The real March Madness - the running of the 2021 Iditarod - begins this Sunday, March 7 at 1:30 PM Alaska Time/5:30 PM East Coast. The countdown says that the race begins Saturday, but the real start is Sunday. Paige (VT Biology, 1997) and Cody Strathe (honorary Hokie by marriage to Paige) are both running this year's race. No idea if they plan to run the race together or not. Paige has completed the course 6 times and come in 7th the last 2 years. Cody has finished 3 times with his last race in 2018, coming in 29th.
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Several changes for 2021 due to COVID.
First, there are only 47 mushers registered, which is quite low. 19 have withdrawn, including many from outside the US with travel issues. This includes last year's winner, Thomas Waerner from Norway. The other big dogsled race, The Yukon Quest, was cancelled as its route crosses the US-Canadian border.
The course itself is greatly altered. Concerns about spreading COVID to the small, isolated interior and coastal communities caused the shifts. There will be no ceremonial start in Anchorage. Instead, the race will start at Deshka Landing, just outside of Willow, AK and not in town to avoid crowds. Instead of going to Nome, the mushers will follow the "Gold Loop Trail" route from Deshka to the old ghost town of Iditarod, where mushers will turn around at Flat. They will then come back along the same route for an ~850 mile route instead of the normal ~1,000 miles. Link to map below.
https://iditarod.com/race-map/
It is going to be strange watching the Iditarod and not seeing people on the Yukon River, crossing Norton Sound or going under the arches and Nome. Also the mushers will need to cross the Alaska Range Mountains twice.
Good luck to Paige, Cody and all of the mushers and there dog teams.
Some people I'll be keeping an eye on:
Obviously Paige and Cody.
Norway's Joar Leifseth Ulsom - 8 races and 8 top 10 finishes, including winning in 2018. Also finished right ahead of Paige last year in 6th.
Dallas Seavy - 4 time champion and 9 top 10 finishes.
Travis Beals - only 27 and has 3 straight top 10 finishes, a real young star (27 is young for distance mushers).
Peter Kaiser - 6 top 10 finishes including #1 in 2019.
Jessie Royer - 8 top 10 finishes since 2005, including 3rd the last 2 years, trying to become the first woman to win since 1990.
Aliy Zirkle - 7 top 10 finishes, including a 3 consecutive 2nd place finishes a few years back, like Jessie, trying to be the first woman to win in over 30 years.
Denmark's Mille Porsild - for nothing else that I have a link to her. She worked on Will Steger's 3 month Canadian dogsled expedition. Steger and Paul Schurke led an unsupported overland expedition to the North Pole using period materials and navigation equipment to (among other things) test if Admiral Perry could have reached the pole. I learned to dogsled at Schurke's dogsled lodge!
https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/1668795-30-years-ago-Steger-and...
As somebody who competes in dog sports, I'm always interested in the Iditarod, and I appreciate you posting and updating this.
ok...you peaked my interest...what type of dog sports do you compete in?
Flyball is my #1. I have a terrier that runs, a greyhound that has retired, and a greyhound in training, and I am a judge.
I dabble in Fast CAT (see: greyhound, above) and am training the younger greyhound in Scent Work.
I gave my dog a bath last night, I consider that pretty sporting. I deserve a medal.
I have to bathe my younger greyhound and the terrier. And then dremel their claws.
I also enjoy following along. Thanks for posting.
I remember living vicariously through these posts last year. Excited for them again!
Broke down and bought the Iditarod Insider subscription with the GPS tracking to watch people and get the premium videos. Thoughts on the race from the insiders and interviews with the mushers:
The race is expected to be fast. Not only is it more than 100 miles shorter than the trip to Nome, but the out-and-back course has only a short loop segment at the end by Iditarod and Flat. After that, the way back is the same trail as the way out. That means the trail should be packed tightly and will be very fast - unless there is significant snow fall to bury it and slow things down. Also, the dogs should recognize the trail and their own scents making it a very easy for them to follow back. The trail will be mostly sheltered by forests, so won't have to deal with severe wind like on the Bearing Sea cost. Just a few areas could be subject to heavy winds and storms. Finally, after the Rainy Pass checkpoint, the last 130 or so miles are almost all downhill. Check points listed below.
Thoughts are that smaller dogs and faster teams may have an advantage over tougher and more powerful teams and that the team that has that extra speed at the end could be the difference.
Checkpoint Distance from start
Anchorage 0
Deshka Landing N 16 (this should be 0 as the ceremonial start in Anchorage was cancelled)
Skwentna N 83
Finger Lake N 123
Rainy Pass N 153
Rohn N 188
Nikolai N 263
McGrath N 311
Ophir N 352
Iditarod N 432
Ophir S 532
McGrath S 573
Nikolai S 621
Rohn S 696
Rainy Pass S 731
Finger Lake S 761
Skwentna S 801
Deshka Landing S 868
From the interviews with Paige (who will be wearing bib 42) and Cody (who will be wearing bib 37). Paige will be running the kennel's A team. As of last night, she was not 100% set on the final composition of her team, but said it will be almost identical to last year's team. There will be at least 1 new dog, but mostly the same as last time. She thinks the team is good enough to contend and the analysis did mention that it is a team in it's prime and she is seen as someone who has a shot to win, although not one of the top favorites.
There is still a mandatory 24 hour layover and 2 mandatory 8 hour layovers. In the past, a lot of people would take their 24 hour in the town of Takotna and one of the 8 hour layovers had to be at a Yukon River checkpoint. That can't happen as COVID concerns mean mushers cannot go through or stay at Takotna and they turn around before the Yukon. Most, including Paige, expect to take their 24 hours in McGrath (right before Takotna) or at the ghost town of Ophir (right after Takotna). She would not discuss her strategy about the 8 hour layover. Everyone has to take the final 8 hour break at Skwentna on the way back. This is analogous to the mandatory 8 hour break everyone has to take at White Mountain before Nome most years to make sure no one tries to push a tired team too hard at the end.
Cody will be running the kennel's young dogs to get them training and experience, but will not be looking for a top finish the way Paige will be. Obviously, they won't be travelling together.
4 time champion Dallas Seavey (bib 23) is seen as the person to beat. His dad, 3 time champion Mitch Seavey, has been taking the year off. Therefore, Dallas has been able to handpick the top dogs from his kennel as well as his dad's. Other top favorites include:
#2 Peter Kaiser - winner in 2019
#10 Nicolas Petit - has a 2nd and 3rd place finish and a very fast team. His Achilles heal has been the team running out of gas near the end and getting passed. Thought is the shorter and probably faster course will play into his strengths
#41 Joar Leifseth Ulsom - winner in 2018, never finished outside of the top 10, and was right in front of Paige in 6th last year
Others mentioned as having a shot to win:
#6 Richie Diehl - young guy who is seen as a rising musher
#21 Brent Sass - might have been one of the top favorites, but just broke his clavicle in January and needed surgery. Probably won't be at 100%.
#24 Jessie Royer - 3rd place the past 2 years
#34 Martin Buser - 4 time champion, but has not been close to that high for a while
#42 Paige!!!
Will start the first actual race posts tomorrow evening. To follow on your own, a few places I use are:
Iditarod website: https://iditarod.com/
Anchorage Daily News: https://www.adn.com/
Alaska Public: https://www.alaskapublic.org/
Ready, hike! They're off. Aaron Peck from Grande Prairie Alberta pulled out from Deshka Landing at 6:01 east coast/2:01 Alaska time. Beautiful sunny afternoon there. It will be a while before Cody and Paige leave as they both drew numbers near the end. Sigh.
Good luck to all the mushers and teams.
Mushers will be heading along Willow Lake and then through forests past Yentna, then Skwentna and on to Finger Lake. It is mostly flat to Skwenta but is uphill to Finger Lake.
Honorary Hokie Cody Strathe was off at 7:11 east coast/3:11 Alaska time and Paige just set off at 7:21 east coast/3:21 Alaska time.
Thanks for posting and tracking this, Frosty's Dad.
I know very little about this race, but I'm up to rooting for a Hokie.
- - edited for spelling
3/8/21 AM update.
Most of the mushers have passed through the Skwentna checkpoint and have pulled out onto the trail for Finger Lake. They were led by Ryan Redington who left with 14 dogs at 8:13 PM Alaska time/12:13 AM east coast. His 5 hour 30 minute segment time into Skwentna is much faster than anyone else. Most took at least 6 hours and many are 9-10.
Paige and Cody pulled out together in 29th and 30th place at 1:05 AM this morning Alaska/5:05 AM east coast. Paige dropped 1 dog and is down to 13. Not a good sign this early in the race. Cody has all 14.
Looking at the GPS tracker, Paige and Cody are running together for now in 26th and 27th place and Nicolas Petit has just pulled into Finger Lake in the lead.
But how tired are the dogs after such a fast sprint to start?
Depends on the conditioning. Most of these dogs are built for endurance running, not sprinting. It could be that the rookie dog was a sprinter who could put Paige in a better position after 1 stage, but would be a hinderance further down the trail, as endurance conditioning pays off. With a younger dog, it is a bit easier to build up speed, as opposed to endurance. I do it with my younger greyhound on the treadmill, and have noticed he's getting a tad faster, with better striding and body control. If I wanted him to be a long distance runner, I would put him at a lower speed and run him longer. The downsides being it would take longer to develop and the caloric needs would go through the roof.
It could also be that Paige dropped the rookie dog because it just wasn't meshing with the rest of the team. A few years ago at nationals, my team had to switch out a faster dog for one that was more consistent, in order for us to not finish dead last in our division. We weren't competitive time-wise, but we were able to run well enough that we were able to beat teams who beat themselves, and wound up coming in 2nd in our division.
Guessing they will tire, but they will likely rest along the trail. Some prefer to rest at checkpoints and others on the trail. Assuming Redington's team will slow or rest soon.
Live look at the spectators
Paige and Cody are both at Finger Lake and are listed as "resting" at the checkpoint on the GPS tracker. Seems like the standings take a while to update compared to the GPS. Cody was listed in 5th and Paige in 19th. The top 4 mushers have passed through Finger Lake but looks like most (including Petit, who arrived first) are taking a break here.
Starting to see some strategy.
Ryan Redington is well out in front having completed the uphill climb to Rainy Pass and on the way back down. Seems to want to open up a big lead and try to hold. Several top mushers are chasing, including 4x winner Martin Buser, 4x winner (and generally considered the favorite) Dallas Seavey some top mushers like Nicholas Petit and Peter Peter Kaiser and some real good young ones like Matt Hall and Richie Diehl. All are on the trail from Finger Lake to Rainy Pass, with Buser just arriving at the pass.
Paige is back at Finger Lake in 29th. She is with a large group of mushers - including some top ones like Aaron Burmeister, Jessie Royer and recent winner Joar Leifseth Ulsom. Paige and many of the others have been there for a few hours feeding the team and resting them. Looks like among the top people there is the push out hard group at the front and the hold back group Paige is in.
And, literally a minute after I posted, the GPS has Paige pulling out of Finger Lake for the uphill run to Rainy Pass in 27th place at around 9 AM Alaska/1 PM east coast. Has 13 dogs in harness for what is considered one of the toughest segments on this course.
Is there a limit to the number of dogs you can start with other than being able to haul the food/water?
Yes, you can only have 14 at the start. And you cannot replace any. You can drop a dog that is not doing well, but cannot replace them once you start, so if you drop one you go with less. Would think that dropping dogs would slow your team but it seems to have relatively little impact on things.
What about if a polar bear decimates your team? DNF?
Do not finish. But that is why I have Frosty contact his friends to make sure they don't cause any trouble :-).
Seriously though, there have been dogs killed during the race my moose. Don't get far enough north to get polar bears. At least I don't think Nome is far enough north to get them?!? Definitely no where near far enough this year though.
You ain't kidding about moose, I've heard crazy stories about how they're mean animals if you irritate them:
The sea ice around Nome definitely freezes over so I just assumed polar bears would be around....Bering Sea Gold does show them (probably for dramatic reasons), but that could be stock footage and not actually in Nome
You are right. Looked it up and they can get polar bears around Nome. Not real often or common, but they do range that far south. Guess I should not have been surprised by that since they get way down into Manitoba on Hudson's Bay. And heck, Frosty is originally from Texas.
A moose once bit my sister
No Realli!
March 8, Evening edition.
Nicholas Petit is first into the Rohn checkpoint. Arrived with 14 dogs at 1:54 Alaska/5:54 east coast. Dallas Seavey and Ryan Redington are approaching Rohn and should be there pretty soon.
Paige is currently stopped at the prior checkpoint of Rainy Pass. She pulled in at 12:25 Alaska/4:25 east coast with 13 dogs. Currently sits at 29th place.
Cody is also at Rainy Pass, pulling in about 20 minutes after Paige with 14 dogs.
Just like earlier, there are a lot of mushers - including some of the top ones - with Paige and Cody. Group is not aggressively chasing the leaders and seems to want to keep their teams held back and not go too fast.
Next stage from Rainy Pass to Rohn is largely downhill but has a lot of rough terrain. Only 30-something miles, so a short segment, but it can take a while to do. After Rohn, they will head out to Nikolai. That is a much longer stretch of about 80 miles. At the beginning is "some truly bad spots on this stretch, mostly within the first 20 miles" so it is expected to take mushers 10-15 hours to complete.
March 8, late night update:
Ryan Redington leads 4 mushers who have moved out of Rohn checkpoint and are on the long trail to Nikolai.
Paige pulled out of Rainy Pass on her way to Rohn at about 5:30 PM Alaska/9:30 PM east coast. Cody followed just a few minutes later. Both are on the trail. GPS has Paige in 28th place with 12 dogs and Cody with 14.
Morning update, March 9.
Ryan Redington continues to lead the race, pulling out of Rohn checkpoint with 12 dogs at 4:11 PM yesterday Alaska time/8:11 east coast. Apparently had some really fierce winds there a few hours ago. He was followed by Martin Buser less than an hour later with 14 dogs. According to GPS, it is now Redington followed by Dallas Seavey in second, who also has 14 dogs.
Paige has pulled into Rohn at 9:20 PM Alaska/1:21 AM east coast this morning. Spent 35 minutes at the checkpoint and then pulled out with 12 dogs at 9:55 PM/1:55 AM east coast in 22nd place. GPS has her now up to 19 having passed a few teams on the trail.
Cody is also on the trail between Rohn and Nikolai. A few miles behind Paige in 26th place.
Matt Hall, a young musher with an 11th and 6th place finish is the first one to complete the mandatory 8 hr layover. He is now in 29th, but will pass several people when they take their 8 hr layover, which we should start to see a lot of people do. Always gets a bit weird when some have taken their layovers and others have not as people ahead of others in the standings can really be behind them as they still need to stop.
Also had our first musher scratch on the trail. One had dropped out before the start. On the Iditarod site for Cindy Gallena:
"Gallea became ill (non-COVID-19-related) and made the decision to scratch in the best interest of her race team.
Gallea had 14 dogs in harness at the time she made the decision to scratch."
March 9 evening update. Some good and some bad news.
The good is that Paige and Cody have moved up to 10th and 12th respectively on the GPS tracker. They pulled out of Rohn checkpoint in 24th and 25th place at about 10 PM last night Alaska time. Have had a real good run and are approaching Nikolai.
Dallas Seavey now leads as one of the few mushers that have pushed past Nikolai.
Know the name won't mean much to most, but Aliy Zirkle is possibly the most popular musher in the world now. She is over 50 and retiring after this race. She scratched at the Rohn checkpoint due to what sounds like a serious injury while coming in. Real shame to end her awesome career. Hope she is on her feet again soon. According to the Iditarod website:
"Zirkle is in stable but guarded condition after sustaining a significant impact that resulted in a concussion and orthopedic injuries to her upper torso. Zirkle has been released from the hospital and is resting in Anchorage with family and plans to return home when they are able."
Thanks for the updates! Hope Aliy is okay.
So it's official now, right? VT is now #DogSledU?
#D
BSUMarch 10 AM. The leader board on the Iditarod site seems really slow to update, so I'm just going with the GPS tracker from now on.
Ryan Redington is back in the lead. He has pulled into the Ophir ghost town check point with 11 dogs and is resting there at the moment. Brent Sass and Aaron Burmeister are on the trail not too far away. Redington and Burmeister have already completed their mandatory 8 hour layover.
A handful of other mushers are on the trail behind them from McGrath to Ophir. 1 of them is honorary Hokie Cody Strathe in 6th place with all 14 dogs. For someone on a training run with the kennel's young dogs, he is doing a heck of a job.
Paige is in the McGrath checkpoint with 12 dogs and listed in 9th place. Unless she is taking her 8 hour break, I'm guessing she will be pulling out shortly as she and Cody have been close together the entire time.
Trail description says that the stretch from McGrath to Ophir starts out flat and fast. Mostly along a well traveled snow machine trail as well as some rivers. Should be a fast trip once she starts over it.
Second March 10 AM update.
Brent Sass pulled into Ophir and pulled out after just 11 minutes with 14 dogs, so is officially listed in first. However, Ryan Redington (11 dogs) and Aaron Burmeister (14 dogs) are both in Ophir and have both completed their 8 hour layover, while Sass has not, so both of them are really ahead of Sass even though they are listed as 2nd and 3rd.
Paige was taking her 8 hour layover earlier, but she has now pulled out of McGrath and is on the trail to Ophir with 12 dogs and is listed as being in 9th. However, none of the mushers in 4-8 position (including Cody in 7th by GPS with 14 dogs) have done their 8 hours, so she should pass some or all of them when they take their mandatory break.
Cody and Paige pulled into Ophir in 9th and 10th place. Cody at 8:09 AM Alaska/12:09 PM east coat with 14 dogs and Paige at 9:45 AM Alaska/1:45 PM east coast with 12 dogs.
Had an interview with Cody as Paige was coming in. He was saying that the team was a mix of young inexperienced dogs and some veterans, but was doing very well together. Said it would be great to be in the top 10 or 20 in the end, but his goal is to keep all 14 dogs in the race as long as possible to get the experience and that he would slow down if need be. Also said that Paige's 12 dog team looked great, but we know he has a bias :-).
Next stretch is a long one to the ghost town of Iditarod.
After that is the short loop trail to Flat and back to Iditarod.Only 3 mushers have moved on past Ophir, Brent Sass (14 dogs), Aaron Peck (14 dogs) and Denmark's Millie Porsid (11 dogs). This Ophir to Iditarod stretch is not considered difficult but is:"one of the emptiest legs on the entire race, a full 90 miles of lonely country and endless trail. The trail crosses a mix of terrain and vegetation, ranging from taiga (black spruce) to barren upland tundra to thick river-bottom forests to brushy ravines and hillsides to swamps and lakes."
Not supposed to be technically a problem but does have some of the more exposed areas, so if a storm comes through, you can get hit full force here. Because it is the longest stretch, it says you should plan for 12 to 18 hours with breaks. Even if Paige and Cody do not rest any more at Ophir, should be tomorrow before either arrives.
EDIT: Sorry, it was announced that the teams will turn around at Iditarod and the 20 mile loop to Flat will not occur. Missed that and fixed above.
March 11, early AM update.
Cody and Paige are both still in Ophir as they are both taking their mandatory 24 hour layover. Several mushers who had been taking their 24 have caught up to them and a few, including former champions Dallas Seavey and Joar Leifseth Ulsom have moved past them onto the trail to Iditarod. Word is that the trail from Ophir to Iditarod was not in great shape. The loop to Flat was removed because the people laying out the trail were having trouble with very deep snow and there would not be time to get everything set up well if they had to do the Flat loop as well. Temperatures were supposed to drop to -20 last night, so the hope is the trail will be hard and in good shape now, but we will see.
Brett Sass (14 dogs), Aaron Peck (14 dogs), and Millie Porsild (11 dogs) are in front at Iditarod. All 3 should be taking their 24 hour layover. Many top contenders are on the trail from Ophir to Iditarod having completed their 24 hours. Cody and Paige are now listed in 15the and 16th place. They will be eligible to leave around 8 AM Alaska/12 PM east coast and around 9:45 AM/1:45 PM east coast. Paige will be one of the few who will have completed both her first 8 hour and her 24 hour layover.
2 more mushers, Brenda Mackey and Gunner Johnson have scratched or withdrawn dropping the field to 42 now. Brenda was down to 9 dogs and decided to scratch. Gunner tested positive for COVID and was withdrawn. Wishing him a speedy recovery.
March 11 afternoon update.
Cody and Paige have completed their 24 hour layovers. Cody set out for Iditarod at 8:31 AM Alaska/12:31 PM east coast with 13 dogs. According to the GPS, Paige set out just a few minutes ago with 12 dogs. Cody is listed in 19th place and Paige in 22nd. She is one of just a handful to have completed both her first 8 hour and 24 hour layover, so she is will be able to pass many of the teams ahead of her when they have to take their first 8 hour. Everyone has to take their second 8 hour layover in the same place near the end of the race.
It is a long leg to Iditarod, so Cody and Paige probably won't arrive until tomorrow.
As before, Brent Sass, Aaron Peck and Millie Porsid are the only mushers to make the half way point at Iditarod. All are taking their 24 hour layover. Everybody from 4-22 is on the trail from Ophir to Iditarod.
March 12 AM update.
Dallas Seavey leads the field having pulled out of Iditarod and started back towards Ophir yesterday at 2:55 PM Alaska/6:55 PM east coast with 13 dogs. He was followed about an hour later by Ryan Redington with 11 dogs. Since leaving Iditarod, Wade Marrs has passed Redington so it is Seavey, Marrs and Redington.
Paige pulled into Iditarod at 10:03 PM last night Alaska/2:03 AM east coast. Only stayed for 22 minutes before pulling out with 12 dogs in 11th place. Cody pulled out at 1:41 AM Alaska/5:41 east coast with 13 dogs in 20th place. Both are on the trail back to Ophir with GPS having them holding those 11th and 20th place positions. 6 of the teams ahead of Paige still have to take their first 8 hour break.
It is a long stretch of trail, but lots of teams on it as mushers 1-23 are all on the trail coming back while several of the slower teams are going past them in the other direction to Iditarod.
Rookie Christopher Parker became the 5th musher to drop out. He was down to 8 dogs and decided to scratch in McGrath.
March 12 evening update:
Dallas Seavey was first into the McGrath checkpoint, arriving with 13 dogs at about 9:30 AM Alaska/1:30 east coast. He is still there, so assume he is taking his 8 hour layover. Brent Sass followed in second with 14 dogs at 12:42 PM Alaska/4:42 east coast. He is doing his 8 hour. There are 4 other mushers on the trail to McGrath.
Paige just pulled into the Ophir checkpoint after making the long run from Iditarod with 12 dogs. She is currently in 15th place. Cody is on the trail about 20 miles behind her with 13 dogs in 21st place. They have been close together most of the way, but can see Paige pushing the pace more the rest of the way.
With less than 300 miles to the finish from McGrath, the true "racing" will start soon. Could see the winner coming in late on Sunday east coast time, but a lot can change with weather and trail conditions, so we will see.
Also, Rick Casillo became the 6th musher to exit the race. Had 13 dogs in harness in Iditarod but decided to scratch there. 40 left in the race.
March 12 late evening.
Well, I was wrong about Paige pushing on. She has been in Ophir for about 3.5 hours getting the team rested for the next stretch to McGrath. Cody pulled in to Ophir at 4:48 PM Alaska/8:48 east coast with 13 dogs. He is in 21st place.
Up front, Dallas Seavey completed his 8 hour layover at McGrath, pulling out at 5:32 PM Alaska/9:32 east coast with 13 dogs on the way to Nikolai and then Rohn. It got below -50 last night and is expected to be below -20 tonight, so the trails are expected to be solid, packed, and fast this evening. Good weather for these dogs. Up above +10 (like it was early in the race) is a bit warm for them.
March 13 AM.
The lead mushers - Aaron Burmeister with 14 dogs, Brent Sass with 13 and Dallas Seavey with 12 - have all pulled out of Nikolai and are on the trail to Rohn. Ryan Redington looks ready to join them with 9 dogs.
Paige and Cody are both in McGrath, Paige with 11 dogs in 18th place and Cody with 13 dogs in 21st. As far back as she is from the leaders, about 60 miles, and how strong those teams have been, do not see much chance of a top 5 finish, but it is possible. She has been taking some longer breaks so the team should be reasonably well rested for the final segments. Hoping she can close the gap and make her third straight top 10. She needs to make up about 30 miles in the final ~300 from McGrath to the finish to get into the top 10, which is certainly possible.
March 13 afternoon. Just listed to an interview with Cody, so got some insights on their teams. This is the 2nd or 3rd interview with him they've had, but have not seen one with Paige since before the start of the race.
In addition to running the kennel, Cody does make sleds for other mushers. He said there are about a dozen mushers in the race that are using sleds he built, which is pretty cool. different people have different strategies for weight and construction. He said he likes big strong sleds (called them the Hummers of dog sleds) that can take a lot of abuse and not get damaged. Others do prefer lighter sleds as that is easier for the dogs, but those can get smashed up and need repairs while Cody's are designed to just bounce off a tree.
He said Paige had some trouble with sick dog(s) early on in the race. That was why she had been going fairly slow early on. The team is fine now, and she is hoping to catch up to some of the leaders. Cody reiterated that he has a mixed team of very young and older dogs. They have been doing well, so he may push a bit harder here in the final quarter of the race with the goal to be in the top 20. He is 21st now and resting in McGrath.
Paige is approaching Nikolai in 16th place. GPS has her 6 miles behind Nicholas Petit in 10th place.
Out in front, Dallas Seavey is approaching the Rohn (the checkpoint after Nikolai that Paige is approaching). he has a 17 and 24 mile lead over Aaron Burmeister and Ryan Redington, though Redington is down to 9 dogs.
Another fun fact, Paige and Cody are the only husband and wife team to complete the Yukon Quest and Iditarod in the same year.
I wonder why more couples don't do this, I mean it's perfect event where you are doing it together, but are miles apart.
Guessing it is just that there are so few couples able to do these long distance races. Need to both have the skills and a large enough kennel to provide 2 full dog teams. It used to be that almost no one did Yukon Quest and Iditarod in the same year as the thought was it took too much out of you and the dogs to do both, so you would have to take it easy in one or the other or even both. But with big kennels, people have done it successfully.
March 13 evening update.
Aaron Burmeister was first to the Rohn checkpoint, pulling in with all 14 dogs at 4:26 Alaska/8:26 east coast. Brett Sass is just pulling in now (9:30 east coast) with 13 dogs. Dallas Seavey is just a mile back of that with 12 dogs, so the top 3 are all close together with about 170 miles left. Ryan Redington is just a few miles behind Dallas in 4th with 9 dogs. Shaping up to be a close finish for first.
Paige has reached the Nikolai checkpoint in 15th with 11 dogs. About 250 more miles to go. Her team is resting before heading out towards Rohn about 75 miles away. Cody has gotten up to 20th and is about 15 miles from Nikolai.
Have also had 2 more mushers scratch. This includes 2019 champion Peter Kaiser who scratched in McGrath with 10 dogs in harness as well as Riley Dyche who had 9 dogs back at the halfway point of Iditarod. 8 out of the race (plus 1 that withdrew right before start) so 38 teams still in the running.
March 14 - happy Pi Day - AM report.
Well, does not look good for Paige. She has dropped back to 17th place and is down to 9 dogs. In the last interview with Cody, he said that they were overlapping at the checkpoints but he said he was hoping not to see her until the end as she would have pulled away. Cody is now in 18th place and GPS has him only a mile back of her with 13 dogs. I wonder if they will decide to run together and finish up together. Not exactly the worst thing in the world to complete a huge challenge like Iditarod with your special someone. I'd love to do it. Not the whole thing, of course, but a bit of one :-).
Up front, it looks like a 3 man race. Dallas Seavey (12 dogs), Aaron Burmeister (13 dogs) and Brent Sass (13 dogs) are all within 5 miles of each other and are approaching Finger Lake checkpoint. The next stop after that is Skwentna, where everyone has to take a mandatory 8 hour layover. From there, it is less than 70 miles to the finish. Several mushers are on the trail behind the top 3, but they are far enough back that there is little chance of anyone not in the top 3 of pulling out the to position. Could happen, but unlikely as you would need 3 top teams to all falter.
March 14 afternoon update.
Still real tight at the front. Dallas Seavey pulled into Finger Lake checkpoint with 12 dogs at 6:58 Alaska/12:58 east coast. Pulled out 5 minutes later having dropped 2 dogs and now running with 10. Aaron Burmeister was right behind pulling in with 13 dogs at 7:13 AM/1:13 PM he was also there only 5 minutes and pulled out with all 13. Brent Sass came it at 9:22 AM/1:22 PM with 13 dogs and also pulled out 5 minutes later with 13. GPS has Burmeister 4 miles behind Seavey and Sass 17 miles behind Seavey. Guessing that the winner will come in early Monday morning local time in Alaska.
Paige is in 17th place and 18 miles away from the checkpoint at Rohn. She is running with Rayne Olson in 18th and the GPS says they are within the same mile. Cody is in 20th place about 24 miles behind Paige and Rayne. All of them are looking for a top 20 finish. Have to wonder how many times, if ever, a husband-and-wife team have both finished in the top 20 in the Iditarod in the same year. Cody's highest finish is 29th, so I know they have not done it.
Mille Porsild, the woman from Denmark is 4th. She is the one who worked with Will Steger on his Canadian Arctic expedition. Will partnered with Paul Schurke on their North Pole expedition and who runs the lodge I learned to dogsled at, so pretty cool for me to see her up there.
March 14 early late afternoon update.
Some good news on Aily Zirkle. Link from her Facebook page that she is back home, doing okay, and will not need surgery on her dislocated shoulder. Going to take a while to heal, but glad to be home.
Dallas Seavey was the first into Skwentna with 11 dogs at 12:44 PM Alaska/4:44 east coast. Aaron Burmeister is just a few miles from the checkpoint and should be there shortly. Brent Sass is 8 miles behind Aaron. Possible he could make a run at the top spot, but will need to have a great final leg and/or both of the top teams to struggle. Dallas will be eligible to leave at 8:44 PM for the final ~70 mile leg to the finish at Deshka Landing.
Paige is currently at the Rohn checkpoint with 3 other teams. She remains in 17th position. Cody is on the trail to Rohn and in 20th place. Hoping for a top 20 finish for both of them. From Rohn, the trail is 190 miles to the finish going back through Rainy Pass, Finger Lake, Skwentna and finally Deshka Landing.
Dennis Kananowicz became the 9th musher out of the race when he scratched in McGrath with 11 dogs in harness. 37 still in the running.
Thanks for hosting this thread post for us. It's got me into a race I never really followed. Now I check for your updates and even peruse the race website. This has been fun! Thank you!
Edit for spelling error
You are welcome. Glad people have liked it. I've had fun doing it. Wish Paige had a better showing, but anyone who is able to complete this is amazing to me. Guessing that ill dog is why she had to drop one so early. Hope we get an interview with her at some point. And, for someone who is running the young dogs with a few veterans who was not trying, he has done a heck of a job.
March 15 early AM.
Looks like I managed to annoy my wife unnecessarily by getting up at 5:30 AM to make sure I caught the finish live. The run in from Skwentna is taking longer than I thought. Barring a collapse by someone, it is going to be Dallas Seavey becoming the second 5-time Iditarod winner. Tying Dallas with Rick Swenson. he is listed at 25 miles from the finish and running with 10 dogs. Aaron Burmeister should take second as he is 39 miles from the finish with 10 dogs and Brent Sass should be third, 51 miles away with 13 dogs. Several mushers are in Skwentna finishing their 8 hour layover.
Paige remains in 17th place running with 9 dogs and, as before, Ryne Olson is right with her, running with 12 dogs. Cody is holding on to 20th place and is listed as 2 miles ahead of Matthew Failor. Paige and Ryne are past Rainy Pass and have started the largely downhill run to Finger Lake and then Skwentna. Both listed as 127 miles to the finish. Cody and Matthew are approaching Rainy Pass with Cody being 146 miles from the finish.
March 15 5:10 AM Alaska/9:10 AM east coast.
Dallas Seavey just crossed the finish line to become the 2nd 5 time Iditarod winner. Will update with the official finish time once it is posted. Crossed with 10 dogs in harness. There is still a race for second, but it should be Aaron Burmeister as he is 11 miles ahead of Brent Sass with 19 miles to go.
Paige and Cody are running in 19th and 20th place and the GPS has them within 1 mile of each other on the trail to Finger Lake.
So Dallas is officially listed as having reached Deshka Landing at 5:08 AM and 57 seconds Alaska time with 10 dogs. His total running time was 7 days, 14 hours, 8 minutes and 57 seconds. That is the fastest Iditarod time. Dallas' dad, Mitch Seavey, has held the record at about 8 days and 3 hours. Hopefully that record still officially will stand as it seems pretty wrong to me to call this the fastest time ever when the race was 200 miles shorter than normal. There is variation in the length from year-to-year based on the route and snow conditions, but to me this is too much of a difference to count the speed record. Will probably be another couple of days before the final musher crosses to claim the Red Lantern Award as the final musher to complete the race.
Link to the Anchorage Daily News article. It gives you a handful of free views, so should not be behind a pay wall unless you have been accessing ADN for other articles.
https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2021/03/15/dallas-seavey...
I agree. I would not replace the record if the course was 200 miles shorter.
March 15 evening update.
Just after 8 PM east coast, the top 10 have all crossed the finish:
(1) Dallas Seavey
(2) Aaron Burmeister
(3) Brent Sass - wonder how well he would have done if not for the broken bone and surgery a couple months ago
(4) Wade Marrs
(5) Millie Porsild - first woman and first ex-US musher
(6) Nicholas Petit
(7) Ryan Redington - finished with 6 dogs, which I believe is the minimum you can have to continue in the race
(8) Joar Leifseth Ulsom - has still never finished outside of the top 10
(9) Richie Diehl
(10) Ramey Smyth
This is the best or tied for best finish for most of the top 10.
Mushers 11-14 are on the trail from Skwentna to the finish at Deshka Landing.
Mushers 15-19 are in Skwentna taking their 8 hour layover. This includes Paige who arrived with 9 dogs in 19th about 30 minutes ago. Paige will be eligible to leave a little after 10:15 PM Alaska/2:15 AM east coast, so she should arrive at the finish somewhere in the general vicinity of lunch time on the east coast. Cody is in 20th about 12 miles from Skwentna.
Rookie Jeremy Traska became the 10th musher out of the race when he scratched at Nikolai with 9 remaining dogs. That means 10 completed, 26 still on the course and 10 scratched or withdrawn + the 1 that dropped out just before the race began.
March 16 early morning update.
Paige completed her 8 hour layover and pulled out of Skwentna with 9 dogs as 10:18 PM Alaska/2:18 AM east coast in 18th place. GPS has her holding in 18th place with 32 miles remaining to the finish. She continues to run neck-and-neck with Ryne Olsen, who has 12 dogs and is listed in 19th place within 1 mile of Paige. They should both finish around noon, probably a little before.
According to GPS, Cody just completed his layover and pulled out of Skwentna a few minutes ago with 12 dogs. He is 61 miles to the finish and in 20th place. Will be a race between Cody and Matthew Failor for 20th. Matthew has 11 dogs and is 3 miles behind Cody. They should both finish this morning Alaska/this afternoon east coast.
10:24 east coast: Paige and Ryne continuing neck-and-neck. Ryne had pulled into 18th and dropped Paige to 19th, but the latest GPS has Paige back in front. Real battle to the end between the 2 ladies for 18th with Paige now listed as 6 miles out and Ryne 7 miles out. Wonder if both teams will both be on the final pathway to the finish at the same time.
Cody has opened up a 5 mile lead over Matthew with 33 miles to go as he tries to hold onto the 20th position.
Edit: and as soon as I wrote that Cody has opened up the lead, the GPS now has his team stopped on the trail resting. Hopefully it is a short one and/or Matthew's team needs to rest before finishing as well. Will be tight for 20th/21st just like 18th/19th.
10:37 AM east coast: and Cody is back up and running. Must have been something minor. Matthew has closed to within 3 miles though.
And the live feed for the Iditarod Insiders page is showing the teams doing the layover at Skwentna. If Paige and Ryne arrive neck-and-neck and they are showing the teams back at Skwentna I am going to be pissed/wonder if the ACC Network is running the feed.
March 16 late morning update - Paige has arrived in Deshka Landing.
It's been a tough race, but Paige and her team have sniffed out a top 20 finish.
Paige pulls in with 9 dogs in 19th place at approximately 7:20 AM Alaska/11:20 AM east coast. Will update when her official times are posted. They read out at the finish that she was a VT grad!
GPS had her and Ryne right by each other for a long time, but Ryne pulled ahead at the end to capture the 18th spot, arriving at approximately 7:14 AM Alaska/11:14 AM east coast with 12 dogs. During the post-race interview, they mentioned that they had led expeditions together (I did not know that) but they had decided to run together for the final leg of the race.
Cody is 25 miles out and has opened increased his lead back to 5 miles in the race for 20th. Dang blasted work meeting and then my first COVID vaccine shot later today may mean I miss Cody's arrival. Hopefully we can see both of them capture top 20 spots.
Paige's official stats:
19th place.
Finished at 7:19 and 20 seconds Alaska/11:19 and 20 second east coast,
Total time of 8 days, 16 hours, 19 minutes and 20 seconds.
Congrats on her third top 20 finish.
And Cody completes the husband-wife/Hokie-honorary Hokie top 20 finish. Crosses into Deshka Landing with 12 dogs in 20th place while I was on a conference call. Will update his arrival time once it is officially posted. He soundly beats his previous best 29th finish while running the kennel's "B" team of young dogs with a few veterans on a run designed to get the team experience. Heck of a job by Cody.
And I'd love to know if Paige and Cody are the first wife/husband combination to get top 20 Iditarod finishes in the same year.
16 teams still on the course. Rookie Dakota Schlosser and 2019's Red Lantern Award winner Victoria Hardwick (the Red Lantern is given to the last musher to complete the race and is considered a symbol of perseverance) are 142 miles away approaching Rainy Pass as the last 2 mushers in line. Hopefully they will all make it in.
Any way we can get ahold of them for a short interview over the summer doldrums?
An AMA would be really cool
Lets invite them to Lot 18!
I guess I could try and ask them. Who knows, maybe they would.
Thanks Frosty for all the updates. It was fun to follow along.
You are both/all welcome.
I could name a lot 18 beer "Same view, different day".
Hey, man, that was a great running commentary on the race, I very much enjoyed it.
March 17, AM update.
It ain't over till it's over. 27 teams have crossed the finish line, but 9 are still on the trail. Chad Stoddard became Rookie of the Year when he was the first rookie to cross the finish in 23rd place. 7 of the 9 remaining mushers are also fellow rookies. This includes Sean Underwood whom was in last year's race. Managed to get almost to the finish but had to stop because of deep water on the course, which must have sucked to be that close and then be forced to stop. Note from last year below. Hopefully he and the others can complete things today or early tomorrow at the latest.
"Iditarod mushers Sean Underwood (bib #46), Tom Knolmayer (bib #30) and Matthew Failor (bib #29) encountered deep overflow of water on a section of the Iditarod trail just prior to Safety. At approximately 7:30 a.m. today, the mushers requested emergency assistance.
In coordination with the Alaska State Troopers, Nome Search and Rescue and the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, all teams were safely rescued from the area and transported to Nome. All sled dogs and mushers are in good health.
Because of these rescue efforts and in accordance with rule 31, all three mushers did scratch from Iditarod XLVIII."
March 17 evening update.
Sean Underwood did finish up, so glad to see he made it this time. Coming in 30th place. 5 mushers remain on the trail with the last 2 pulling out of Skwentna for the final leg a few minutes ago. They may finish up late tonight Alaska time or early in the morning, but will definitely be tomorrow morning for me on the east coast. Will close the books on Iditarod 49 when I get up tomorrow.
March 18 AM update.
Okay, now it's a final. The 2021 Red Lantern goes to the 2019 Red Lantern winner, Victoria Hardwick. She pulled into Deshka Landing with 10 dogs at 12:22 AM Alaska/4:22 east coast. That was 2 minutes after rookie Dakota Schlosser finished. Victoria closes out the 49th Iditarod in a time of 10 days, 9 hours, 22 minutes and 6 seconds in 36th place. Average speed, including the rest breaks, was 3.34 mph. For reference, the winner was 4.57 mph and Paige was 3.99 mph.
Again, thanks for doing this and doing it so well.
Did you ever discover if this was the first hisband-wife top twenty finish?
No, have not heard anything. Had not really looked that hard either, so let me try and do some digging.