Brent Sass is somewhere in the mix. They theorize it will be Dallas Seavey next in, followed by Brent Sass, and Michelle Phillips. Hopefully they will be able to reset the musher's tracker in Nikolai.

Trackers not working is pretty normal especially when they are running in areas where the signal is not good. If they can't get a connection for too long, they go into sleep mode. Then there's also factors like where it is positioned in/on the sled bag, if it was damaged coming down the trail, if it was lost, or if it's too cold.... or if someone forgot to change/charge the batteries before race day. A quick swap out or reset button push is typically all that is needed to get it going again, but that is not the musher's job - as they don't know if it's working or not.

Once that trio gets into the checkpoint there will be a short wait for Travis Beals to come in followed by Jessie Holmes and Mitch Seavey. Rounding out the top ten should be either Hugh Neff or Paige Drobny.

Nikolai is about to get very busy. If you are an Insider video subscriber get to the live feed!

Mushing Radio - Iditarod 50: the Steps and the Gorge

Mushing Radio - Iditarod 50: Willow Re-Start

Mushing Radio - Iditarod 50: Ceremonial Start

Mushing Radio - Iditarod 50 Kick-Off Show

International Federation of Sleddog Sports bans Russia and Belarus

The International Federation of Sleddog Sports (IFSS) announced Tuesday that they are following the recomendations of the IOC to ban all athletes from the countries of Russia and Belarus over the invasion of Ukraine. As more sport federations continue to join in solidarity against the Russian's unprovoked attack on neighboring Ukraine, the IFSS's decision comes as no surprise and is a welcome announcement.

You can read the full statement here:

There are also reports coming out of Ukraine from the sled dog associations/clubs stating many teams have evacuated from the cities under the most severe attacks and for the most part are doing well (one musher reported some dogs have passed due to stress). We'll keep our eyes open and ears to the ground if there are ways to help the mushers and their dogs in the days and weeks to come. 

We stand with Ukraine.

The part of Nicolas Petit will be played by Jeff King

Late last night Nicolas Petit took to social media to announce he was out of Iditarod 50 due to a positive Covid test. While, the musher stated, he had been careful and was vaccinated Covid still managed to find Nic. After a mild panic Nic made a short list of mushers he'd trust running his dog team 900+ miles to Nome. Top of the list was four-time Iditarod Champion Jeff King.

King, of course, was not planning on running Iditarod this year - instead choosing to send his A-team with rookie Amanda Otto. Jeff revealed in an interview with Anchorage Daily News part of his reasoning for sitting this race out was due to having surgery in October - his third, after his emergency surgery in 2020 days before the start of that Iditarod. 

Now, Jeff King is headed to Nome in the historic 50th Iditarod pretty much unprepared. Food drops for dogs and musher were sent out over a week ago - that means Jeff is at the mercy of what Nic packed. Any extra clothes or equipment Jeff would normally send out on the trail won't be there (and he and Nic aren't the same size.) King noted he plans to run a slower race than what Nic would normally run, so the decisions for where he will take his mandatory breaks may be an issue as well (though most of the top teams send extras to several stops where they *might* take a mandatory).

This is not the first time a late swap has happened. In 2020 there were two memorable swaps that happened before the race began. Sean Underwood went from handler to Iditarod rookie in the blink of an eye when Jeff King fell ill after a special Q&A just a couple of days before the musher banquet. Underwood had qualified for the race that winter but was not scheduled to run the race until 2021, he was given permission by the race to take Jeff's team to Nome. Underwood wouldn't make it all the way - being one of three teams that got caught in the overflow near Elim - but was nearly there (he made it the following year). 

The most bizarre one happened at the ReStart in 2020 when Zoya Denure (oops, I used her name on my blog) took ill and so her husband, Yukon Quest champion turned outdoor editorialist John Schandelmeir was allowed to go in her place. The change didn't happen until the team was at the starting line. Talk about issues with drop bags, how John managed to find anything worth using is still a little bit of a chin scratcher.

In 2014, Danny Seavey was tagged to take the Seavey puppy team to Nome after handler Matt Giblin injured his foot in a late training run. Danny flew in from a Florida vacation to run dogs he hadn't worked with - after being basically retired as a handler for several years. Seavey would write in a race recap that the hardest part of dealing with drop bags that weren't really for him was he and Matt ate very differently (a lot of diet and powder foods). He also couldn't fit into the clothes sent in the drop bags.

Even with all of the challenges, don't expect Jeff King and the team to do anything less than finish if at all possible. Jeff is a hardened veteran of the race and trail, and even though he won't know the dogs well he will be able to coach them along in a finish. The pups deserve the chance after having trained for this adventure. Look for Jeff to have a solid run, but don't expect them to break any records. Still, if Jeff finds himself in good position he could very easily bring these dogs in for a win.

Iditarod 2022 Top Ten(ish)

Fifty years. Fifty years of changes; of challenges. Trails shortened; rerouted; growing increasingly faster. Faces coming, going... aging. Champions getting younger, getting older. From HAM radio reports to GPS trackers. One vet for an entire race to an entire team of them. Women going from being a talking point, to champions, to the favorites of every race. An entire lifestyle reborn. Fifty years is a legacy many sports only wish they had, and cannot be rivaled.

With all the talk of it being the historic 50th, a lot of teams have their sights set on the prize of top team in the world. From previous champions hoping to add to their collection of trophies (and one possibly hoping to break the record for most wins) to a grandson of the race founder hoping to finally bringing a championship to the family name. There's a lot at stake emotionally for the top teams of Iditarod 50. So let's take a look at the top... ten... ish, who very well may have the best chance.

Aaron Burmeister - He ran an incredible race in 2021, and had there been just a hair more trail I'll argue to my dying day that Burmeister would be the Iditarod champion of 2021. Aaron has said in interviews this is likely his final Iditarod, his children are getting older and he wants to devote more time to their passions with his support, plus business outside of dogs has been busy. Aaron's goal has always been to bring the Iditarod Champion title to his hometown of Nome, and this could be his last chance. He's hungry to beat the rest of the field (and I suspect very much so Dallas Seavey). It will be exciting to see how Aaron takes on the 50th. 

Brent Sass - The multi-time Yukon Quest Champion is having a banner year in the mid-distance races. He won the Copper Basin, as well as both the Alaska side Yukon Quest and the Canadian side. Brent should be right at the front of the pack as they charge down the final leg of this year's Iditarod. He's on the upswing and with the Quest not being a thousand mile race this year, his team should be a little more rested this go around. Look for Brent to start and finish strong. 

Dallas Seavey - You either hear "We are the Champions" or you hear "The Imperial March" when you read or hear Dallas Seavey's name. He's the hero and the villain to many. But the now FIVE TIME Iditarod Champion is on the cusp of making history yet again as he runs for a possible sixth title. If Dallas accomplishes another win in Nome, he will break the very long standing record by Rick Swenson for most wins. Though the win is what Dallas has in mind, he often says he doesn't really focus on any records (do we believe him?). It was said that tying Swenson's five would never be done - six is unheard of. The pressure is on, whether he admits it or not.

Joar Leifseth Ulsom - The 2018 Iditarod champion has never finished out of the top ten, and don't expect him to now. The new dad has trained and raced all season building his Iditarod team and has a strong set of dogs in front of him. Ulsom will probably keep to the traditional race schedule we're used to seeing from the top teams as he "builds the monster" and will pick off teams as he goes down the Yukon and up the Coast. 

Michelle Phillips - Phillips is coming off of a well fought second place finish in the Canadian Yukon Quest last week. The Canadian musher has made her mark in the sport over the last few years and is in the running for top female musher in this year's race. Michelle nearly cracked the top ten last year and with several of last year's top ten out of this year's race she should have no problem making that next step. Don't count her out. 

Mille Porsild - While Michelle is fighting to become top woman, Mille Porsild will be fighting to keep it. The new to Iditarod but not mushing or racing musher will have everyone watching as she again races to improve on her last Iditarod. She jumped 10 places last year improving from her 15th place rookie finish to 5th place... so, she isn't just in the running for top rookie. Mille will give all of the teams a run for their money. Do not be surprised if she takes down all of the established favorites this year.

Mitch Seavey - The three-time Iditarod Champion is back after a short hiatus from the race. Mitch sat the 2021 season out and allowed son Dallas to create a hybrid team out of both Seavey kennels. It definitely had the fandom talking about a possible retirement in the musher's future, but that's not the case... at least not yet. Mitch watched his father help Joe Redington work to create the Iditarod, and helped his dad train for the first race. He'd always known he would run the Iditarod with the hopes of one day winning it. He's managed it three times, watched his son win five (once from the sidelines!), and is still more than capable of winning his fourth. Mitch hasn't finished out of the top ten in decades (well, we won't count the severed finger withdrawl of 2011) and came second in his last Iditarod.

Nicolas Petit - Nic hasn't run as many races as he has in seasons past. Some for choice, some because of trucks not wanting to run in the cold. Petit's name was shockingly missing from the winner's finishes this season, and one has to wonder if the King of Mid-Distance's reign is coming to an end. Or, is he taking notes from the others' books and he is focusing more on the Iditarod and his chances to come down Front Street first? Time will tell, but I'm not willing to leave him off the list just yet. Expect to see Petit's classic get out ahead early approach again this year.

*Nic Petit had to WD from the race due to testing positive for Covid. Jeff King will run in his place.

Peter Kaiser - Kaiser's Iditarod ended prematurely last year when his dogs ended up with an illness (as many did in 2021), but they've bounced back this season. Pete has dominated in the mid-distance races taking place this season around Bethel - including regaining his Champion title in the Kusko 300. As long as his team can handle the insanely warm weather of South Central in the first few days of the race, Kaiser's team should be right in the mix for top spots. It truly is only a matter of time before Pete gets his second Iditarod title (and what a story that would be). Kaiser- and really all of the "village teams" are a reminder of Redington Sr.'s true goal for the Iditarod - to keep the mushing lifestyle alive and well in Alaskan villages. Peter Kaiser is one in a long line of those teams and an extremely successful one.

Ryan Redington - Speaking of Joe Redington Sr., his grandson Ryan is running the 50th Iditarod calling it "Redington's Run" (a name with double meaning after Hobo Jim's passing late last year - who penned a song with that title after Redington Sr. passed in 2001). Like Nicolas Petit (and mushers like Martin Buser before them), Redington likes to start fast and push for most of the race, he's deviated from that slightly this season when he pulled the plug early on his race in the John Beargrease. Redington's sole focus this season has been in preparing for the Iditarod. He wants so badly to finally bring a championship to the family name that started it all. That's a lot of pressure for any musher, and time will tell how Ryan handles it.

Travis Beals - Okay, I called this a top ten, but I have eleven names. I can't help myself. There are several names on this list that could probably come off, but I've already done that and you'll see the honorable mentions below. I joke every year that I need to have a top fifteen or a top twenty, that's just proof that mushing has so many strong kennels right now, it's great to see. But, I digrees. Beals is another steady team that is hard not to bet on. Travis has an outside chance of taking the top prize, but that's all it takes - especially in these last few years that strange weather played a huge part in who finished and who didn't. Expect Travis to build a monster of his own - they've certainly proven to be made of tough stuff this season.

And like I said - the honorable mentions. I could have put these names in the "top ten" but I already cheated and snuck an extra name in there. Still, these teams have a really great chance of being top ten.

Jeff Deeter - With all of the snow storms in the interior this year, Deeter's training and race schedule got very skewed. Every time they turned around they were having to dig out their kennel and house. That can possibly affect Jeff's race to Nome, but I expect him to still challenge for the top ten. He's an up and coming team that I expect will be a well known name before too long. He could play a spoiler this year even with all of the issues his winter has given him.

Matt Hall - Matt gave a good chase for Brent Sass in the Alaskan Yukon Quest this year, and should give him and the others just as much fun in the Iditarod. Matt can easily find himself in the top ten if he plays his cards right (see what I did there). The Smokin' Aces dogs are on the right track to take control of the race. 

Matthew Failor - How can anyone leave Failor off of their list - even if just an honorable mention - the man ran last year's Iditarod right before going in for hip replacement surgery. WHAT?! He managed a 21st place finish last year after having to scratch in 2020 when he along with two other teams got stuck in the overflow (just ahead of the famed Elim 11). Don't expect Matthew to sit back and take it easy this year (that was last year's strategy). 

Richie Diehl - I hate leaving him off the list but I already cheated with one of the teams make it a top 11. Richie is another "village musher" who has proven himself and his team. He came in 9th last year and could easily be that or higher this year. Diehl has also had a good race season on the West Coast of Alaska and that could come into handy once he hits the coast.

As always, it's difficult to stick to the 10 and only 10 names. There are so many fantastic teams on the roster year in and year out that it's difficult to not want them all to be crammed into those spots. More and more the passing of the torch seems to have happened - I mean, we don't have Jeff King in this year's race... no Lance Mackey... no Aliy Zirkle. Still, the 50th running of Iditarod is certain to be a memorable one as we watch it play out. Good luck to all 49 teams set to run the race this coming weekend. May the trail be safe and swift, the dogs and mushers all stay healthy... and may they all reach Nome and that burled arch.

Have a favorite team you're hoping to see take the prize? Who are in your top ten(ish)? Comment below with your thoughts and cheers! And, if you like what you see and want to see this blog continue, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that actually goes to internet costs)!

2022 Iditarod Meet the Rookies

The Iditarod class of 2022 boast a lucky number of thirteen names prepared to head down the trail. Some are fulfilling bucket list dreams, others are taking the next step in their mushing journey, and still others seem to plan on making their mark. As with most rookie classes, many are running dogs from another musher's kennel, though this year some are the only representation of their kennel. 

The six women and seven men all look to have fantastic runs to Nome, and their chances have never been better. There are several names that could easily take rookie of the year, and others that will no doubt surprise us all.

Each year I like to give a brief run down on who these mushers are and which team they run for (if not their own). Paws and fingers crossed that this year all thirteen earn that Finisher's Belt Buckle on this historic 50th running of the Last Great Race on Earth. So, let's meat them, shall we?

Amanda Otto - Otto came up to Alaska several years ago chasing her dream of mushing dogs. She landed at the Husky Homestead, home of four-time Iditarod Champion Jeff King. While King is not signed up to run in the 50th Iditarod, his dogs will no doubt be in the capable hands of his handler. Amanda is an avid athlete and adventurer and made mushing her focus after an injury in 2016 "derailed her soccer career". Otto is quite active on social media - especially her Instagram account, and is worth a follow. You can follow Amanda via Husky Homestead's Facebook page, her Instagram, and you can support her by joining her GoFundMe. You can also view her Iditarod Bio.

Bridgett Watkins - The musher from Kennel on a Hill and her dogs come from a very distinguished pedegree. Bridgett is the daughter of Yukon Quest Champion Allen Moore; Aliy Zirkle is her step-mom. Many of the dogs in Bridgett's kennel are either from Allen and Aliy's kennel or their bloodlines trace back to them. There will be a lot of eyes on Watkins to see how she measures up (but let's remember the Seavey's and Mackey's didn't blow the competition away their rookie races). Watkins had a tragic run in with a moose a few weeks back, but still plans on running Iditarod. You can learn more about Bridgett in her Iditarod Bio, as well as her website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Eric Kelly - Another musher running dogs from his own kennel, Eric got into mushing after meeting Jamaican mushing sensation Newton Marshall. After helping Newton prepare for one of his Iditarod runs, Eric found himself working at Kathleen Fredrickson's kennel of Shameless Huskies before starting his own kennel 4 years ago. Like many Alaskans, Eric and his family fell in love with Alaska during a vacation to the great state and decided to pack up and move to the land of sled dogs. Eric's daughter Aspen is also an aspiring musher. You can learn more about Eric from his Iditarod Bio, as well as his Facebook page, and Instagram.

Gerhardt Thiart - A somewhat world traveller who got hooked on mushing a decade or so ago, Gerhardt is running Iditarod to raise awareness and support for US Veterans through the GAT Foundation. Gerhardt trained and completed his qualifiers under the mentorship of Mitch Seavey, and will be running a team of Seavey dogs in the Iditarod. You can read more about Gerhardt in his Iditarod bio, website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Hanna Lyrek - Well, we couldn't let the boys of the QrillPet racing team have all the fun could we? Hanna hails from Norway and is part of the "exclusive" club of mushers who will no doubt be repping the bright orange of the mushing sponsor (and Iditarod partner) QrillPet. Hanna was born in Alaska, and her family moved to Norway when she was 5. She says she's always run dogs and she is excited to finally see her dreams become reality in running the Iditarod. Hanna could be one of the front runners for rookie of the year, and it will be exciting to watch her race. You can read more about Hanna from her Iditarod Bio, website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Joe Taylor - Joe is another one of those California transplant turned musher. He got the bug after working at the UAF mushing program (like so many) and now has his own small kennel outside of Fairbanks. You may think it a little bit of Malarkey, and that's exactly what Joe Taylor went for when naming his kennel. You can learn more about Joe via his Iditarod Bio, website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Julie Ahnen - The B-team from Team Can't Stop racing is in the capable hands of Iditarod rookie Julie Ahnen. Julie has worked with this team since their puppyhood. Going on four years working with Jessie Holmes, Julie is eager to achieve her childhood dream and get her finisher's belt buckle under the burled arch. Ahnen should be fun to watch as she makes her way across Alaska with what should be a strong and fast team of young dogs. You can learn more about Julie through her Iditarod Bio, website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Kailyn Davis - The high school math teacher is living out a childhood dream with the opportunity to run the Iditarod this year. With Wade Marrs splitting his kennel between Alaska and Wisconsin (and not running the Iditarod this year) Kailyn was given the opportunity to run with his dogs to Nome. The team won't be entirely Stump Jumpin' Kennel dogs, but will be a solid core and help her get that belt buckle. You can learn more about Kailyn via her Iditarod Bio, website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

KattiJo Deeter - We all knew it was just a matter of time before the other half of Black Spruce Kennel took down the trail. Deeter's made it to Nome several times to greet Jeff and the team as they finished in past years, but now KattiJo will be running the kennel's second team in the race. With the insane winter weather this season brought to the Interior of Alaska, the Deeter's have had to change their racing schedule early on. Training was also changed up while they continually dug out and recut their trail. Still, both teams should have no trouble running to Nome. You can learn more about KattiJo via her Iditarod bio, website, Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter.

Martin Massicotte - Martin is back to try again at finishing the Iditarod after starting in 2020 and not completing the race (like so many once they hit the coast). Martin is a lifelong musher with a great team of dogs, and hopefully this year's race doesn't prove to be a chaotic one of plague and overflow and snow storms that wipe out much of the trail and stall even the most champion of teams. Martin and his wife have shared a lot of their season via social media including how they got the Alaska and the adventure they've found just in the last month. You can learn more about Martin from his Iditarod bio, Facebook page.

Matt Paveglio - Team DEEtermined (in honor of his mother) is hitting the trails thanks to the generous offer of Iditarod veteran Kathleen Fredricks to have Matt run a team from Shameless Huskies kennel in the Iditarod. Matt has worked and dreamt of this moment and now it's finally here. Matt is a supporter of many kennels throughout the years and very vocal about his love for the sport. One can only hope that this run to Nome is everything he's hoped it would be. You can find out more about Matt and Team DEEtermined from his Iditarod bio, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Sean Williams - After having to withdraw just moments before the start of last year's race due to his mother becoming seriously ill (not Covid related), Sean is back to try again to make it this time to Nome. Williams has great support from Martin Buser and Matt Failor and should have a solid team of dogs with him. You can learn more about Sean via his Iditarod bio, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Sebastien Dos Santos Borges - Sebastien is known and loved for his work with "rescues" that he's added to his team. He is fun to watch in the mid-distance races, and one can only hope he has a wonderful run to Nome. He and team came in 7th in this year's Yukon Quest 300, and he certainly looks to have a strong rookie run in this year's Iditarod. You can learn more about Sebastien from his Iditarod Bio (which is very short), website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

So here's to the class of 2022! May they each have swift and safe trails, with "nary a moose" in sight. And when they come off the trail we will wait eagerly to hear them tell their tales and celebrate with them. GOOD LUCK ROOKIES!

Have a favorite rookie? Who do you think will win Rookie of the Year? Comment below with your thoughts and cheers. And, if you like what you see and want to see this blog continue, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that actually goes to internet costs)!