Some thoughts to close out day 4 of the Iditarod

 Just some random thoughts as I continue to work through the Insider videos and watch the trackers move ever so slowly (it feels) tonight when I should be sleeping.

I really love seen Aaron Peck sticking it out with the "front runners". I'm hoping he can hang in there, he has yet to take any mandatory rest, but he's not the only one (Brent Sass is currently on his 24 in Iditarod and I assume that's what Peck will do, too). 

Mille's most likely vying for not just a top 10 placement, she could probably come in top 5 and right now looks like the top lady. (And now, I've jinxed her.) 

I was surprised to see that Dallas made a video ahead of the race stating that he was most concerned about the part of the trail he is currently on. Basically, he hasn't seen this part of the trail since 2013 (due to bad weather keeping the race off the trail for several years, and then he took a break from Iditarod). He's not normally one to say anything that hints at unsureness so I just found that interesting. As I type this Dallas is INTO Ophir. It will be interesting to see what he says about the run and if he stays long.

I don't know why but I feel like the Iditarod Champion for 2021 was in Ophir today and was resting. Not counting Dallas who just got there or the three that were running away from Ophir for most of the day. I don't know why, my gut just says this is where it will be chosen somehow. I'm no expert and I'm often wrong.

Part of that feeling comes from ever since Rohn, I've felt like Burmeister's team was incredibly strong (there I go jinxing again). He has said in several interviews now that his dogs just don't seem to want to go as slow as he thinks they should. That sounds very familiar as Mitch Seavey kept saying that about his 2017 team, and he broke all kinds of records with his win that year. I've probably read way too much into Aaron's interviews, but he just seems so at ease and set to running his race and I love to see it. It gives me confidence that his team will be right up there in the end. Burmeister has taken his 8 and is currently on his 24.

I've really enjoyed getting to know the different mushers and the causes they want to bring awareness to. Kaiser and Diehl (and Gunnar Johnson) all running to bring about suicide awareness and prevention. Wade Marrs running as always to bring awareness to Turners Syndrome. Other's I'm forgetting at the moment because I'm starting to fade. It's just nice to see mushers using the Iditarod as a platform for causes important for them.

I don't know what to make of Ryan Redington, I think he may be pushing too hard, too long, too fast. He's doing well to be in Ophir and like Burmeister is working to get his 24 done and has already taken his 8. I don't know that he'll stick to top 10. He's down a few dogs already. We'll have to see.

I love that Pete and Richie are running together. Waiting for either one to make a move, not sure we'll see one until Iditarod.

That's all for tonight. There will be a lot of movement tonight. Wish I could stay up for it all... 

Musher tests positive for Covid-19 in McGrath

 In an official statement released by the Iditarod Trail Committee this evening, the race announced it had its first musher test positive for Covid-19. Gunnar Johnson, who is running a team out of Jim Lanier's kennel and mushing to bring awareness to Suicide Prevention and remembering those lost to suicide, received the rapid test upon coming into the checkpoint of McGrath. The rapid test came back with a positive so he was given two more tests, each coming back with the same result. The musher is reportedly asymptomatic and did not come in contact with any of the community members of McGrath.

Gunnar Johnson withdrawn from Iditarod 49 due to positive COVID-19 test

Anchorage, Alaska – Veteran Iditarod musher Gunnar Johnson (bib #11), of Duluth,

Minnesota, has been withdrawn from the 2021 Iditarod race at approximately 3:15 p.m.

today due to a positive COVID-19 test at the McGrath checkpoint.

Iditarod Race Marshal Mark Nordman, in consultation with epidemiologist Dr. Jodie

Guest, made the decision to withdraw Johnson, who is asymptomatic, based on the

protocols established in the COVID-19 mitigation plan. Under this guidance and per the

Iditarod race rules, Johnson understands that he has been withdrawn. He is incredibly

disappointed and felt his dog team looked great.

Per the mitigation plan, Johnson:

• Was immediately notified by COVID-19 Team personnel of the positive results;

• Was immediately removed from the checkpoint area by COVID-19 Team

personnel to isolate away from others in an Arctic oven tent; and

• Will be removed off the trail using safe transport.

Per the COVID-19 mitigation protocols, all mushers are tested for COVID-19 just outside

the McGrath checkpoint using a rapid antigen test. Johnson was tested by a COVID-19

Team member and the rapid antigen test came back positive. Johnson was then retested twice using a molecular-based COVID-19 test and both results came back

positive.

Johnson did not come into close contact with race personnel or community members,

nor did he enter any buildings or community spaces in McGrath. However, he did park

his team as he was planning to rest at the checkpoint.

The COVID-19 Team is in the process of contact tracing and performing additional

mitigation measures as needed. The State of Alaska has been notified of the results.

Johnson had 14 dogs in harness at the time of the withdrawal.

Gunnar had a strong run through to McGrath and looked to improve his standings significantly from his previous Iditarods (ok partially due to there being fewer entrants to begin with). Johnson's rookie run was in 1991, he last completed the race in 2017.

Brent Sass is first into Iditarod

 Brent Sass just pulled into the halfway point of Iditarod winning the award for first to Iditarod as well as a nice long rest. Earlier in the race Sass said he intended to 24 in Iditarod. Sass has spent much of his time camping out on the trail away from checkpoints - something he has done in most races. The three-time Yukon Quest's champion's team looked ready for a much needed break from the trail.

Just about two hours ago, Dallas Seavey pulled the snowhook and left McGrath to head on after the front runners. The 4-time Iditarod Champion still has his 8 to do, while there are several teams on their 24 who have already taken their 8. The next couple of days could get really exciting with another bunch of leap frogging.

The back of the pack are almost all into McGrath. Rick Casillo is less than 20 miles bringing up the rear as the current red lantern.

Another scratch was announced this morning when rookie Brenda Mackey called her race in Nikolai this morning. She had nine dogs in harness with still many miles to go and decided it was best for the team to scratch. I'm sure we'll hear more once she's back home, rested, and can put it into words.

The night is young and a lot of teams are close to pulling their snowhooks. There's still a lot of trail left but the gap is closing quickly for those nipping at the heals of the leaders. 

Trail Update: No trip to Flat afterall.

 According to Insider and KTUU tonight, due to a large amount of new snow, trailbreakers are unable to break trail for the teams from Iditarod to Flat and loop around so teams will run to Iditarod and turn around right there and head back.

Also DeeDee Jonrowe reports that Brent plans to 24 in Iditarod. 

Day 3 of Iditarod makes headlines

What a day for race fans! Most in Alaska woke up to news that Aliy Zirkle had to scratch in her final Iditarod - the first time the 2000 Yukon Quest Champion has ever scratched from an Iditarod. Zirkle sustained a concussion and "orthopedic injury to the upper torso" (preliminary reports said collarbone, while others say dislocated shoulder, there's no official word at this time from Aliy's camp) during her run through the Gorge and into Rohn. She was looked over by officials and medical and it was determined she could not continue. This is a devastating end to her final Iditarod and I cannot say enough how much I wish her well.

Teams continued to move through the Burn into Nikolai throughout the morning. The front runners all noting that they weren't really looking forward to returning to this portion of the trail on the return trip. Martin Buser told Insider in an interview in Nikolai that he tried to "turn back the clock" and relive his championship days, but now his dogs are running at about 60% and he is "perplexed" as to why, so he is giving them extra rest and regrouping.

Dallas Seavey rested before coming into Nikolai, choosing to blow through the checkpoint and run straight to McGrath where it's believed he will take his mandatory 24+time differential rest. Brent Sass also blew through Nikolai but camped out shortly after leaving that checkpoint. Sass was 2.5 hours behind Dallas coming into McGrath but again chose to leave the checkpoint and is currently camped out on the trail. 

Ahead of Sass into McGrath were Pete Kaiser, Richie Diehl, and Joar Ulsom - all coming in just minutes apart. of the top five, Pete had the fastest run over from Nikolai.

The next couple of days is all about getting on those mandatory rests in, so expect for a little bit of leap frogging and then very little movement from the top teams. Now is a good time to get your naps in, or actually do some work in the office. But have fun still watching them move.

(Oh and as I finish this up Bruce Lee just said on the Live Feed that Aliy mushed FIVE MILES WITH HER INJURIES to get to the checkpoint. OH MY WORD. If ever you needed proof that Aliy is not only the real deal but super human... Captain Marvel ain't got nothin' on Aliy.)

Front runners are headed into the Farewell Burn

 Well, so much for the guessing that the race schedule would be similar to a "normal" Iditarod year. The teams are running at fast paces and the front runners are already past the Happy River Steps, Dalzell Gorge and Rohn. Ryan Redington let the pack out of Rohn and currently rests near Farewell Lake. He will soon be joined by Martin Buser and Richie Diehl. 

While a lot of talk happens on how hard the Steps and Gorge are on sleds, it's the Farewell Burn that can really give teams hardship. The frozen tussocks continually hammer the sled and the musher. Sore muscles (if the musher is lucky that's all it will be) and banged up sleds are the norm. Most teams are more than thankful to reach the checkpoint of Nikolai by the end of the run. 

The burn is often unique in that this is most often the part of the trail with the least amount of snow (not counting Anchorage and "downtown" Nome). It's no surprise to see teams rest a while after coming out of the mountains before hitting the trail again. It could be a good mental rest for the mushers as much as it is a physical rest for the dogs. While the tussocks wreak havoc on the sleds and the mushers, the dogs manage really well on the more solid ground even with the bumps. There's no post holing so they can get good speed so long as the sled stays upright.

With the race being 100 miles shorter it looks like a lot of the top teams feel they need to maintain a fast speed early on. There's less time to catch teams that may falter so they all need to be fast but not too fast and definitely not slow. There are a lot of top names that are further down in the standings still trying to run this race like it's the typical 900-1000 mile jaunt. It's anyone's guess on this new loop which strategy will play out.

There's a snow storm on its way (is it Iditarod without one?) and it could dump quite a bit of snow on the teams in the next couple of days. The live cam at Nikolai show big heavy flakes coming down. Should make for an interesting night of mushing.

Gallea scratches due to illness

 As of 4pm (AKST) this afternoon, Cindy Gallea's scratch was officially announced by the ITC. Citing illness not related to Covid as the reason for her feeling it was in the best interest of her team that she end her race in Skwentna. The 69 year old Iditarod veteran last ran in 2019 citing it as her final run, but adventure called and she wanted to give it another go in 2021 saying this was for sure her final Iditarod. Sadly her race ended before the 24 hour mark.

The Deep Root kennel, who partner often with Cindy and cite her as the inspiration for their own Iditarod run last year, posted a statement on Cindy's wellbeing following the official announcement:

"With sadness we wanted to let everyone know that Cindy scratched from the race. She developed severe vertigo and nausea to the point she is unable to stand, let alone drive a sled and manage the care of her 14 best friends.  In the 2014 Iditarod, she developed the same issue causing her to scratch from the race. The symptoms in 2014 lasted a number of days.  

She is resting at friends in Anchorage and dogs are doing great. She said dogs had an amazing 65 mile run.  

Damon will be flying up in the morning to help take care of our gal and dogs.  We pray her symptoms subside soon and her spirit mends quickly. 

I'll send out an update when we know more information soon."

Vertigo is not something to fool around with, and I can only imagine what it was like to deal with that while flying out on a little bush plane while also dealing with the incredible sadness of having to finish the race so early. Wishing Cindy all the best.

Gallea may be out of the Iditarod

 Iditarod fans noticed just under an hour ago that Cindy Gallea's tracker went from sitting in Skwentna to suddenly going 155mph towards Anchorage (the opposite direction of the other teams). We're still waiting on official word, but all experience suggests the musher scratched.

Gallea made headlines just days before the race when she and her team were denied entry into Canada to get to Alaska for the Last Great Race. After a lot of pleading that went no where with the Canadian Government (including, according to a social media post by a fellow musher/kennel, pleas directly from the Iditarod Trail Committee) Cindy resorted to shipping her team and gear via Alaska Airlines and followed a day later. Mushers in Alaska rallied and got her a dog truck and other needed equipment and met her and her team at the airport. 

Concern of added expenses coming in around $5,000 quickly made the rounds of social media and in less than 24 hours $8,000 had been donated to the team to get them to the starting line. Now it appears that their race is over just a day into the game. 

Will update when we get official word.

First teams lead into Yentna Station

Matthew Failor's team at the ceremonial start
of Iditarod 48. March 7, 2020.

Teams left Deshka Landing with minimal fanfare Sunday afternoon headed down the trail for a historic 49th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Unlike every other year, teams of 14 dogs will only run as far as the ghost town of Iditarod before turning around via a loop in another goldrush historic site of "The Flats" and returning to Deshka Landing. The first "day" of racing is always just the front runners shaking out away from the middle and back of the pack. Teams are just working to calm down the dogs and get into a sustainable rhythm for the next 800 or so miles. 

The first checkpoint of Yentna Station is typically not somewhere many teams stop for more than a few minutes - and with the Covid-19 protocols in place there's probably even less incentive to stop. They will only pick up supplies and if need be they can leave a dog at the checkpoint in the care of Iditarod Staff and Vets until the pup(s) can be returned to Anchorage and then their handler(s). Some teams may choose to break up the run to Skwentna with a stop near the checkpoint but expect most teams to run right through.

Honestly, the first few days of the race really aren't that "important" to follow the GPS religiously (she says as she is watching and freaking out even though she knows better). Take time away from the screen. It's important to practice self-care while waiting to see news on your favorite team(s). Once they start taking their 24s then it's time to really pay attention.

In other race news, there was a last minute withdrawal today. Rookie Sean Williams announced this morning he was withdrawing - according to posts by fans on social media it was due to "personal family reasons." Hoping all is well and that he'll be back on the runners next year. 

How to follow Iditarod 49

Today marks the first time the Iditarod will not have some sort of start in Anchorage, Alaska. It's a strange feeling not starting the first Saturday in March with the most famous sled dog race in the World, but here we are. Covid can suck it. With the new trail and rules in place, there's little opportunity to sneak a peek at the race in person, and there are fewer media personnel on the trail... so just how does one follow the Last Great Race during the (hopefully) tail end of a global pandemic? I've got you covered with some of my favorite (and best) resources.

Official Links

Of course, we should probably start with the official resources given to us by the race itself. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race's website has blogs by several volunteers/staff throughout the race (I miss Sebastian Schnuelle and Joe Runyan's insights). You can find info on race rules, musher profiles, the history of the race. It's a good resource for Iditarod. They also have a lot of ways to give money to the race with their online store, donation buttons, and ITC Memberships. Don't forget their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, too.

Iditarod Insider is the official subscription for the GPS tracker as well as live feeds and other video interviews. While they do have a free option, you don't get much with it. Unlike other races, the GPS is behind a pay wall. They do plan to live stream the start FREE to all, however. The feeds and videos are cohosted by Greg Heister (the brains of the Insider) and Bruce Lee (a former Iditarod musher who knows his stuff). They have a "proven formula" on how to do it and while they do tend to focus on the front runners, this is really the only game in town especially in a year when they aren't allowing media to be in checkpoints or have access to the teams during the race.

Alaska's News Source is the official media outlet for Iditarod again this year. KTUU and KTVA merged recently so there's a lot of coverage hopefully to glean. They also have a streaming channel via Viut it with a dedicated channel just for their Iditarod coverage. I assume it will just be the stories they share during their sports segments in their regular news programing, but it's still a great source. They also have Facebook and Twitter.

QrillPet is once again broadcasting the race. The QPAWS project (that "world series"/"grand prix" of mushing that began last year) was curtailed this year as the European races were canceled, but QPAWS is alive and well at the Iditarod. 2020's Iditarod Champion Thomas Waerner will be on deck to give his commentary (I mean, Dallas can't race and commentate... though, knowing Dallas he probably COULD). Their live feeds and GPS work outside of North America, but for those of us in the US and Canada we have to use Insider. You can view the daily updates free on their YouTube channel. 

Other News Sources

With the Iditarod closing the trail down from most media personnel as a way to mitigate the danger of spreading Covid-19 (mmhmm) there will be a different look to how the race is covered by the rest of Alaska's media, but they still plan to do their best. 

Anchorage Daily News just got word they would be allowed to have one reporter on the trail, so expect some of their excellent coverage as always via their articles as well as reporting from their Iditarod dedicated Twitter account. 

The Iditapod will be back with daily coverage of the race, though without their tails from the trail, still the team will no doubt give it their all. This podcast is one of the best ones out there following the race and you definitely want to give it a listen. You can follow the hosts of the podcast on twitter as well. Casey Grove and Tegan Hanlon.

Another podcast is Dog Works Radio's Iditarod coverage. Dog Works Radio is run by musher and dog trainer Robert Forto. He and Alex Stein have, for the last ten years, done a special podcast daily during Iditarod following the race. This year, your's truly, is "guest hosting" because Alex begged... kinda. Anyway, take a listen to it. Please ignore my rambling. 

Social Media & Blogs

For Twitter, I'd offer the advice of just be careful when reading any tags. During Iditarod the Animal Rights "activists" (I use that term so very loosely) really attack the race, the fans, and the mushers hard. It's their one way to boost revenue for themselves in the guise of "saving the sled dogs". So if you don't like watching people make complete fools of themselves while distorting the truth, you may want to just stick with twitter handles you recognize and trust. But if you want to follow the Iditarod Hashtags I'd suggest #Iditarod2021 as the safest option. The #Iditarod hashtag is basically PETA and their ilk (so I won't link it here for that reason).

Some top twitter handles to follow during Iditarod (not related to the ones listed above) are:
Danny Seavey - excellent "insider" knowledge, is fairly good at responding, he's come a long way in the three-ish years he's been back on that particular platform.
Alex Stein - one half of the Dog Works Radio Iditarod coverage team, Alex did a documentary on the race a few years back. Definitely give my friend a follow.
Toni Reitter - okay, shameless plug... but, seriously, I'm updating there constantly during races.
Zachary Hughes - former co-host of the Iditapod podcast, Zach has joined up with the ADN to report live from the trail. Due to bubbles and rules he'll be based in McGrath (one of the only places on the trail that has a lot of tent space, I guess). Definitely follow him!  
Jeff Schultz - while not the *official* Official Photographer these days and has said he will not be out on the trail this year, I refuse to not link to the all time greatest sled dog photog. Jeff still plans to work on his Faces of Iditarod project (I was a subject last year, a total honor) and I'm sure will share some of his photos from races past. 

On facebook you'll want to follow:
Danny Seavey - if you've followed the race at all over the last 10 years or so, you know Danny weaves a good tale and explains a lot of what you're watching. No doubt we'll see his blogging skills on facebook again this year (and heaven help him if he ditches us).
Mushing Tech - while they're more apt to follow other races, they still give a lot of insight to the sport and can definitely help you work the math of what GPS trackers are telling you.
Alaska Mushing News - they basically do what I do on twitter - share anything and everything musher. It's a group so there's a lot of info shared all the time.

There are other pages that I'm sure tickle people's fancy, but these are the two I use most (during the full race season).  

So there's a quick list of links that will help you follow along with this year's race. And remember you can always find updates on this blog, too! Did I miss an important link (always possible)? Comment below with suggestions for addition.