It looks like Paige was a late addition to the field. I was looking at the musher list a few times and neither she nor honorary Hokie by marriage Cody Strathe were listed as running this year. But when I looked earlier today, she was listed as 1 of 33 mushers in the field. 7 mushers have dropped out.
No Dallas Seavey this year, but his father, 3 time winner Mitch Seavey, is back in the race for the first time since 2022.
Big story so far is the lack of snow on the southern part of the trail. This is forcing the ceremonial start in Anchorage to be shortened and the real race start to be moved to Fairbanks. This actually follows more of the route that actually occurred during the serum run in 1925. The serum was drooped off the train at Nenana for the dogsled relay to Nome. Nenana is the first checkpoint on the trail itself this year. Mushers will go west from Fairbanks and eventually cut south down to Anvik, with is part of the normal odd year southern route. Then they will come back up north to the sea coast across it, and on to Nome.
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Comments
In terms of timing:
The ceremonial start is Saturday, March 1, at 10 AM Alaska time (2 PM east coast)
The official start is at 11:00 AM Alaska time on Monday, March 3 (3 PM east coast)
They had to add the extra day in there for the teams to travel up to Fairbanks and get settled in.
Link to the official race site is here:
https://iditarod.com/
LETS GO PAIGE!
Let's go Paige!!!!
Hell yeah, boys! Let's do this one more time!
Let's go, Paige! Looking forward to seeing your finish line crossing video again this year!
Paige was listed as running a couple weeks ago when I looked, around the time I got the trading cards.
Video of Paige + team leaving for the start.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1759608191612603
What a happy and beautiful-looking team. And I'll bet none of them are wanting to transfer or get a better NIL deal.
As we count down to the ceremonial start, quick rundown on some of the mushers to keep an eye on. A lot of the big names are not running this year. Amazingly, there are 16 rookies in the field of 33. And with a smaller field, could easily see a first-time champion.
Travis Beals - 4 top 10 finishes with a high of 5th.
Jeff Deeter - only 1 top 10 finish, but was 4th last year.
VT's Paige Drobny - 3 top 10 finishes with her highest last year in 5th. More on her below.
Matt Failor - only 1 top 10, but was 8th in 2023 and 13th last year.
Matt Hall - 3 top 10 finishes and 2nd place last year. Says he is focused on the top spot. Has lost 20 pounds since last race and is one of the top contenders. He did mention in a pre-race interview that the switch to a flat trail from Fairbanks and not having to go over the Alaska Range is not great for his team as they were trained more for mountain terrain.
Jessie Holmes - 5 top 10 finishes, including 3rd in 2022 and last year. Won the Copper Basin 300 in January (Paige's husband Cody came in second) and is another top musher with a good shot at winning if he has a good race.
Nicholas Petit - 6 top 10 finishes, including 2nd in 2018 and 3rd in 2019.
Millie Porsild - 3 top 10 finishes in only 5 races. Someone who definitely has a shot. Said her team is competitive and they are used to training on flat land, including the Greenland ice cap. Feels the flat course this year should be an advantage to her team.
Ryan Reddington - 4 top 10 finishes and one of only two that have won the Iditarod before, 1st in 2023.
Mitch Seavey - 17 top 10 finishes and 3 wins (2004, 2013 and 2017), 3 2nd place finishes, including in 2020, but has only 1 race finish since 2020, which was 16th in 2022. He said "At 65 years of age, I'm running the Iditarod because it's hard." Have not seen the pre-race interview with him, so not sure if he is planning on pushing or just out to run the dogs again.
Dang, thats a logistical deal for an entire dog team. Wow!
Reddington is definitely on my
blacklistshortlist to win this yearPre-race interview with Paige she was very matter of fact and not very talkative. First question was why it took so long for her to sign up. She just said she wanted to do something different this year. Honorary Hokie by marriage Cody Strathe ran the Copper Basin 300 in January and came in second. He asked Paige to run the team home, which was about 50 miles, and the dog team did well. They were not planning on doing Iditarod this year but Cody asked should they do any more races and, after the team had a great 50 miles back home, Paige said yeah, they want to keep going.
When asked if she is going to try and win, she kind of hesitated and said yeah, but not at all aggressively. Said the team is pretty good but does not like to gloat about her team. Said the biggest thing with the team is they don't tire. Running 50 miles after the 300 seemed like nothing to them. Apparently, there are rumors around that she has a really good team, but she would not say too much. When pressed would she push the team, she said the team does not need to be pushed. The weak link is her and she feels 100% this year. Felt that last year, she was less mentally into it than the dogs were. Remember last year how she said that the team was really focused and wanted to run the fast pace. She just let them and did not push them.
Asked about the course switch, she feels it will be an advantage. They are up north and are used to running on rivers and areas without trees, so that route from Fairbanks west is more in their wheelhouse than going over the mountains in the southern part of the state.
When on the trail, said she likes to listen to comedy podcasts. Mentioned SmartLess and Hardness.
Fun little story and free video about it. Apparently, the finish line arch collapsed due to dry rot. Short video on making the new arch for this year.
https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2025/03/01/its-race-get-new-iditarod-b...
Jason Mackey from Fairbanks is first in line and about ready to go. My live stream is not doing well. Sigh.
Paige is set to leave 26th, so likely in an hour or so.
Edit: things really delayed. 2:11 and they still have not started.
New race course will be ~600 miles on the Yukon River. Also, this will be the longest dogsled race ever at 1,128 miles to commemorate 100 years from the 1925 original serum run.
Jason Mackey is off at 2:40 PM east coast/10:40 AM Alaska according to my clock.
They were not joking about no snow in the south. There is just a little strip a few feet wide with slow piles along the edge. Understand why the ceremonial start is only 1.5 miles. There is no snow outside of what, I presume, they had trucked in.
And Paige is off! 3:51 PM east coast time. Once again with a colorful outfit.
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EDIT: from one of the news stories on Iditarod.com:
"Perhaps the most uniquely attired musher, dogs and Iditarider in the Ceremonial start of 2025 was the Squid Acres bunch directed by Paige Drobny. Lead dogs and handlers sported leis. Handlers, Paige and the tag sled driver wore tropical shirts while her Iditarider carried a pineapple. Was it because it was 40 degrees and sunny in Anchorage for the Ceremonial Start so it felt very tropical or was it because the Iditarider's family owns a pineapple plantation in Costa Rica? Seems like either would be reason enough to pull out the flowered shirts and enjoy the beautiful day."
With Bib #34, the rookie Emily Ford pulls out with the final team at 4:15 PM east coast/12:15 PM Alaska. Teams will be transported up to Fairbanks and the race will restart on Monday.
According to the countdown clock on https://iditarod.com/race/current-standings/, it seems the Iditarod will start at 3pm EST today. ~5h25m to go as of this comment.
LET'S GO PAIGE!
Ho yeah! This is from a video showing setting up the starting gate in Fairbanks. Love the prominent VT branding.
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Having a hard time finding out what the actual course will be like. The Iditarod site would have descriptions of the trail sections and checkpoints, but with the trail being changed so recently, they don't have anything up about the early checkpoints. This is the best I can do.
Looks like the start will be near Pikes Landing by the airport. Teams will go down the Chena River and (I presume) go along the Nenana River for 52 miles to the first on-course checkpoint at the town of Nenana. Wife and I were there and Fairbanks when we visited Alaska. In one sense, a small town of several hundred, but by interior Alaska standards, it's one of the bigger places around, at the confluence of the Nenana and Tanana Rivers. Nenana has a couple claims to fame. 1 is that it was the starting point of the 1925 serum dog relay as the diphtheria serum was dropped off by train here. Nenana was the closest point to Nome on the railroad. Second is the Nenana Ice Classic where people can bet when the ice on the Tanana River will break up and the tripod will fall over. People can purchase tickets to bet on the timing.
https://www.nenanaakiceclassic.com/
After that (again, I presume) teams will head down the Tanana River for 85 miles to the checkpoint at Manley. Manley Hot Springs is at the end of the road connecting from Fairbanks. We didn't go there, but kind of like the idea of a place that really is at the end of the road.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Manley+Hot+Springs,+AK+99756/@65.0346118,-150.6662366,10z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x512ce5451040351d:0xb8faea766e9cc2b9!8m2!3d65.0004333!4d-150.6348735!16zL20vMHFqNnk?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDIyNi4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
After Manley, teams will continue down the Tanana River for 65 miles to where it flows into the Yukon River at Tanana.
To summarize:
Fairbanks = mile 0
Nenana = mile 52
Manley = mile 137
Tanana = mile 202
Weather is supposed to be fairly warm. Highs in the low 30s, which is fairly warm for the dogs. Thought from the race analyst is that teams will probably be taking it easy with plenty of rest during the day and choose to do most of the running at night when it cools to well below freezing. If the wind is light, could be very fast times on flat ice. They were noting that mushers will likely be making sure their teams are not going too fast early in the race. But if there is a lot of wind, it will likely be in the team's faces and that would slow things down.
The live stream must be run by ACCN or some such. Has not been working at all. No idea when it will be back up, but missing the teams leaving.
With all the problems they've had with the streaming, I have no idea if the time she pulled out is the time I saw it on my screen, but Paige and her team are off. I have it at 3:50 PM East Coast/11:50 AM Alaska Time. Go Paige and good luck.
Her bio that they read before the launch was said to be short and sweet:
I love exploring Alaska with my friends and dogs.
And so begins Frosty's annual turkey leg gathering!
And I for one am very thankful! Not only is good and VT related content at a relatively slow time of the year for the site, we also have something that neither the NCAA, the ACC, nor ESPN can't fuck up!
I'm sure if given a chance espn and ncaa would fuck it up
Monday evening, March 3 update.
All 33 teams are on the trail from Fairbanks to Nenana. For the most part, people are bunched together 40-47 miles in. The Mackey clan leads at the moment with Brenda Mackey in 1st and Jason Mackey in second. In terms of some of the big name mushers we have:
Ryan Redington in 3rd, 46 miles in
Matt Hall in 8th, 44 miles in
Jessie Holmes in 9th 44 miles in
Millie Porsild in 10th 44 miles in
Nicholas Petit in 11th 43 miles in
Paige has moved up 10 spots from 26th to 16th and is 42 miles in.
All but 1 team is running with 16 dogs. Rookie Quince Mountain (all Iditarod name there) has been resting the team 23 miles in for a while. Hopefully there is not a problem with him or the team. Really odd that someone would stop so soon for a prolonged while.
In a Fairbanks interview, Paige mentioned that her dogs seem to like temperatures from about 0 to -20. It was in the 30s and approaching 40 in Fairbanks at the start, but she did note that temperatures were warm in a couple of recent races they did, so the team has recent experience with temperatures around freezing.
Interview with the analysts in Nenana noted that a lot of mushers they talked to were going to play it by ear if they would stop a lot during the day. If there is a breeze, it will cool things off and there seemed to be a breeze in town, so this is likely keeping the dogs cool and avoiding the need for rest at the moment.
Monday night at about 9:40.
Jason Mackey was first into Nenana and he quickly pulled out. Stopped fairly soon after getting out of town and has the team resting away from the crowds. He is officially listed in first, 57 miles in and 1,071 miles to Nome.
Paige is listed as being 11th on the leaderboard, having pulled into Nenana at 4:52 PM local; time/8:52 east coast. She has the team resting in Nenana with 20 other mushers according to the GPS tracker, 52 miles in and 1,076 to Nome. Most (or all) may be waiting for cooler weather. Only Jason Mackey and Bailey Vitello chose to leave the area around town and rest away from people.
At the back of the pack, Quince Mountain is moving again, so that is good to see. I was worried something had happened to him or one of his dogs.
Tuesday morning March 4
Paige pulled out of Nenana in 8th place at 7:45 PM local time/11:45 M east coast with 16 dogs, having rested about 3 hours at the checkpoint.
Current GPS tracker shows her resting on the trail in 10th place, 107 miles in and 1,021 miles to Nome.
The current leaders are Matt Hall and then a whole bunch of people clustered together within a mile of each other:
Matt Hall with 16 dogs 111 miles in/1,017 to Nome
Travis Beals with 16 dogs 107 miles in/1,021 to Nome
Ryan Reddington with 16 dogs 107 miles in/1,021 to Nome
Riley Dyche with 16 dogs 107 miles in/1,021 to Nome
Brenda Mackey with 16 dogs 107 miles in/1,021 to Nome
Nicholas Petit with 16 dogs 107 miles in/1,021 to Nome
Jason Mackey with 16 dogs 107 miles in/1,021 to Nome
Jessie Holmes with 16 dogs 107 miles in/1,021 to Nome
Gabe Dunham with 16 dogs 107 miles in/1,021 to Nome
Paige Drobny with 16 dogs 107 miles in/1,021 to Nome
Here's the Squid Acres Kennel facebook link. They've been posting and sharing good photos so far.
Squid Acres Kennel
Pretty cool - 4 of her dogs are named with Grateful Dead references - Truckin', Terrapin', Dark Star, China Cat.
Haha. I didn't catch that. Dark Star is the dog under the parka. He was getting nervous with the noise of the other dogs around.
Sorry, too tied up at work for an earlier post (and I was having trouble with the Iditarod site sign in) but Paige pulled into the Manley checkpoint at 8:50 AM Alaska Time/12:50 PM east coast in third place, behind Jason Mackey and Ryan Reddington. She pulled out 8 minutes later with 16 dogs. Have to look back at the tracker to see what happened, but she must have had a fast run from Nenana. She was in second place leaving Manley with Reddington ahead of her. Jason has been resting a while there.
So as of 6:30 PM east coast/2:30 PM Alaska, all the teams are on the trail between Nenana and Tanana and most are still pretty well bunched together. Almost all with 16 dogs, but a few have been dropped. At one point. Paige was in the lead when a lot of people were changing back-and-forth to break trail. As I type, we have:
1. Matt Hall, resting with 16 dogs 170 miles in/958 to Nome
2. Jessie Holmes, resting with 16 dogs 169 miles in/959 to Nome
3. Michelle Phillips, resting with 16 dogs 163 miles in/965 to Nome
4. Mille Porsild, resting with 16 dogs 163 miles in/965 to Nome
5. Nicholis Petit, running with 16 dogs 157 miles in/971 to Nome
6. Jason Mackey, running with 16 dogs 154 miles in/974 to Nome
7. Riley Dyche, resting with 16 dogs 154 miles in/974 to Nome
8. Paige Drobny, resting with 16 dogs 154 miles in/974 to Nome
9. Bailey Vitello, resting with 14 dogs 153 miles in/975 to Nome
10. Mitch Seavey, resting with 16 dogs 152 miles in/976 to Nome
In the red lantern position at the back is rookie Quince Mountain running with 16 dogs 108 miles in/1,020 to Nome.
An interview with Bailey Vitello, he noted that it was warm on the trail, but not too hot. This did make the snow soft and wet, which, in turn, resulted in some rough broken up trail near the end. That was why he pushed on a bit further to get closer to the front going past Manley checkpoint. Thinks the mushers further back will encounter slower conditions and wants to stay close to the front to avoid mush on the trail.
Wednesday morning March 5.
Jason Mackey was first into the checkpoint at Tanana with 16 dogs at 10:40 PM Alaska/2:40 AM East Coast. He was followed quickly by Paige in second 4 minutes later. As the first to Tanana, Jason was presented with a nice pair of gloves and a $100 bill. Paige rested ~4.5 hours in the checkpoint and then pull out in 5th place at 1:31 AM Alaska/
4:31sorry, 5:31 AM east coast. Top 9 are on the trail from Tanana to Ruby on the first leg of the Yukon River. This is an extremely long run listed as 117 miles on the Iditarod checkpoint list. Current standings by GPS are:1. Matt Hall, running with 15 dogs 224 miles in/904 to Nome
2. Paige Drobny resting on the trail with 15 dogs 223 miles in/905 to Nome
3. Jessie Holmes resting on the trail with 16 dogs 221 miles in/907 to Nome
4. Michelle Phillips resting on the trail with 16 dogs 221 miles in/907 to Nome
5. Bailey Vitello, running with 14 dogs 211 miles in/917 to Nome
6. Millie Porsild resting on the trail with 16 dogs 210 miles in/918 to Nome
7. Ryan Redington, running with 13 dogs 209 miles in/919 to Nome
8. Jason Mackey, running with 15 dogs 209 miles in/919 to Nome
9. Riley Dyche, running with 15 dogs 206 miles in/922 to Nome
10-18. Nine teams resting in Tanana 202 miles in/926 to Nome
Looks like Paige is doing well. What are the realistic chances she pulls out a win? Could we claim that as our first natty?
I'd say pretty low. She consistently said in years past that she is not in it to win it, but to just see how well the dogs do. Spend time with them, see if they are contributing to the breed (which you can only do if you are competing against other top dog teams). That she does not want to push them hard but to let them go at the pace they want to go. Unless she has changed her views, I'm guessing she can have a really good showing, but probably not #1. But who knows?
The lead analyst (Bruce Lee, who has run Iditarod several times and has a top 10 finish) has said in prior years that he would like to see what would happen if Paige went all out or if someone else went all out with her team and that they could win. But Paige is not focused on winning. Wants to do the best the team can, but said the last thing she wants is to push them too hard and have the dogs be miserable.
I'm hoping for a top 5 this year. 5 is her best ever, so 3 or 4 would be amazing to me.
It's refreshing to hear her focus on the pups and their breed and the development of the breed. Paige is in this for the long view and developing the future.
With that said!
LFG!!
Go Puppies Go!!!
So, are you trying to say that she's "Inventing the Future" of dogsledding?
Just noticed she lost a dog. Then I noticed that five others in the top 9 are also at least one dog down. Panic averted.
Analysts interview was discussing that he suspected a lot of the top teams would push through Tanana to try and cover a decent chunk (20-30 miles) of the ultra long 117 run from Tanana to Ruby. Then then could rest and try to make a long run to Ruby with just 1 long rest break. If they stay in Tanana, they would still need a long rest on the trail. Apparently, the last time the Fairbanks-to-Nome route was used, most top mushers did stay in Tanana, but he thought most would push through. As it turned out, Michelle Phillips, Milie Porsild and Jessie Holmes did push through, but others like Paige, Matt Hall and Ryan Redington rested several hours at the checkpoint.
Interview with Quince Mountain - who I have to say, sounds like a real fun guy - who has been at or near the back the entire race. Noted that his problem with the team early was that one of the girls was in heat. Had to drop her at a checkpoint as if you put her in the back, you had a lot of the male dogs wanting to go back to get to her. If you put her in front, the guys behind her may have been extra motivated, but she was turning around and wanting to go meet them. Says love is great, but not on the trail. Also a shout out to the volunteers and how it is great to have the straw for the dogs stacked up for him and 2 vets at the checkpoint to look the dogs over. Real good spirits and someone I'd love to have a beer with. Also, during the interview, he had a bag of Girl Scout cookies the whole time. I'll have to show my wife and daughter that.
Final note, the mushers could be on the Yukon River for 4-5 days given how long this river stretch is.
Can't resist a quick lunchtime post, but at ~12:10 PM east coast Paige is in the lead with an actual gap.
1. Paige Drobny running with 15 dogs 258 miles in/870 to Nome
2. Michelle Phillips running with 16 dogs 243 miles in/885 to Nome
4 more teams within a mile or two of Michelle including Ryan Redington and Matt Hall, who are two of the favorites.
Does not mean much this early in the race and with teams constantly switching back-and-forth based on their rest schedule, but I still got a kick out of this.
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Do the drivers have access to the GPS data showing the location and status of the other teams?
You know, I honestly am not sure. My guess would be no. At least when they are on the trail. Maybe they can get that information from people when they are at a checkpoint. I know they could get when people pulled in and pulled out of a checkpoint if someone was ahead of them, but do not know if they have access to the actual GPS data.
They probably also know when they pass somebody or get passed. It's not like there are multiple paths to take.
In an earlier post, you'd said something about some riders trying to stay near the front to avoid mush on the trail further back in the group. Is there also a disadvantage to being first, like by having to break a trail through the untouched snow? Could some of the top teams be trying to hold around the 2nd to 5th spots, in order to avoid both trailbreaking and trail mush? (I'm sure there are technical terms there, I just don't know them.)
Yes that is definitely the case sometimes. Even from my limited times mushing in northern Minnesota, you will alternate breaking trail. If there is recent snowfall, the first team to go through will have to flatten that out.
What they would do at Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge is a guide would cross country ski in front and mark the path to follow. If the snow was well compressed or you were on ice, then there was no extra work for the first group. If there was new snow, the guides would sometimes try and pack it down. One of my favorite times on the 3 trips I did was when they had me just get up way early and walk out in front while the rest of the people broke camp and set up. 1 guy on snow shoes going in 1 direction can pack down the trail better than 2 or 3 people going back-and-forth multiple times on skis can. The guide skied out the night before to mark it and I was just crunching it down. It was so peaceful and calm walking out across the lakes and forest portages. Was actually sorry when the teams eventually caught up with me and I had to go back onto a sled or start cross country skiing myself.
If you are able to watch the time lapse of the GPS (have to pay for that with an Insider subscription like I get) you see that if there is a group of mushers clustered close together at the front, who is in first will switch around regularly. Likely they are following the gentleman's rule that you trade off who has to break trail if it needs breaking. If the snow is well packed by the snow mobiles that marked the trail, then it does not matter. But of there is significant new snow or blown snow, it is harder to be the very first person than the 2nd or 3rd.
Quick interview with Paige from earlier today when she was in Tanana was posted.
She said she camped about 15 miles from Manley on the way to Tanana and the trail was good up to there. After starting up again, it was a mixture of hard packed trail and areas of deep trenches of sugar snow (soft, crystallize snow that the dogs will sink into). Noted that the dogs were trying to kill her with how hard they were pulling. She may have misjudged the longer race distance as when the interviewer noted they were basically the same distance from Nome as you would be from the early checkpoint of Yentna on the regular courses, she was surprised as you are over 200 miles in at Tanana vs. 50-something at Yentna, but then they mentioned the extra distance this year, that is what it worked out to. And she was like, oh yes, you are right.
There was also a big dust storm when the wind suddenly picked up and was blowing dirt and sand from the river edge. She said she missed it. Teams behind her were caught. Anna Barrington was covered in it when she came into Tanana and Samantha LaLonde said she was lost for a bit and unable to see. Thought she saw a snow machine and tried to follow it but then it disappeared. A lot of the markers were blown over by the wind as well. She did find 2 markers eventually and followed them but said she honestly could not tell if she was going forwards or backwards for a while. Thankfully, it was forwards and she got in.
Next analyst video talked a lot about Paige and her runs so far.
Lead analyst Bruce Lee noted that a lot of the people he spoke with were reassessing things. There was a belief that they needed to go out slow given the longer race, but several went out faster than they wanted to and now are saying they really want to slow down. Seeing signs in their team that they normally see later in the race. Jeff Deeter actually pulled out of a checkpoint, turned around and came back as he did not like what he was seeing and wanted to give the dogs another meal and more rest. They discussed how 4x winner Jeff King noted that you cannot win the Iditarod in the first few hundred miles but you can lose it. 2 exceptions noted were Millie Porsild and Paige who have been going fast and not slowing down.
Discussed the importance of judging the dogs before starting the long run from Tanana to Ruby. If you think a dog will do well, but they struggle and you have to carry them in the sled to keep them from slowing the team down (you are only as fast as your slowest dog) you can lose a lot of time as you are so far away from a checkpoint. Bruce talked about how someone who mentored him on the Iditarod when he was racing told him you win races by the dogs you leave behind. Important to drop a dog not running well with the team and it does not matter anywhere near as much if you have fewer dogs than if they are running well as a team.
They also talked about the sugar snow and how most teams are not likely to have trained on it. But they did note that Paige and Jessie Holmes, who both live well off any road, are likely to be more used to this type of snow conditions.
As for the discussion about Paige, which lasted several minutes ...
They were not sure if Paige has ever been in the lead this far into the race. She likes to hold back and does not go out this fast. They wish they could call Cody (honorary Hokie by marriage) and ask him if this was something Paige had planned to do.
Bruce watched her team and said (as best I could copy it) "Right now, I'd say she's in the driver's seat from what I saw of that team." It is not just that she was out in front at the time they were doing the video, but that he felt she would have run the exact same way if there were 12 teams in front of her. The dogs looked really smooth and were eating well. She has had no bad luck and in races like this no bad luck = good luck. He is confident that she is not racing. Too smart and experienced to be racing this early. Rather, he believes she is doing what she normally does, letting the dogs take her where she ends up. And right now, that is faster than anyone else.
They're good dogs,
brentBruceThose dogs want the win
Wednesday evening March 5 a bit after 7 PM east cost. Paige had a long rest on the trail, looked like about 4.5 hours, and that allowed some to catch up and pass her. She is back up to 2nd as the leaders make their way towards Ruby. We have:
1. Matt Hall resting on the trail with 15 dogs 280 miles in/848 to Nome
2. Paige Drobny running with 15 dogs 276 miles in/852 to Nome
3. Jessie Holmes resting on the trail with 16 dogs 274 miles in/854 to Nome
4. Michelle Phillips resting on the trail with 16 dogs 272 miles in/856 to Nome
5. Millie Porsild resting on the trail with 16 dogs 266 miles in/862 to Nome
6. Bailey Vitello running with 14 dogs 265 miles in/863 to Nome
7. Ryan Redington resting on the trail with 13 dogs 261 miles in/867 to Nome
8. Travis Beals resting on the trail with 16 dogs 260 miles in/868 to Nome
9. Gabe Dunham resting on the trail with 15 dogs 260 miles in/868 to Nome
10. Mitch Seavey running with 14 dogs 258 miles in/870 to Nome
In the red lantern position is Quince Mountain running with 14 dogs 186 miles in/942 to Nome.
A few other housekeeping items.
Was asked earlier, can the mushers see where others are with the GPS and from what I found the answer is no.
On the even year course that follows the northern route, the first to get to Rudy would win the First to the Yukon Award. From the Iditarod site discussing Ruby:
"The winning musher will receive a gourmet dinner prepared by Top Chefs from Locally Grown Restaurants, which owns the popular Anchorage eateries Spenard Roadhouse, Snow City Cafe, Crush Wine Bistro and South Restaurant and Coffeehouse."
However, this year the First to the Yukon will go to the first musher to reach Galena, the next checkpoint after Ruby. They actually started onto the Yukon back at Tanana and I have no idea why the award was moved to Galena.
In a normal year's course, you have to take a mandatory 8 hour layover on one of the Yukon River checkpoints. This year with the Fairbanks-to-Nome route, that 8 hour layover has to be taken from Kaltag to Kaltag. On the map at the top, you see they get to Kaltag and continue down the Yukon to Eagle Island, Grayling, Anvik, an overland loop to Shageluk and then back up through Grayling, Eagle Island and Kaltag again. Apparently you have to take your 8 hour layover somewhere in that stretch. As usual, 24 hour layover can be where you want it to be and you have the final 8 hour layover at White Mountain before the last 77 miles to Nome.
Wednesday night, March 5 just after 11 PM east coast.
Paige has retaken the lead. Now running with 15 dogs 305 miles in/823 to Nome. Second place is Jessie Holmes running with 16 dogs 296 miles in/832 to Nome. Assuming Paige does not need to rest the team, she should arrive first in Rudy late evening local time and a bit after midnight on Thursday the 6th east coast time. 14 miles from the checkpoint now.
The next segment continues on the Yukon for 50 miles. Thought is that the lead teams should arrive in Galena Thursday morning local time/Thursday afternoon east coast.
We have our first scratch. Rookie Brenda Mackey scratched at the Tanana checkpoint at 4:35 PM Alaska/8:35 PM East Coast. No reason given beyond in the best interest of her team. Per the Iditarod site, she had 14dogs in harness and all are healthy.
Edit: bells ringing in Ruby as Paige pulls in at 12:51 AM east coast (according to my computer)/8:51 PM Alaska. 1st place. Did get some bad news on a video posted of her earlier today. Said one of her dogs got into a crack in the ice and she thinks they broke a toe. Has had the dog in the basket of the sled since then. Assume will drop them here in Ruby after the vet gives them a look. Paige has pulled over into the parking area and is unpacking for a stay. Jessie Holmes in 11 miles back in 2nd followed by Matt Hall and Michelle Phillips 3 miles behind him.
Good night all.
Glad she has gotten out better
This year. Nope her not bad luck continues. This would be cool. Thanks for the updates.
Thursday morning, March 6.
Paige pulled out early this morning with 15 dogs after about 3.5 hours rest in Rudy. I'm confused about the 15 dogs as the las video implied an injury and needing to carry one in the sled, but she pulled out at 12:16 AM local time/4:16 AM east coast with the 15 she came in with. I guess the vet checked them out and it was not a serious issue or maybe this was the first dog she dropped and I somehow got the timing confused because the video may have been posted late. Anyway, she continues to lead. Current standings are:
1. Paige Drobny running 15 dogs 341 miles in/787 to Nome
2. Matt Hall just pulled out after over 4 hours rest in Rudy, running 15 dogs 322 miles in/806 to Nome
3-10. Everyone 3-10 is resting in Ruby 319 miles in/809 to Nome:
3. Jessie Holmes
4. Michelle Phillips
5. Ryan Redington
6. Millie Porsild
7. Riley Dyche
8. Travis Beals
9. Gabe Dunham
10. Bailey Vitello
At the back of the pack, we have Jeff Deeter and rookie Charmayne Morrison at Tanana. Charmayne is in the red lantern position. Jeff decided to take his 24 hour layover in Tanana as he had a couple dogs he was expecting to drop, but noticed some other dogs seemed to have tight muscles or sore joints. Things that were not considered serious, but he was not comfortable taking them on with the nagging issues. Was thinking about scratching, but spoke with Matt Failor, who was also taking his 24 hour layover there, and Dallas Seavey, who was visiting the checkpoint, and decided to rest the team and see how they do after a long rest and massages.
Matt Failor did pull out of Tanana early this morning with 15 dogs and becomes the first musher to have completed their 24 hour layover.
Frosty's leg-fest continues. You're doing a fantastic job covering this for us, Frosty, and I, for one, really appreciate you. Much beers for you the first time we meet!
Wish I could leg your posts x10. But since I can't, well, here she is....
Edit: Did you think I was talking about the other she? Well, here she is, because you deserve both.
And me, every time I see a new Frosty post in the Iditarod thread:
Glad to be of service.
I looked at one of the previous race logs, which showed Paige's in/out at Tanana (before the 117-mile run to Ruby). It shows she entered Tanana with 16 dogs, and left with 15 dogs, so I'm guessing that the incident occurred before Tanana, and she left that dog at the checkpoint there.
It's 50 miles from Ruby to Galena, per the Checkpoints list from here, and Paige left Ruby with a 2hr 47m head start over 2nd place Matt Hall. Per the race standings page, she averaged 6.06 mph over the 117 mile run from Tanana to Ruby. Absent any rest on trail, continuing that pace would put her into Galena at around 0830 local, which would be 1230 EST. Look for Paige to hit the Galena checkpoint some point after that, hopefully in first to get the First to the Yukon Award that Frosty mentioned.
A little more about the First to the Yukon Award. Given the nature of the meal, I was guessing that it was something you get after the race, but I found this article about last year's winner, Nicholas Petit. According to the post date on the article, he had entered Ruby at around 2200 the night before, and since the article had deets on the meal (written in past tense), it seems that the first one to the checkpoint gets to dine on the meal during that layover.
makes me wonder about where they poop on the trail
Probably not on the trail - just a little off to the side
I have a feeling if I ate the meal above, that mule would be kicking hard somewhere a few hours down that trail. I have a feeling I'd time my "rest" based on that.
hah. have your leg. I didn't mean literally on the trail, I meant where do they stop and poop between checkpoints. How far down do they dig? Do they bury it? Do they have something to put it in and carry it with them to the next checkpoint? What about the dogs? What if you're on the homestretch and need to stop for a long call and get passed? I just don't know what the protocols are and was curious.
Some questions are better left unasked, lol
Yeah.
Not sure about the Iditarod, but we were to pack out human deposits in paper bags and haul them out with us on the Wintergreen trips. Just like 'Leave no Trace' in the wilderness. The dogs' deposits were just left on the trail, but when you would park for the night if it was a camping trip, you would clean up and haul out the areas by the campsite. That was part of kennel care. And at Wintergreen, you get the whole experience. The stuff would freeze solid pretty fast, so it was actually not that bad.
As far as yellow snow is concerned, that was just left wherever.
Per the most recent race log, Paige is the only one in the Galena checkpoint, having checked in at 0637 local (1037 EST). The log was posted at 0858, and she's still the only one in town. Looks like Paige is going to have a nice meal!
And if you're curious why she came in ahead of projections, she made the 50 miles from Ruby in 6h21m, which correlates to an average speed of 7.87mph, which is a 30% increase over the 6.06mph she averaged in the Tanana to Ruby leg.
Edit: Kept the update short. Want to see what kind of good insight Frosty can bring over from their pay side. ;^)
When is this thing over- for the love of god?
In like another week. Whats the problem?
Well, last year the winner was just over 9 days and final finisher took the red lantern award in about 12.5 days. So, if the longer race course but without having to go over the mountains is about the same, looking at about 6+ days for the winner and 9.5 days for the last team to arrive given we are almost 3 days in from the real start.
Today, when you stop clicking into the thread, bud.
And here is part of the article on Paige's award from the site:
"As the first musher to arrive in Galena, early on Thursday Morning, Paige Drobny receives the Feast on the Yukon Award. Top Chefs from Locally Grown Restaurants will prepare the gourmet meal at the checkpoint for Paige and her guests – Tim Bodony, checkpoint coordinator, along with other elders from the village.
The menu is amazing! Here's a copy paste from the Iditarod press release:
"The meal consists of Alaska King Salmon Crudo with a lemon-thyme oil, roasted butternut squash bisque, charred cabbage salad with candied walnuts, watermelon radish, carrot, onion, apple and a pear vinaigrette, followed by an entrée of braised beef cheek bourguignon, asparagus, rosemary mashed potatoes, sauteed mushroom and shallot leaves. To finish this incredible meal, Paige and her guest(s) will also be treated to a chocolate bourbon pot de créme dessert."
Had to google this.
not to be confused with ceviche, which is citrus-heavy (generally lime) and chemically cooks the fish
We caught some mahi in Costa Rica and they made fresh ceviche right there on the boat. Unbelievable.
Had a similar experience with black grouper in Cozumel. Amazing.
Haven't been brave enough to try to make it myself. Anyone ever try it, and care to share some advice?
I have - pretty easy. Tried a few different recipes I found online, all about the same. Use fresh limes, not bottle juice. If the fish is not fresh-fresh you want let it marinate and the acid in the lines "cook" it for a bit longer. First time i used way too much lie and it was pretty sour. I like with mangos, finely sliced habanero and red onion and cilantro. Scallops or shrimp also work well. When it has a "cooked" color and texture you are good to go. My mom has a go to appetizer with scallops and green olives that gets raves.
Looks like Paige is enjoying her meal, but she's now dropped out of the lead, as Jessie Holmes made a 12m pitstop in Galena, dropping off one dog and headed on out. This is per the latest log at 1028 local (1428 EST), about 20m ago.
Those dogs deserve a rest after averaging 8 mph.
Probably taking one of the mandatory breaks since she came into Galena with a 3-hour lead. Plus, gotta sleep off that meal!
Possible. As of two minutes ago, she's still in Galena (Holmes is the only one that has left so far), and has been there just over 6 hr.
Yes, I would think she is taking her 24. It says she checked in at 6:37 AM local time/10:37 AM east coast. Almost 7 hours there at the checkpoint. She is too early in the course to be able to take the first 8-hour break as that has to be on the Kaltag-to-Kaltag loop to the south. And if she is still at Galena it means that she is on her 24 or there is a problem with the team.
I was looking at the official 2025 Iditarod Race Rules a bit ago. Rule 13 describes the Mandatory Stops:
Maybe because it started in Fairbanks this year, but this years' rules state that one of the 8-hour stops is on the Yukon River, and the other at White Mountain. So this could be Paige's 8-hour stop. We'll see in about an hour or so, if she leaves Galena.
They were saying on one of the videos that with the current Fairbanks course, the 8 hour was shifted and it has to be on that Kaltag loop. I'm not sure if it can be in Kaltag itself of has to be on the loop after leaving but before getting back there.
Was Jessie one of the mushers that pulled out of the earlier check point and then took a long rest right outside of town?
I went back and looked at the GPS rewind and did not see Jessie doing that. Jason Mackey and Bailey Vitello both did that early on. But it is a little hard to see as a lot of the time the teams were bunched together and hard to see one icon from another.
rooting for Paige (because, obviously) but I would be completely fine if she drops off now and her whole goal was to get a great meal. That's an achievement I would be happy with.
Thursday evening at ~6 PM on March 6.
Jessie Holmes is still the only one that has pulled out past Galena and is on the ~50 mile stretch to Nulato. Several teams are resting in Galena. Apparently the trail has been soft with the warm weather and has been a bit tough to get through. On the analyst video, they were saying that the distance from Galena to Nome is about the same as from McGrath to Nome on the regular courses. To take the 24 hour at McGrath is pretty early and they were saying no one has won stopping that early on a regular course, but with the soft snow and sluggish trail conditions, they understand why teams may stop. They were speculating Jessie Holmes could push to Kaltag to do the 24 there. Jeff Deeter and Matt Failor actually stopped back at Tanana and have completed their 24s.
Talked about Mitch Seavey laying back a bit, but that he could be lurking and able to make a real push later in the race. Also noted that rookie Emily Ford has had a real good run. She is the lead rookie in 13th place. Rookie Charmayne Morrison became the second musher to drop out, scratching in Tanana for the best interest of the team (with is coach-speak that they use all the time in the Iditarod).
Current standings are:
Jessie Holmes resting on the trail with 14 dogs, 291 miles in/737 to Nome
Paige Drobny resting in Galena, 369 miles in/759 to Nome
Matt Hall resting in Galena, 369 miles in/759 to Nome
Michelle Phillips resting in Galena, 369 miles in/759 to Nome
Ryan Redington resting in Galena, 369 miles in/759 to Nome
Millie Porsild resting in Galena, 369 miles in/759 to Nome
Travis Beals resting in Galena, 369 miles in/759 to Nome
Bailey Vitello running 14 dogs 365 miles in/763 to Nome
Mitch Seavey running 13 dogs 359 miles in/769 to Nome
Riley Dyche running 13 dogs 358 miles in/770 to Nome
Quince Mountain has the red lantern position, resting with 13 dogs on the trail 244 miles in/884 to Nome.
Has not been much talk about Michelle Phillips or Bailey Vitello. Michelle has done a score of Iditarod races and has never been in the top 10, but she is often in the top 5 this year. Bailey has finished twice, 24th and 17th the last 2 years. He has been in the top 10 a lot of the race.
Thursday night at ~10 PM on March 6.
Jessie Holmes and Michelle Phillips are the only two past Galena. Even more teams are resting in Galena than before.
Current standings are:
1. Michelle Phillips running 15 dogs 398 miles in/730 to Nome
2. Jessie Holmes running 14 dogs, 396 miles in/732 to Nome
The next 10 all resting in Galena, 369 miles in/759 to Nome including:
3. Paige Drobny
4. Matt Hall
5. Ryan Redington
6. Millie Porsild
7. Travis Beals
8. Bailey Vitello
9. Mitch Seavey
10. Riley Dyche
Quince Mountain has the red lantern position, resting with 13 dogs on the trail 260 miles in/868 to Nome.
Friday @ 0324 local (0724 EST)
6 teams have left Galena ahead of Paige, where she still remains, 21h into what is apparently her 24h mandatory stop. Holmes is still in the lead, having reached Kaltag 1. Petit has reached, and left, Nulato (the stop between Galena and Kaltag 1), while three other teams are still resting in Nulato, with one more (Ford, a rookie) having left Galena an hour ago.
Friday morning March 7 ~8:10 AM.
Jessie Holmes pulled into Kaltag with 14 dogs at 12:42 AM local time/4:21 AM east coast and declared his 24 hours there. Nic Petit is on the trail to Kaltag as well. Others are in Nulato checkpoint of further back.
Leader board is:
1. Jessie Holmes resting in Kaltag, 456 miles in/672 to Nome. Came in with 14 dogs
2. Nic Petit running with 15 dogs 424 miles in/704 miles to Nome
3-5 resting in Nulato (likely doing their 24s) 420 miles in/708 miles to Nome including:
3. Michelle Phillips
4. Mitch Seavey
5. Travis Beals
6. Emily Ford running 13 dogs 377 miles in/751 miles to Nome - far-and-away the fastest rookie team
7-15 all resting in Galena, 369 miles in/759 to Nome (most probably doing their 24s) including:
7. Paige Drobny
8. Matt Hall
9. Ryan Redington
10. Millie Porsild
In the red lantern is rookie Mike Parker running 12 dogs 279 miles in/849 to Nome
So Chris- if I understand correctly, Paige's 24 layover will actually be 24 hours and 14 minutes to adjust for the staggered start with her bib at #26 out of 33? And for comparison Jason Mackey, with bib #2 (i dont see a bib #1) will have to do 25 hours and 4 minutes?
If all this is right, I think that should mean that Paige should be pulling out just before 11am EST this morning.
Yes. They equalize the start times by adding time onto the 24. So the first musher to leave gets plenty of time added on and someone like Paige that started out near the back will have less time added to their 24.
I noted that Mitch Seavey (3 time winner, and father of Dallas Seavey, 6 time winner including last year) was down to 11 dogs already. Does that signal a concern this early in the race, or is it really a function of just slower dogs being left behind?
Busy day at work, so cannot watch closely, but Paige pulled out of Galena with 15 dogs at 6:55 AM Alaska time/10:55 AM east coast. She is the 3rd person to complete her 24 and is now officially listed in 7th place.
Has anyone in places 1-6 taken their 24 hours?
No. Although it looks like 5 of the 6 have started their 24 hour rest either at Nulato or Kaltag. Not sure what Nic Petit in second place is going to do. He just got to Kaltag about 1-1/2 hours ago.
https://iditarod.com/race/2025/standings/
From Squid Acres Kennel Facebook page, written by Paige's father.
So it sounds like Jessie ate all the way through Paige's 20 mile lead by doing those 2 long runs.
Sorry for the lack of timely updates today. Got through the analysts interview from this morning as well as some later takes.
Had an interview with a couple of the vets who explained the issues around dropped dogs. Sometimes there is a plan to drop a dog all along. People will bring young dogs along to get them experience on the long trail knowing that they plan to drop them part way through. There are also dogs that are just not running well or into the race and you want to drop them. Finally, you do have dogs that are injured or really sore and need to be dropped.
At each checkpoint, the vets are able to do a physical and give basic care. There are some areas that are collection points for dropped dogs and that have more extensive facilities. This year, these are at Anchorage, Fairbanks, Galena and Unalakleet. There dogs can be kept for longer periods of time and can get more intensive care if it is needed while waiting for the final transport to Anchorage. There the handlers from the mushers' kennels will pick them up. Sounded like they all end up in Anchorage even if the team is based far away.
Speaking of dropped dogs and vets, had an interview with Charmayne Morrison about scratching. She mentioned that it was a combination of things adding up. On the way into Manley, it was hot (which means 30s or 40s). They were not eating or drinking very well and she ended up camping sooner and resting longer periods of time than hoped for. There were some dogs that seemed pretty sore and then a stomach bug hit. Vets were giving them care for the bug, but you can't make it go away until it runs its course. Mentioned how one of her mentors said you can get tired dogs to Nome, sick dogs to Nome and injured dogs to Nome, but when you start combining them, it won't work. Decided she did not want to push the team and that it was time to drop out. She also had a pretty young team.
4 teams that they were saying looked very good are Mitch Seavey's, Paige's, Nic Petit's and Jessie Holmes'. Jessie was interviewed later in the day and he said the team was struggling at first, but has really come together now. Eating really well and have a lot of speed and power. They asked him about the long river runs and he said he has lived on the Yukon and the Tanana Rivers and they are used to this. Paige and Jessie are neighbors (that might be 50 miles from each other for all it know) and friends, but he really wants to win.
In terms of what they do during the 24, he said he wants lots of sleep and food. Idea is to have the dogs take 3 good meals and 3 6-hour sleeps during the 24. Does not feed them anything on the 24 that he would not normally feed them. Said he likes a mix of beef, liver, kidney, kibble, psyllium, krill and probiotics for the dogs.
I think I read somewhere that Paige and Jessie live about 20 miles apart. Apparently they have helped each other build a trail system to train on around their homeplaces.
A lot of discussion about the strategy of when to take the 24. They've noted earlier that taking the 24 in Galena means that a lot of the course is still left. Lead analyst Bruce Lee did think that teams that were able to push through to Kaltag could be in better position than those who rested further back, and this could be an advantage to Holmes. Discussed what he thought the strategy would be for Holmes at Kaltag and Paige and Galena.
Jessie will be set up for 2 long runs down to Greyling. Team will be well rested and should be able to do that well. For Paige, he felt she would want to get past Nulato checkpoint to set herself up to be able to split the dog runs into roughly equal time and distance segments and let the dogs stay on a set run-rest schedule all the way down to Greyling.
In terms of the trail conditions, lots of talk about the soft snow and warm temperatures. Looking at the weather for Kaltag and Anvik, the checkpoint down at the southern end of that loop they will be going on, temperatures are supposed to cool down. Lows in the single digits and highs in the 20s, so that may firm up the trail a bit. The next segment from Kaltag to Eagle Island is ~70 miles and it was soft. There was new snow and some icy overflow onto the surface. If that overflow freezes up, it could make things fast in those sections, but you still need to deal with the soft snow slowing you down. Like earlier in the race, it should be easier for Paige and Jessie and the people upfront compared to the people in the back as they will not have badly broken trail to run on. They noted that the loose crystalline snow can almost be to a dog like sand in your shoes. Apparently Paige had to change her dogs' booties 3 times on 1 stretch because the snow was getting into them and it can irritate the dogs' feet.
They expect Paige to be the first to Eagle Island checkpoint, 526 miles in and almost half way through to Nome. Current standings at ~7:30 PM are:
1. Jessie Holmes resting in Kaltag 456 miles in/672 to Nome
2. Nic Petit resting in Kaltag 456 miles in/672 to Nome
3. Emily Ford running 13 dogs 427 miles in/701 to Nome - way ahead for rookie of the year
4-7 in Nulato 420 miles in/708 to Nome including:
4. Michelle Phillips
5. Travis Beals
6. Mitch Seavey
7. Paige Drobny
8. Matt Hall resting on the trail with 15 dogs, 415 miles in/713 miles to Nome
9. Samantha LaLonde running 14 dogs 413 miles in/715 to Nome, also a rookie
10. Ryan Redington running 13 dogs 409 miles in/719 to Nome
Rookie Mike Parker has the red lantern position, resting in Ruby 319 miles in/809 to Nome
So it looks like Paige pulled into Nulato at 4:30 EST at a rate of 9.13 mph from Galena. That's the fastest checkpoint to checkpoint mph run I've seen so far. Maybe Frosty can confirm. I have to believe she'll be pulling out soon and leapfrogging a bunch of people doing their 24 hr layover.
Bruce Lee had said he expected her to push a bit past Nulato, so he certainly thought she would. He was expecting her to be the first to Eagle Island, the next checkpoint after Kaltag.
EDIT: has been almost 4 hours since she arrived, but so obviously taking a rest and not pushing through. Typical rest breaks are ~4 hours, so I'd think she'd be pulling out within an hour or so.
Is it odd to take that long of a rest after just taking a 24 hour rest 50-60 miles ago? Is she just waiting for colder evening weather and gonna run through the night??
You know, I was honestly wondering if she was waiting for cooler weather. It would make sense given that she pulled in just after noon. If she leaves in the next hour, that is 4:30-5:30 PM Alaska time. 36 miles to Kaltag is a pretty short stretch, so she could go through there and camp out on the trail after Kaltag. 36 + 70 more miles to Eagle Island is too long to do without a decent rest break along the way, but if she split it up to two ~53 mile stretches that would get her to Eagle Island with 1 rest break and a lot of cooler weather travel time.
The woman handling the live feed from Nulato said she thought Paige would be getting ready to leave soon, but she did not have any inside information on when exactly that would be.
Edit: and you can see Ryan Redington's team pulling into Nulato right now (8:38 PM). He has pulled into the short-term parking area, so will be staying for at least a little bit and not going straight through. Women with the camera expects he won't stay long coming of his 24 hour rest, so we will see.
I'm only learning and speculating because of what you've taught us over the last few years. I'm betting she goes through Katlag with the minimum reqd stop for check in and than camps on the trail 20 miles later or so, then run through the early hours to eagle.
That would make sense.
And she is packing up now. Filling up a "return bag" to send things that can still be used back from the checkpoint. Good sign she will be leaving soon.
Oh my goodness, I just learned something. They are having a live feed interview with the analysts and the people on the live chat. Earlier someone asked do the mushers have access to the GPS to know where others are. I assumed no, and looked like it was no. But there is no rule against calling someone and asking them where other teams are. So you can be coached that way. Because you can have reception even in the middle of nowhere, there really was no way to stop that without taking communications away. So everyone can do that and it is not against the rules.
Paige just pulled out on her way to Kaltag at 9:15 PM according to my computer. 5:15 PM Alaska time. That moves her up from 7th place to 4th.
Well, Paige dropped 2 dogs in Nulato and pulled out with 13. Jessie Holmes and Nic Petit took between 4 and 5 hours to make it from Nulato to Kaltag. If Paige has a similar run, that puts her in Kaltag ~ 10 PM Alaska time/2 AM east coast. Jessie is eligible to leave Kaltag around 1 AM Alaska (12:42 AM + however many minutes need to be added on to even up his start time)/5 AM east coast. So she should take over first place this evening if things go okay. Current standings at ~9:35 PM are:
1. Jessie Holmes resting in Kaltag, 456 miles in/672 to Nome
2. Nicholis Petit resting in Kaltag, 456 miles in/672 to Nome
3. Emily Ford running 13 dogs 443 miles in/685 to Nome
4. Paige Drobny running 13 dogs 421 miles in/707 to Nome
Next 6 are all resting in Nulato 420 miles in/708 to Nome
5. Michelle Phillips
6. Mitch Seavey
7. Travis Beals
8. Samantha LaLonde
9. Ryan Redington
10. Anna Berington
Matt Hall is in 11th, he has completed his 24, and he is approaching Nulato, so he should jump past a bunch of people this evening.
Friday evening and I should have just gone to bed after exercising on the elliptical. Checked one more time before showering and going to bed and very bad news. Rookie Daniel Klien has scratched in Galena due to rule 42. Rule 42 involves the death of a dog. A PDF I found of the 2025 rules states:
"Rule 42 -- Expired Dog: The Iditarod holds firmly that no dog should suffer harm or death in
connection to the race. However, it is understood that, in rare circumstances, dog harm or death can
occur through no fault of the musher. Our policy is therefore, that:
any dog death that occurs during the conduct of the race will result in immediate (a) voluntary
scratch by the musher with right of assistance under Rule 10 or (b) withdrawal with right of
assistance under Rule 51 (such withdrawal does not imply any deliberate misconduct or violation as
set forth in Rule 51), unless the death was caused, as determined by the Race Marshal, to be due to
the inherent risks of wilderness travel (example, moose encounter), nature of trail, or force beyond
the control of the musher (these causes are all referred to as an "Unpreventable Hazard").
Any dog that expires on the trail must be covered and taken by the musher to a checkpoint. The
musher may transport the dog to either the checkpoint just passed, or the upcoming checkpoint.
An expired dog report must be completed by the musher and presented to a race official along
with the dog. At this time the musher shall scratch or be withdrawn from the race, except in the
case of an Unpreventable Hazard."
It goes on to describe what happens in the investigation. Link is below.
https://cloud.iditarod.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2025-Iditarod-Race...
:(
Saturday morning March 8.
Hokietopher called Paige perfectly. She quickly pulled through Kaltag last night and is now camping on the trail 21 miles past the checkpoint. Arrived at almost exactly midnight local time/4 AM east coast, so she has been resting for close to 3.5 hours there. Likely leaving in 30-90 minutes. That sets her up for a single run of about 50 miles to Eagle Island. Jessie Holmes is right behind her in second. Need to get my daughter to swim practice in a little bit, but quick note on the standings at ~7:20 AM:
1. Paige Drobny resting on the trail with 13 dogs, 477 miles in/651 to Nome
2. Jessie Holmes running 14 dogs 475 miles in/653 to Nome
3. Michelle Phillips resting on the trail with 14 dogs, 472 miles in/656 to Nome
4. Ryan Redington resting on the trail with 13 dogs, 469 miles in/659 to Nome
5. Matt Hall resting on the trail with 14 dogs, 469 miles in/659 to Nome
6. Nicholis Petit resting in Kaltag, came in with 15 dogs, 465 miles in/672 to Nome
7. Rookie Emily Ford resting in Kaltag, came in with 13 dogs, 465 miles in/672 to Nome
8. Anna Berington resting in Kaltag, came in with 13 dogs, 465 miles in/672 to Nome
9. Millie Porsild running 13 dogs 454 miles in/674 to Nome
10. Mitch Seavey running 11 dogs 443 miles in/685 to Nome
At the back of the pack, veteran Jeff Deeter, who had been having trouble with the team early on and took their 24 very early, and rookie Mike Parker have both scratched. Jeff in Galena and Mike in Ruby.
Quince Mountain now holds the red lantern, resting in Galena 369 miles in/759 to Nome.
Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while!
Saturday, March 8 at about 12:10 PM east coast and almost all the top teams are on the trail from Kaltag to Eagle Island for that ~70 mile stretch. The only fairly big name that is not on the trail is Nic Petit finishing up his 24 in Kaltag, and he should be pulling out pretty soon. Leader board is:
1. Paige Drobny running 13 digs 506 miles in/622 to Nome
2. Jessie Holmes running 14 dogs 500 miles in/628 to Nome
3. Matt Hall running 15 dogs 492 miles in/636 to Nome
4. Michelle Phillips running 14 dogs 479 miles in/649 to Nome
5. Millie Porsild resting on the trail with 13 dogs 477 miles in/651 to Nome
6. Travis Beals running 14 dogs 473 miles in/655 to Nome
7. Mitch Seavey resting on the trail with 11 dogs 473 miles in/655 to Nome
8. Ryan Redington running 13 dogs 471 miles in/657 to Nome
9. Riley Dyche running 10 dogs 463 miles in/655 to Nome
10. Nic Petit resting in Kaltag 456 miles in/672 to Nome
Red lantern is held by rookie Calvin Daugherty resting in Galena 369 miles in/759 to Nome.
So looking at the next few segments, we will finally have some short runs.
Eagle Island is just an Island and no town, so the checkpoint is a cabin on the island.
Eagle Island to Greyling is 56 miles.
Greyling to Anvik is 21 miles.
After Anvik, the teams get off the Yukon for the first time in days, taking a 28-mile overland route to Shageluk. According to website, Shageluk "is an Ingalik Indian name meaning "village of the dog people,""
After that, it is 28 miles back to Greyling and they then go back up the Yukon the way they came down until hitting Kaltag again.
Weather reports in Kaltag, Greyling, Anvik and Shageluk have temperatures ranging from a low of 0 to a high of 30 when I looked, so will be a little bit cooler. It has also been snowing steadily on the 3 live feeds from Galena, Nulato and Kaltag. Mushers in the interviews continue to comment on the warm temperatures (by interior Alaska in March standards). Teams have wanted to rest during the day and run mostly at night. Will be after 2 PM east coast/after 10 AM Alaska when Paige, Jessie and Matt start getting to Eagle Island. Will see if people push through, take a few hours break or take their 8 hour layover to then be able to start up again in the early evening. Jessie just came off his 24, so I'm sure he won't take the 8 here.
Everyone has to take the 8 hour layover somewhere on this loop, though I'm not sure if you can do it in Kaltag itself or if it has to be on the loop itself.
Frosty- trying to remember- did Paige ever lead at any point last year?
I do not think she led for any substantial amount of time. Maybe she was out in front for a small stretch, but I cannot recall.
Paige 1st into Eagle Island 38 min ahead of Jesse Holmes.
And holmes left the checkpoint after 7 minutes
And is now in 1st. Dont know if Paige is gonna rest or not.....that info has to come from our resident insider expert Frosty.
Let's Go Hokie Pups!!
Saturday evening, March 8.
As the analysts predicted, Paige was first to Eagle Island. She has been resting there for over 4 hours. If she is not taking her 8 hour layover, then she will probably be leaving in less than an hour. If she is taking it, she'll be eligible to leave around 6:30 Alaska time/10:30 east coast.
Reports on the trail are that the trail was horrible. Paige called it one of the 10 worst trails she has ever been on. Lots of river overflow that has then frozen causing a lot of bumps. The announcer doing the coverage at Eagle Island noted that when you are walking around some of the snow and ice feels like cement. But when you get into soft snow, your boot sinks way down. When you pull it out, the hole starts filling with water that then turns to slush that then freezes into ice bumps. On the way down from Kaltag, Matt Hall was thrown from his sled he ended up underneath the sled while a dog that was being carried flew out and landed on him. Very rough terrain. They also showed Ryan Redington coming into the checkpoint and his team was really struggling through the last stretch.
And they just panned the camera over to Paige with Bruce talking to her.
Bruce just came over after speaking with Paige and Ryan.
Paige said she was thinking about doing her 8 hour but feels it would be better to go further down the trail and hopefully find better conditions for camping. The team will probably have ~5.5 hours of rest by the time they pull out. It is ~55 miles to Greyling. She could try and go the whole way or try and camp on the way.
Ryan will be staying for a rest as well. Said he was frustrated with how rough the trail was and that he was tired out. Will give the team and himself a rest for at least a few hours.
There was rain in the area, so you also get spots where the to of the snow gets a crust you can break through and then sink down into. Then that also fills up with water. Not a fun section of trail.
A little after 7 PM we have the following standings:
1. Jessie Holmes camping on the trail with 14 dogs 542 miles in/586
2. Paige Drobny resting at Eagle Island 526 miles in/602 to Nome
3. Matt Hall resting at Eagle Island 526 miles in/602 to Nome
4. Michelle Phillips resting at Eagle Island 526 miles in/602 to Nome
5. Ryan Redington resting at Eagle Island 526 miles in/602 to Nome
6. Millie Porsild running 13 dogs 507 miles in/621 to Nome
7. Mitch Seavey running 11 dogs 507 miles in/621 to Nome
8. Bailey Vitello resting on the trail with 13 dogs 506 miles in/622 to Nome
9. Nic Petit running 15 dogs 501 miles in/627 to Nome
10. Travis Beals running 14 dogs 496 miles in/632 to Nome
Paige is starting to get her sled ready to depart. Jessie brought a straw bale with him out of Eagle Island, so he is planning on camping for a while on the trail. Possible Paige may be able to pass him if he stays resting for a while.
Maybe it's just me but it seems silly to not just take your 8 hours after you've already burned five and a half hours in the checkpoint...
Paige pulls out at 7:52 PM east coast/3:52 PM Alaska time according to my computer.
Edit: Ugh, the team is really struggling. They have stopped 3 times still in camera range of the checkpoint. Just like Ryan's team coming in a little while ago. They seem to be weaving a lot and getting stuck.
Shot of Paige getting the team ready to head out from Eagle Island.
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And thought it might be nice to see the field around the Kaltag loop. Can see how they are going down the Yukon to Anvil and then the overland stretches to Shageluk then back to Grayling and on up. Analysts were noting how it could get real interesting in Grayling if you have teams arriving from both directions at the same time. Screen shot of my GPS feed just after Paige pulled out.
Not just the coinciding teams at the checkpoint, but also that stretch of the trail that's already been run through by most teams now getting a second pass on the way back up
Sunday morning. March 9.
The top teams are all well on their way through the Kaltag loop. Discussions with some of the mushers further back suggest that they are planning to try and take it easy on the loop to make sure their teams have enough left in the tank for the Kaltag portage to Unalakleet on the coast (more on that below) as and the final 400 miles to Nome.
Jessie Holmes pulled into Anvik at 12:34 AM local time/4:34 AM east coast with 14 dogs and is resting there now. As the first to reach the checkpoint, he wins the Dorothy G. Paige Halfway award. He has the choice between $3,000 worth of gold nuggets or a new phone with 1 year of service.
Current standings at about 10:45 AM:
1. Jessie Holmes resting in Anvik 603 miles in/525 to Nome (14 dogs into the checkpoint)
2. Paige Drobny running 13 dogs 594 miles in/534 to Nome
3. Matt Hall running 11 dogs 589 miles in/539 to Nome
4. Michelle Phillips resting in Grayling 582 miles in/546 to Nome (14 dogs into the checkpoint)
5. Ryan Redington resting in Grayling 582 miles in/546 to Nome (12 dogs into the checkpoint)
6. Mitch Seavey resting in Grayling 582 miles in/546 to Nome (11 dogs into the checkpoint)
7. Nic Petit resting in Grayling 582 miles in/546 to Nome (12 dogs into the checkpoint)
8. Millie Porsild resting in Grayling 582 miles in/546 to Nome (14 dogs into the checkpoint)
9. Bailey Vitello running 13 dogs 554 miles in/574 to Nome
10. Travis Beals running 14 dogs 548 miles in/580 to Nome - Travis is the only musher that has completed their 8-hour layover on the Kaltag loop. I also heard from someone on the Insider's chat that you can take your 8-hour in Kaltag and that a lot of teams hope to go it the second time they are there before the portage to the sea.
I've got to know if Jessie took the gold nuggets or the phone. I can tell you with 100% certainty that the phone won't appreciate in value.
I'm the same way, but the article didn't say what he took. Seems like a no-brainer to take the gold.
Got confirmation in a later article. He did choose the gold nuggets.
"There was no pause for Jessie when Adam presented the option, he chose the gold nuggets. Washburn will re-present the award in Nome. Jessie appreciated handing the gold back over as it would have been easy, in a sleep deprived state, to confuse those little gold nuggets with canine vitamin supplements."
Speaking of Unalakleet, wanted to make sure I let everyone know early enough about the pizza for the mushers tradition at Unalakleet. Last year I mentioned it late and remember the comment from someone about why didn't know this sooner as they would have totally sent Paige a pizza! And then the discussion about how to explain it to their wife.
Peace on Earth will have fan-ordered pizzas ready for the teams. Article linked below from last year and the website for the restaurant if anyone wants to send one.
https://alaskapublic.org/iditarod/2024-03-11/this-unalakleet-restaurant-...
"UNALAKLEET – They're selling love by the slice at the local pizzeria.
Encouraging messages from all over the globe come with each pizza that the Peace on Earth restaurant delivers to this Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race checkpoint, about three-quarters of the way into the 1,000-mile race. The mushers have been arriving here at the edge of Alaska, cold and tired after long stretches with only sled dogs to keep them company."
https://www.facebook.com/peaceonearthalaska/?_rdr
Address: 107 Beach Rd W, Unalakleet, AK 99684
Hours:
Sunday Closed
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11 AM–2 PM, 4–8 PM
Wednesday 11 AM–2 PM, 4–8 PM
Thursday 11 AM–2 PM, 4–8 PM
Friday 11 AM–2 PM, 4–8 PM
Saturday 2–6 PM
Phone: (907) 624-3373
what if I want to send the pizza to a dog? They're doing the heavy lifting/s
Veteran musher Gabe Dunham scratched a little while ago in Eagle Island. She had 14 dogs in harness and scratched in the best interest of her team.
Jessie Holmes just passed through Shageluk and is running 14 dogs 634 miles in/494 to Nome. He should be back on the Yukon at Grayling2 later today and the 2 short overland segments. Paige is approaching town with 13 dogs 626 miles in/502 to Nome, while Matt Hall is close behind with 11 dogs 622 miles in/506 to Nome. The remaining teams are all further back with the closest in Anvik, 20 miles behind Matt Hall.
Interviews with Ryan Redington and Mitch Seavey in Grayling. Mitch said he has not been in contact with people to get coaching or really worrying about the other teams. Sounds like he is not trying to go all out. Dallas Seavey met up with him at one of the checkpoints and told him he needed to get more sleep and that was the extent of the coaching. Did not that the dogs were doing well. Some foot issues that could get worse if left untended, but he is addressing them. No specifics how. Commented how rough the trail was, but the team handling it.
Ryan also commented on the poor trail, but said it was better on the way down to Grayling1 than it was into Eagle Island. Has decided to take his 8-hour in Grayling as it is a place he likes in general and the trail was rough on the team. Snowing and cooler now, which he thinks will make the trail better after the rest. He commented how good Mitch Seavey's team looked.
Paige pulled Into Shageluk in second place 1 hour behind Jesse Holmes at 3:35 EST. Jesse blew right through with only 8 min at the checkpoint. Waiting to see if Paige goes right through too.
Sunday evening at about 10 PM east coast we have Jessie Holmes continuing to lead. He was the first to reach Grayling2 at ~2:30 PM Alaska time/6:30 PM east coast. As the first one to reach Grayling for the second time in the loop, he wins the Spirit of Iditarod award and receives beaver fur mittens with beadwork on moosehide and a beaver fur hat. Current standings are:
1. Jessie Holmes resting in Greyling2 with 14 dogs, 659 miles in/469 to Nome
2. Paige Drobny resting in Shageluk with 13 dogs 631 miles in/497 to Nome
3. Matt Hall resting in Shageluk with 11 dogs 631 miles in/497 to Nome
4. Michelle Phillips resting in Shageluk with 12 dogs 631 miles in/497 to Nome
5. Nic Petit resting in Shageluk with 14 dogs 631 miles in/497 to Nome
6. Mitch Seavey resting in Shageluk with 11 dogs 631 miles in/497 to Nome
7. Ryan Redington running 9 dogs 613 miles in/515 to Nome
8. Millie Porsild running 11 dogs 607 miles in/521 to Nome
9. Bailey Vitello resting in Anvik with 13 dogs, 603 miles in/525 to Nome
10, Travis Beals running 13 dogs 601 miles in/527 to Nome - should be pulling into Anvik shortly
Red lantern position held by rookie Quince Mountain, resting in Kaltag with 11 dogs 456 miles in/672 to Nome
27 teams still in the 2025 Iditarod.
Monday morning, March 10. Going to be another busy work day, so might not be able to post during the day. At ~7:40 AM the standings are:
1. Jessie Holmes resting on the trail 14 dogs, 699 miles in/429 to Nome
2. Paige Drobny resting on the trail with 13 dogs 678 miles in/450 to Nome
3. Matt Hall running 11 dogs 666 miles in/462 to Nome
4. Mitch Seavey resting in Grayling2 with 11 dogs 659 miles in/469 to Nome
5. Nic Petit running 14 dogs 655 miles in/473 to Nome
6. Michelle Phillips running 11 dogs 654 miles in/474 to Nome
7. Bailey Vitello running 13 dogs 642 miles in/486 to Nome
8. Millie Porsild running 11 dogs 639 miles in/489 to Nome
9. Ryan Redington resting in Shageluk with 9 dogs, 631 miles in/497 to Nome
10. Travis Beals resting in Shageluk with 9 dogs, 631 miles in/497 to Nome
Of the top 10, Jessie Holmes, Mitch Seavey and Nic Petit are the only 3 that have not yet completed their 8-hour layover.
Red lantern position held by rookie Quince Mountain, resting in Kaltag with 11 dogs 456 miles in/672 to Nome
So i guess Paige or Matt Hall should bump back up to 1st when Jesse Holmes takes his 8 hour layover in either Eagle Island (unlikely cause hes resting on the trail 16 miles from there), or Kaltag.
Michelle doing great at age 80!
Analysts video from late last night in Alaska/early morning east coast noted that Jessie Holmes is really in control now. Well in front, but Paige and Matt Hall have already taken their 8-hours and Jessie still has to do his. But Jessie seems very confident. Did note that Jessie and Matt Failor passed each other going the opposite direction. I'll try and see if I can get a decent screen shot of that later on.
In terms of the race, by the time the teams reach Kaltag2 and pull out for the sea coast, those that want to have a legitimate chance of winning need to be at or close enough to the front to have a good shot. The trail remains bad and slow. Something the lead analyst was planning on paying attention to was the speed Paige and Matt Hall would have relative to what Jessie Holmes does on the way back to Kaltag2. Can they pick up ground as Jessie's team has to break trail on the new snow or will he widen the lead should say a lot about if either can catch him. They also noted that, at some point on the Kaltag Portage to the coast or along the coast, the teams will finally find good, hard-packed trail that will be easier to run on.
Wednesday night or Thursday morning (Alaska time) is when they think a winner will arrive in Nome.
It seems like some of the teams have dropped more dogs than normal already. Interesting they are so confident in Jessie when he still has to make an 8 hour stop with competition only a hour or so behind.
Holmes dropped a dog at Eagle Island 2. That may have been cause for his stoppage outside of town. He pulled out at 12:58.
My guess is Paige will be in and out soon, close on his heels.
Found this site through Twitter that shows some interesting info regarding positioning as well as each team's current and avg pace. There's also a checkbox to "predict" the finishing times for all the teams, but I'm not sure how that's being calculated. I'm sure speed and any remaining rest periods have to be factors, but right now it has Paige coming in 2 hours behind Jessie.
That's the feeling I've gotten so far. I don't think Paige will push the dogs just to win.
Hate to say it, but I'd be pretty surprised if she finishes higher than third. Jessie and Matt were 2 of the favorites at the start. If you put a gun to my head and said guess who you think will win back before the race started, I would have said Matt Hall. Paige has always said she never wants to push the dogs too hard and just wants to let them do what pace they want. Figure Jessie's or Matt's teams would need to falter and she would need to have good runs for her to get higher. But I'll be really thrilled if she is in third at the end.
Looking behind her, Mitch Seavey is close, but he still has to complete his 8-hour. Michelle Phillips is having her best race ever by far. Never before in the top 10. And she is 20-25 miles behind now by GPS. Millie Porsild and Nic Petit are just behind Michelle, and I'd guess they would be more of a threat just based on their success in past races.
Paige is resting just past Eagle Island 2 and just got passed by Matt Hall. However, Paige and Matt have been on almost exactly opposite schedules (running/resting) since last night. Matt only has 11 dogs to Paige and Jessie's 13 each.
The site that SpiritofTech posted now predicts Paige to win on March 14th, an hour ahead of Matt Hall and Jessie Holmes dropping to 3rd an hour behind Matt. I'm sure that doesn't really mean much and probably doesn't take into account any weird and unfortunate breaks....but I'll take it.
If she wins, we claim it and honor her at Lane this season.
Monday night ~9:30 PM east coast has (at GoKart noted) Paige dropping to third.
1. Jessie Holmes running 13 dogs 751 miles in/377 to Nome
2. Matt Hall running 11 dogs 727 miles in/401 to Nome
3. Paige Drobny resting on the trail with 13 dogs 722 miles in/406 to Nome
4. Mitch Seavey resting in Eagle Island2 with 11 dogs, 715 miles in/413 to Nome
5. Michelle Phillips resting on the trail with 11 dogs 699 miles in/429 to Nome
6. Millie Porsild running 11 dogs 693 miles in/435 to Nome
7. Nic Petit running 14 dogs 691 miles in/437 to Nome
8. Bailey Vitello resting on the trail with 13 dogs, 679 miles in/449 to Nome
9. Travis Beals resting on the trail with 12 dogs, 672 miles in/456 to Nome
10. Riley Dyche resting on the trail with 10 dogs, 670 miles in/458 to Nome
Jessie has said that he will take his 8-hours in Kaltag2. He and Mitch Seavey are the only 2 mushers anywhere close to the front that have not completed their 8-hour. I think Mitch is taking his now.
A couple of interviews with Jessie Holmes and Matt Hall while they were resting their teams. Jessie said he has been carrying a dog for long stretches to keep them fresh. One dog, Polar, has been carried for ~200 miles so that he is fresh for the big pushes and can motivate the team. Said that the trail was terrible and there were long stretches of slow going breaking trail, but the trail is finally getting better as he approaches Kaltag2. His hope is to leave Kaltag2 with all 13 dogs. Polar has some pups at home as well. His pups will be one of the keys to the future of the kennel.
Matt had only a short, 2 hour rest in Grayling2. Was hoping to do the full run to Eagle Island in one shot, but had to stop and camp short of there. Did feel that taking the 8-hour in Shageluk was a good idea. It was above freezing and snowing, so it was wet, heavy snow at noon. Instead of plowing through, it was evening and colder when the team left.
Had Paige coming into a couple of the checkpoints, but no interviews. All she asked about was what the trail conditions were like.
Bruce Lee had noted the speeds Paige and Matt had relative to Jessie would give a good indication of if they could catch him. Jessie and Matt had almost identical average speeds on the last checkpoint-to-checkpoint run and Paige was a bit slower. Will see what their speeds are into Kaltag2. Even if the both pass him, Jessie's team will come out of Kaltag well-rested, so will be a challenge to hold him off, but anything can happen. Still a long way to go.
Anyone planning on sending Paige a pizza? I suppose I should. Can coordinate the toppings so we don't send her the same kind :-).
You have Venmo? I'll split it with you
Looking ahead, after Kaltag2, there is a pretty long 81+ mile run overland to Unalakleet - the biggest town on the trail between Fairbanks and Nome. From there it is just over 40 miles up the wind-swept south side of Norton Sound and then ~50 miles across the sea ice to Koyuk on the north side of the Sound. The whole 50 is not over water, but most of it is.
Tuesday morning March 11 ~8 AM.
Jessie Holmes was the first to Kaltag2, pulling in 9:28 PM Alaska time on March 10th/1:28 AM east coast. This wins him the Bristol Bay Native Corporation Fish First Award. He receives:
"This award consists of 25 pounds of fresh Bristol Bay salmon filets, $2,000 and a wood-burned art piece by BBNC shareholder artist Apay'uq Moore."
Paige pulled into Kaltag2 as well according to the GPS. Leader board was just updated to say it was at 3:33 AM Alaska/7:33 east coast.
Current standings are:
1. Jessie Holmes resting in Kaltag2 with 13 dogs, 785 miles in/343 to Nome
2. Paige Drobny resting in Kaltag2 with 13 dogs, 785 miles in/343 to Nome
3. Matt Hall running 11 dogs 778 miles in, 350 to Nome
4. Michelle Phillips resting on the trail with 11 dogs, 745 miles in/383 to Nome
5. Nic Petit running 14 dogs 736 miles in/392 to Nome
6. Bailey Vitello resting on the trail with 13 dogs, 729 miles in/399 to Nome
7. Millie Porsild running 11 dogs 723 miles in/405 to Nome
8. Mitch Seavey resting with 11 dogs in Eagle Island2, 715 miles in/413 to Nome
9. Travis Beals resting with 12 dogs in Eagle Island2, 715 miles in/413 to Nome
10. Ryan Redington resting with 9 dogs in Eagle Island2, 715 miles in/413 to Nome
Red lantern is rookie Quince Mountain running 10 dogs 530 miles in/598 to Nome
25 pounds? I hope he likes salmon.
Also, is this the furthest in we have 2 teams essentially tied?
Frosty certainly loves salmon.
The closest race was actually at the finish line in 1978. The nose of the lead dogs on sled 1 team crossed before the dogs on the other team. But the second team was going faster, so the musher on sled 2 crossed before the musher on sled 1. There was no rule to account for this. Eventually, it was decided that this was a dogsled race, so the first dog to the finish won and not the first musher to the finish. From the Iditarod site:
"The closest finish was in 1978. Dick Mackey finished one second ahead of Rick Swenson. Mackey's time was 14 days, 18 hours, 52 minutes and 24 seconds. The winner was decided by the nose of the lead dog across the finish line."
And here is 1 of the articles and a video of the finish
https://alaskasportshall.org/inductee/mackeyswenson-finish/
https://www.google.com/search?q=1978+iditarod&sca_esv=782b43cd78aed7d2&s...
You are a wealth of Iditarod knowledge and I love it.
Thank you. But truth be told, I do not know that much. Mostly summarizing the video, GPS and analyst comments.
Matt Hall pulled through Kaltag2 and is now in first, Jessie Holmes just pulled out and is 3 miles behind Matt. Jessie said yesterday that he had hoped to leave with all 13 dogs but he ended up dropping 2 and is down to 11. Paige's team is continuing to rest in Kaltag2. If she does a typical, regular 4-4.5 hour rest break, she will pull out around 11 :30 AM-12 PM east coast time.
Leader board says Paige is still in Kaltag2, but the GPS at of 1:20 PM east coast says that she is moving with 13 dogs 786 miles in/342 to Nome. She is 27 miles behind Matt Hall and 26 behind Jessie Holmes. 4th place is Nic Petit running 14 dogs 778 miles in/350 to Nome.
Meanwhile, rookie Bryce Mumford scratched at Grayling checkpoint with 8 dogs. That reduces the total field to 26, although the leader board still has him listed in the race, article says he has dropped out.
Newest update (7 min ago?) has Paige out of Kaltag2 at 0906 local (1306 EDT). Still running 13 dogs, so that's good. Hopefully she can catch up to the other two, but I'm not optimistic at this point.
Any idea when she's due in Unalakleet? I haven't been good with the projections.
Thank you!
Had an interview with Paige in Kaltag2 that was posted. Person was asking her about strategy and she said there were limits on what she wanted the team to do, so she is sticking to not pushing things. No surprise there. She noted that she has not even seen Jessie Holmes' team on the trail to know how they are doing. Also noted that she is typically around Matt Hall at this point in the race based upon prior years.
The team has been going trough lots of booties on each segment with the trail conditions.
Video showed her pulling out and it is daylight. A lot of teams have been preferring to run at night and avoid the heat of the day, but the weather has also cooled off. Kaltag report says a high of 19 today and a low of -6, so it is not as warm as it has been. Unalakleet weather says a high of 21 and a low of 4, so looks like no threat of weather even approaching freezing in the ~80 miles to Unalakleet.
Tuesday evening the 11th and ~9 PM east coast we have the top 5 teams on the trail towards Unalakleet and several other teams in Kaltag2. Paige has moved back up into 2nd and has closed in on Jessie Holmes as well. Matt Hall has also closed the gap so top 3 are getting bunched up, but have opened up the distance on the other teams. Current standings are:
1. Jessie Holmes running 11 dogs 846 miles in/282 to Nome
2. Paige Drobny running 13 dogs 839 miles in/289 miles to Nome
3. Matt Hall running 10 dogs 837 miles in/291 to Nome
4. Millie Porsild Hall running 10 dogs 793 miles in/335 to Nome
5. Michelle Phillips running 11 dogs 788 miles in/340 to Nome
6. Nic Petit resting with 14 dogs at Kaltag2, 785 miles in/343 to Nome
7. Baily Vitello resting with 13 dogs at Kaltag2, 785 miles in/343 to Nome
8. Travis Beals resting with 11 dogs at Kaltag2, 785 miles in/343 to Nome
9. Ryan Redington resting with 9 dogs at Kaltag2, 785 miles in/343 to Nome
10. Mitch Seavey running 10 dogs 778 miles in/350 to Nome
Looks like Paige has done a good job keeping her dogs healthy and so has that advantage on the other teams.
Latest analyst video (which was from this morning, but I'm just now getting around to listening.
Felt Jessie was in a great position out front. Again, this was earlier today before Paige and Matt Hall started closing the gap. Some speculation that he could try and go the entire Kaltag-Unalakleet stretch in 1 run, but the doubted that. Were correct as he took a break that looked to be about 4 hours on the trail.
Said Matt Hall's team looked fantastic as they went through Kaltag2. They were going 10+ mph as they arrived and running in unison as a team. Looked to be in a position where he could make a move to try and catch up to Jessie, which has proved to be true.
Did not say much about Paige or Millie Porsild, who has since moved up to 4th.
Noted that Michelle Phillips has started to dial things back. She feels she is in the second grouping of teams and, unless someone upfront falters, she will probably not push the team trying to catch up to the leaders and run the risk of pushing too hard, having the team tire and then losing several spots. More focused on defense against people behind her like Mitch Seavey than offence to get to the top 3. The team looks good and is eating well.
Nic Petit's them just roared into Kaltag2 and looked really strong. He has been "babying" the team. Actually took two 8-hour rest breaks and is resting in Kaltag2 even though the team looked eager to go. Has several young dogs on the team. If anyone not close to the front has a good shot of making a lot of noise down the stretch, they think Nic is the most likely.
In terms of strategy going forward, the colder air and clear skies should speed things up. Analysts expect teams to rest up at one of the cabins on the Kaltag portage and then go through Unalakleet. I guess it's good that I never got around to getting Paige the pizza as (they think) she, Jessie and Matt will all blow through. Guess we will see. The mushers they have talked to are glad to finally be off the river and get some new scenery with the forest and then tundra coming up.
Bruce Lee gave an analogy to explain why you should not worry too much about dropped dogs. Get together with a bunch of your best friends or family. Rope yourself together and go on a long walk. Sooner or later, someone will be bored out of their minds with how slow you are going. Someone else will think they are going to die as they are moving too fast. At this stage in the race, you want to be getting down to the best dogs on the team that can work together. He felt 9-12 dogs is optimal as it also gives the musher less work to do taking care of them and you can give better care/attention to detail of the ones you still have. And re-highlighted how you are as fast as the slowest dog, so you can drop dogs and go faster. Especially if you do not have any big up hills where you want the 4 paw traction to power up them.
Dude, you're killing it, I'm hanging on every update! Thanks for all the great info, can't wait to see how this ends. Go Paige and Drobny's doggos!!!
Good morning. Looks like the first three have passed through Unalakleet in the night, and immediately headed out toward Shaktoolik. As Frosty said, they most likely rested at one of the cabins on the portage between Kaltag2 and Unalakleet, then passed on through. With a rest time of only 4m in Unalakleet, it's likely that Paige wouldn't have gotten our pizzas anyways. She did drop one dog there, running with twelve now.
Frosty has access to the gps tracks, so he is best to describe what's going on beyond Unalakleet.
Jessie Holmes continues to pick up awards. Last night, he was the first to Unalakleet, which means he captures the Ryan Air Gold Coast Award. From the Iditarod site, he receives:
"one ounce of gold nuggets (valued over $1,500) from the Bering Straits region as well as a beautiful wood carved loon."
Wednesday morning, March 12. Overnight, Jessie Holmes, Matt Hall and Paige Drobny all went through Unalakleet. Guess it's good I did not send Paige the pizza as she would not have gotten it as she only spent 4 minutes there. While she was resting before Unalakleet, Millie Porsild almost caught up to her, but she pulled out and Millie then stopped to rest her team, leaving Paige solidly in third. Just now - literally minutes ago - Matt Hall pulled ahead of Jessie on the GPS tracker. So at a bit before 8:30 AM east coast, we have the top 3 on the trail to Shaktoolik and many others on their way into Unalakleet:
1. Matt Hall running 10 dogs 897 miles in/231 to Nome
2. Jessie Holmes running 11 dogs 896 miles in/232 to Nome
3. Paige Drobny running 12 dogs 888 miles in/240 to Nome
4. Millie Porsild resting on the trail with 10 dogs, 852 miles in/276 miles to Nome
5. Michelle Phillips running 11 dogs 841 miles in/287 to Nome
6. Travis Beals running 11 dogs 838 miles in/290 to Nome
7. Ryan Redington running 9 dogs 830 in/298 to Nome
8. Bailey Vitello resting on the trail with 12 dogs 829 miles in/299 to Nome
9. Mitch Seavey running 10 dogs 826 miles in/302 to Nome
10. Nic Petit running 13 dogs 808 miles in/320 to Nome
In the red lantern position, we have rookie Quince Mountain, resting with 10 dogs and Shageluk, 631 miles in/497 to Nome.
The next section for Matt, Jessie and Paige will be the 50 mile stretch including the crossing of the Norton Sound sea ice. A lot of times people will cross together. Will see if Matt and Jessie go together or apart, if Paige goes with either of them, waits for Millie to go together or goes alone.
Frosty, are there two sea ice crossings? The leg between Shaktoolik and Koyuk shows a significant amount of time over the sound. Is there also a sound crossing between Unalakleet and Shaktoolik? The overall race map doesn't show a lot of detail there, and while it looks like it hugs the coast, it's possible it goes over the sound.
I think it is mostly just the 1 big crossing. There are several areas where it is along the coast and the trail may extend out onto the edge of the ice, but I'm honestly not sure it it stays on land or goes out onto the end of the water. Zoomed in on the GPS map and you can see that they go across the peninsula and then a trip over a small inlet - had to look on another map, that is called Reindeer Cove - and then big crossing. But you can see below how after Elim, they do go out onto the water again. Off the end of the picture, there is another stretch into White Mountain that goes across a bay and you are along the edge of the water on the last leg into Nome. Probably has some areas on the sea ice there as well. But those are all close to shore.
You can also see that Jessie has retaken the lead over Matt.
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We need to figure out how to buy YOU a pizza, my man!
He won't be hungry, he gets all the turkey legs.
Wednesday @ 0600 local (1000 EDT): Jesse Holmes and Matt Hall entered Shaktoolik within 11 minutes of each other. They both spent 8 minutes at the checkpoint and headed out, each with the same number of dogs that they came in with. They are now headed over the sea ice of Norton Sound towards Koyuk. Paige is listed in third because of when she left Unalakleet, but she left that checkpoint almost five hours behind Matt Hall, so she's probably a way off from Shaktoolik at this time. No other racer has reached Unalakleet as of the time of the most recent race log.
Looks like Paige just got to Shaktoolik, 9 .Iles behind Jesse and Matt.
Yeah, looks like she got there right at an hour after Matt left, though while both Jesse and Matt stayed only 8 minutes each, she's still there after 30 minutes, per the 0713 local update.
Latest GPS @ 11:20 AM east coast shows Jessie Holmes out in the middle of Reindeer Cove before the start of the main sea ice crossing. Matt Hall is 3 miles behind him and approaching the shore. Paige has the team resting in Shaktoolik 10 miles behind Matt. Unless Matt stops short of the coast and waits for Paige, I assume all 3 will cross as individuals. The nearest team behind Paige is now Michelle Phillips and she is 40 miles back. Would be many hours before she catches up and she'd probably need to rest her team before the crossing anyway.
Looks like Paige just left Shaktoolik 5 minutes ago (1:30 EST), 30 miles behind Jesse who is still running.about 20 miles short of Koyuk, I assume he will almost surely push straight through to Koyuk now that hes out on the sea ice. Matt Hall is resting on the trail about halfway between the two, probably right before the open sea ice starts.
Yep, Matt has been waiting on that point of land past the cove for quite a while. Normally, I'd think that was because weather was bad and he was waiting for something like the wind to die down, but no word on storms or high wind. And Jessie went straight out across the sound. Maybe Matt and Paige planned to cross together but he did not want to rest in town at the checkpoint with all the people and she did? No idea.
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Looking at the data in the 0930 local (1330 EDT)update, specifically the transit and rest times between leaving Unalakleet and leaving Shaktoolik, it looks like both Jessie and Matt rested before getting to Shaktoolik or had a harder time getting there. Paige spent 3h45m less time on that run than Matt, and 4h45m less than the leader Jesse. So even though she spent 2h28m in Shaktoolik (vs their 8m), she actually gained during the Unalakleet/Shaktoolik leg. She was either significantly faster (7.71mph vs 4.57mph/4.12mph, these are average speeds though) or the two leaders rested before the Shaktoolik checkpoint.
TL,DR: Paige made up about 1h15m on Matt and 2h15m on Jesse on the leg between Unalakleet and Shaktoolik.
GO PAIGE GO!
Further back, it looked like Emily Ford was going to run away with the rookie of the year award as the first rookie to finish. But Samantha LaLonde has passed her and is now the lead rookie, running 12 dogs 747 miles in/381 to Nome. Emily is 739 miles in/388 to Nome with 13 dogs.
Ran the tracker back and re-watched the two of them. Emily was way ahead but stopped for a long time before Grayling1 and in Grayling. Also stopped for a long time after pulling out of Eagle Island2. Samantha did her 8-hour in Eagle Island2 and, even with the layover, has been able to catch and pass Emily on the trail to Kaltag2. Emily has been stopping and starting a lot since leaving Kaltag1.
I'll have to try and review some of the videos this evening to see if (1) Matt and Paige planned to cross Norton Sound together and (2) if Emily was having troubles causing her to stop so much.
At 3:23 east coast, Matt and Paige are both on the water. Matt the main Sound and Paige on Reindeer Cove, so they are not running together. Holmes is approaching Koyuk and is visible on the camera zooming in on him.
Having live fee from Koyuk with the analysts. Their comments have been:
It is likely Jessie's race to lose. Has 31 mile lead on Matt Hall and 34 mile lead on Paige. They think he will pull through Koyuk and try and camp ~15 miles past the checkpoint. That would position him to have a long rest camping and will be set up for his next run to go into Elim.
Thought is that Matt needs to have a long run all the way to Elim to have much of a chance. He had a long rest and might be able to.
Paige seems to have backed off with the rest in Shaktoolik. Feels unlike that she will press the team.
No one further back expected to have a chance to win unless the top 3 teams all falter or bad weather closes down the trail. However, the dogs on all the lead teams look strong and there is no prediction of bad weather. It is clear and sunny. Winds 12-15 mph. Not light, but not bad at all for Norton Sound.
And Jessie just pulled in at 3:31 PM east coast according to my computer.
Did she, though? If you look at my previous comment, it looks like Paige turned on the gas between Unalakleet and Shaktoolik, and even with her rest at the check point, gained over an hour on both racers ahead of her. (I bolded the relevant numbers in that comment.)
I think it will be interesting to see her pace compared to the other two between Shaktoolik and Koyuk. That'll tell us whether Paige is backing off, or is fighting for a 2nd or 1st place position.
I think he was referring to her taking a long rest at Shaktoolik and not pushing forward aggressively. Jessie Holmes moved aggressively across the ice and Matt Hall went out to the shelter cabin that is on that little point of land (I had forgotten that there was a shelter there) although he did stop and rest there. She had a good strong run, but is not trying to push the dogs further. The dogs probably wanted to run fast.
When Jessie pulled into Koyuk, they noted that he looked pretty tired and beat up. They initially thought he would push through to set up an easy run to Elim next, but he was laying out straw for the dogs and so they assume he will stay at least a couple of hours to rest. The benefit of Koyuk is you can look down on the ice and see the teams coming in. This gives him the chance to play things by ear to decide when to leave if he sees Matt Hall approaching. Or he could just run whatever normal rest cycle he was planning.
I still am curious, though, if Jesse and Matt were just slow between Unalakleet and Shaktoolik, or if they rested on the trail before the Shaktoolik checkpoint. Would previous gps data show this? Big difference between Paige outpacing them on that leg, vs their resting during the leg compared to Paige resting at the checkpoint.
They rested on the trail. Jessie longer than Matt.
http://w-uh.com/iditaflow/?mpos=1&mcnt=50&snmile=700&edate=&presort=on&c...
Weird. Looks like the iditarod site is having a glitch, because the 1245 local (1645 EDT) update has rookie Justin Olnes now in 2nd place, arriving in Koyuk having last left Grayling 2, completely skipping Unalakleet and Shaktoolik. He and his dogs were mushing at an astonishing 37mph over the 301mi between Grayling 2 and Koyuk.
This has got to be one of the greatest canine athletic achievements I have ever witnessed (digitally).
Looks like they've corrected the glitch.
Dang, you beat me to it. I was firing up a new tab to find this gif.
Wednesday evening, March 12 ~7 PM east coast.
Interview with Jessie Holmes in Koyuk. Said that it was cold and the wind was stiffer than what the reports said. Felt it was 20 mph in his face. Was surprised that Matt Hall rested at the shelter cabin before crossing the ice. They were close and e expected Matt to be right behind him when he pulled in. Now knows Matt is still far out on the ice. Said he hopes to get 5 hours rest in Koyuk and then 3 hours in Elim. That would set him up for the run from Elim to White Mountain where everyone needs to do an 8-hour break before the final stretch to Safety and Nome.
Looking ahead, we have:
~50 miles to Elim checkpoint
~45 miles to White Mountain checkpoint - mandatory 8-hour layover
~55 miles to Safety Roadhouse checkpoint
~22 miles to Nome
If all goes smoothly, the main analyst expects a winner sometime Thursday Alaska time. Of course, these are dogs with minds of their own and bad weather can come up almost out of nowhere on the Seward Peninsula and shut everyone in, so nothing is certain.
Current standings just after 7 PM are:
1. Jessie Holmes, resting with 11 dogs in Koyuk, 958 miles in/170 to Nome
2. Matt Hall running 10 dogs 949 miles in/179 to Nome
3. Paige Drobny running 12 dogs 945 miles in/183 to Nome
4. Millie Porsild resting with 9 dogs in Shaktoolik, 908 miles in/220 to Nome
5. Michelle Phillips resting on the trail with 10 dogs, 890 miles in/238 to Nome
6. Travis Beals running 11 dogs 888 miles in/240 to Nome
7. Mitch Seavey running 10 dogs 883 miles in/245 to Nome
8. Bailey Vitello resting on the trail with 12 dogs 880 miles in/248 miles to Nome
9. Ryan Redington running 9 dogs 877 miles in/251 to Nome
10. Nic Petit resting with 13 dogs in Unalakleet, 866 miles in/262 to Nome
Red lantern position is Quince Mountain resting with 10 dogs in Grayling2, 659 miles in/469 to Nome
Matt Hall pulls into Koyuk at 8:10 according to my computer. He has already said that he will be going through. Jessie Holmes has been working on his sled. Likely he will pull out with a well-rested team within an hour, but Matt will take over first place for now.
Paige is 2 miles behind Matt and should be arriving soon.
8:19 PM and Paige is on the camera coming over the ice. Jessie is putting booties on his team and will be following Matt out, probably about the time Paige arrives.
Edit: Paige in at 8:23. She has said she will stay and rest the team here in Koyuk. Jessie should be pulling out soon. They parked her team further along than Jessie's, so she is, technically-speaking, 50 feet or so closer to Nome. Alas, that won't count as moving into second place.
Edit part 2: Jessie Holmes pulls out at 8:38 PM. Said the lead dogs are the brothers Polar and Arctic.
Interview with Paige at Koyuk. She said that on her sea ice crossing, the wind was blowing ~20 mph at first and that is not bad for that area. But it picked up to 30-35 mph and was blowing dry snow into their faces, almost like blowing sand. She was close to Matt Hall a lot of the way but said he was never in view, just recent sled marks that she presumed were his.
Her plan is to stop at Elim. Originally, she thought about pushing past Koyuk and camping at a cabin about half way there, but felt that the dogs had been asked to do too much. Physically they looked good, but felt like they were mentally starting to lose confidence and they needed the rest. The run from Kaltag to Unalakleet and then on to Shaktoolik were fast runs - just like Little Bobby Tables pointed out above. She asked them to do a lot and they responded. For a bit, she did think about racing as she planned to stop earlier than she did on the way to Unalakleet but they pushed on and went fast to Shaktoolik. But she will not push to try and do something like run all the way to White Mountain without a long rest. Interviewer mentioned Pete Kaiser (prior winning, not running this year) did that, but she will not. Feels she would be asking too much of the dogs.
Looks like it is now a defensive mindset to try and run her race without worrying about anyone else. Try and hold on to the 3rd place spot, which will top last year's best ever finish of 5th.
As we approach midnight, standings are:
1. Jessie Holmes running 11 dogs 982 miles in/146 to Nome
2. Matt Hall resting on the trail with 10 dogs 976 miles in/152 to Nome
3. Paige Drobny resting in Kaltag with 12 dogs, 958 miles in/170 to Nome
4. Millie Porsild running 9 dogs 924 miles in/204 to Nome
5. Mitch Seavey running 10 dogs 914 miles in/214 to Nome
6. Michelle Phillips running 10 dogs 910 miles in/218 to Nome
7. Ryan Redington resting in Shaktoolik with 9 dogs, 908 miles in/220 to Nome
8. Bailey Vitello resting in Shaktoolik with 12 dogs, 908 miles in/220 to Nome
9. Travis Beals running 11 dogs 893 miles in/235 to Nome
10. Nic Petit resting in Unalakleet with 13 dogs, 866 miles in/262 to Nome
Red lantern still Quince Mountain resting in Grayling2 with 10 dogs, 659 miles in/469 to Nome
Thursday, March 13 at ~7:15 AM east coast. Standings are:
1. Jessie Holmes
resting in Elim with 11 dogs, 1,008 miles in/120 to Nome; he pulled in at 2:52 AM east coastSee below about Jessie's GPS not working. He pulled out of Elim at 6:22 AM east coast2. Matt Hall resting in Elim with 10 dogs, 1,008 miles in/120 to Nome; he pulled in at 6:46 AM east coast
3. Paige Drobny running 12 dogs 1,000 miles in/128 to Nome; should arrive in Elim in ~ an hour
4. Michelle Phillips resting in Koyuk with 10 dogs, 958 miles in/170 to Nome
5. Millie Porsild resting in Koyuk with 9 dogs, 958 miles in/170 to Nome
6. Ryan Redington running 9 dogs 932 miles in/196 to Nome
7. Mitch Seavey running 10 dogs 932 miles in/196 to Nome; Redington and Seavey have been side-by-side going over the sea ice, so running the route together
8. Travis Beals resting at the shelter cabin just before the sea crossing with 11 dogs 924 miles in/204 to Nome
9. Bailey Vitello resting at the shelter cabin just before the sea crossing with 12 dogs 924 miles in/204 to Nome
10. Nic Petit resting in Shaktoolik with 13 dogs, 908 miles in/220 to Nome
Lots of changes at the back of the race. Rookie Justin Olnes scratched in Eagle Island2, noting that his team needed more rest if they were going to be able to compete. Further back, rookies Quince Mountain and Sydnie Bailey were withdrawn from the race based on rule 36, which essentially reads that the race judges can stop teams that are no longer competitive. This drops the field to only 23 teams. Do not know, but I'm guessing we will have the fewest finishers in race history this year.
"Rule 36 states: Competitiveness: A team may be withdrawn that is out of the competition and is not in a position to make a valid effort to compete. The Race Marshal may consider, but is not limited to, weather, trail conditions and the overall pace of the Race when invoking this rule."
A lot of people on the Insider's chat were not happy about the people at the back of the pack being forced out of the race.
Red lantern is now held by rookie Jenny Reddewig, running 10 dogs, 742 miles in/469 to Nome
I have to agree with the dissenters. Forcing rookies out is bad for business unless it was their choice. It sounds like they want to be able to close up shop earlier and just not let people finish in their own time.
There was discussion of this by the analysts yesterday. Apparently there were rumors that 1 or more teams at the back could be removed or asked to stop, though it had not officially happened or been reported. They did point out that many (probably most) of the people working the race are volunteers with regular jobs they are taking off from. The vets at each checkpoint to monitor the dogs, the Iditarod Air Force teams to transport dropped dogs, the people working at the checkpoints to maintain them, etc. If someone was way far back, you cannot assume all the people will be able to stick around many extra days. And you need the vets and checkpoint teams there for dog and musher safety. Also, we don't know what condition the dogs and mushers on those teams were in. The officials may have felt it was in the best interest of the teams to stop.
I had hoped they could continue - especially Quince as in his interviews he sounded like an absolute blast - but I can understand the decision that was made. The way they phrased in the article, I wonder if part of the reason Olnes scratched was that he felt he would be asked to withdraw if the team was not moving well and he knew they were getting tired.
"Additionally, Rookie Iditarod musher, Justin Olnes (bib #29), of Fairbanks, Alaska scratched at 12:45 p.m. today at the Eagle Island checkpoint, stating that his team needed more rest to stay competitive. Olnes arrived at the Eagle Island checkpoint with 10 dogs in harness and departed the checkpoint at 5:22 p.m. Shortly after departing the checkpoint, Olnes returned back to the Eagle Island checkpoint in the best interest of his team."
I understand the logistics of manning the race with volunteers, but it is a slippery slope they are treading on. It was Olnes choice to withdraw. Quince and Sydnie might not have wanted to withdraw.
As rookies, they were learning the trail and the actual experience. Not letting them complete the trip (if their dogs were okay) is very discouraging and might cost them sponsorship and drive to ever compete again. After all who wants to sponsor a team that doesn't even finish the race.
There are people who enter marathons for the experience of completing it rather than winning it. Look at the 80/90 years olds still completing them. By their reasoning should Paige be eliminated as she has stated her goal is never to necessarily win, but do the best she can?
All true, and I don't disagree. But - as a marathon finisher myself - you do have sweeps in marathons and even shorter but still long races like half marathons and 20Ks. They will say things like you have to finish within 6 hours or you need to be a the halfway point by such-and-such a time or you will be picked up. Often they cannot keep the streets closed beyond a certain time so it is not safe to run. Here, if you could not guarantee vets at the checkpoint, you cannot guarantee the dog's health and safety. And you are not asking volunteers to stay at the marathon finish for 2 extra hours. It could be 2 extra days in the Iditarod.
Another difference here is they do not have a set time that you need to finish by. I mean storms can keep people trapped all day, like in 2022 where several were trapped on the trail and needed to be brought out and others waited it out in White Mountain.
http://www.nomenugget.net/news/storm-drives-six-iditarod-mushers-scratch...
You have to run qualifying races to get into the Iditarod like qualifiers to do the Boston Marathon to try and keep too slow teams out. Could say if they said you had to get to/have a legitimate chance to get to Unalakleet by day X and be able to finish/have a legitimate chance to finish by day Y or you have to drop out. Then you would know in advance what is needed. But with weather issues, it is hard to pick a specific day.
100% agreed, but it seems like this ruling was made arbitrarily and not that you need to make it X far by Y day. I think that is the basis of the grumbling.
wonder if the evidently difficult trail conditions played a part in it too
Also, by saying something along the lines of, within 30 hours of expected trail time, to the leader, you could have mushers drive their dogs too hard attempting to keep up with an arbitrary time.
I understand the heartache by those dropped. There will be good points on several sides of this issue.
Since Jessie Holmes has been resting in Elim for 4.5 hours, I'd think he'll be pulling out soon. Will see if Matt Hall tries to keep pace with little rest or not.Edit, see below about Jessie's GPS not working.Paige already said in Koyuk that she planned to take the regular rest in Elim before the ~45 mile run to White Mountain and the mandatory 8-hour layover there.
And ... apparently the GPS is not working properly. People talking about that in the chat. Not sure how accurate what I wrote above about people's positioning at 7:15 AM is correct. The race standings say Jessie Holmes left Elim at 2:22 AM Alaska time/6:22 east coast.
Now it looks like other people's GPSs are working, just not Jessie's.
Edit: Ha, now Jessie's GPS says he is out of Elim and moving at 34.4 miles per hour. I guess we'll just know when he gets to White Mountain when he gets there as that is the next live feed. No live feed from Elim. If he actually left at 2:22 AM Alaska time/6:22 AM east coast, people were saying he should get to White Mountain in 5-6 hours if the weather cooperates and if all goes well with the team, or ~11:30 AM-12:30 PM east coast. A lot of "ifs" in there, so no idea how accurate that assessment is. But means he would be eligible to leave White Mountain at about 8 PM east coast and arrive in Nome early Friday morning east coast.
Paige just pulled into Elim at about 8:08 EST.
Current top ten, as of the 0434 local (0834 EDT) update. Paige pulled into Elim about 1h15m after Matt. Jesse, he gone, before Matt ever pulled in.
Per the 0532 local (0932 EDT) update, Matt Hall has left the Elim checkpoint, about 3h behind Jesse Holmes. Paige is still resting in the Elim checkpoint. If she rests for the same time as Matt Hall, she would potentially be leaving at around 0645 local (1045 EDT), just under an hour from now.
As of the 0855 local (1255 EDT) update, Jesse Holmes has reached White Mountain and started his final 8h mandatory rest. Matt Hall is still en route to White Mountain from Elim, having left about 3.5h earlier. Paige is still resting in Elim. Rounding out the top 5, Mitch Seavey and Michelle Phillips are en route to Elim from Koyuk, both having left around 2h ago. Paige has had the fastest time to Elim so far, at 6h12m (3m faster than Holmes), so Seavey and Phillips are still a few hours out of Elim.
And of course, as soon as I hit "Post", a new update at 0905 local (1305 EDT) comes in, where Paige has now left Elim. She is just under 3h behind Matt Hall, who if he is running at Jesse Holmes' pace, is about halfway to White Mountain.
Included all the teams that have arrived at Koyuk and beyond.
Looks like Paige is on the move from Elim to White Mountain as of a few minutes ago. Matt hall is running halfway there, and Jesse Holmes arrived at White Mountain almost a half hour ago and has begun his mandatory 8 hour layover.
Yes, looks like:
1. Jessie Holmes in White Mountain 1,057 miles in/71 to Nome. Eligible to leave
2. Matt Hall 20 miles from White Mountain. Should be there in 2-2.5 hrs.
3. Paige Drobny ~25 miles behind Matt
Hard to imagine her catching either of them unless something unexpected happens. On the flip side, Mitch Seavey in 4th place is almost 40 miles behind Paige, so something pretty dramatic (and bad) would need to happen for her to drop below 3rd place.
Frosty: For the Iditarod, is it there's a 1st place and everyone else is last (I'm overstating this to be concise) or are there awards for certain places behind 1st?
Thanks
BTW: I'm really enjoying following this each year - we appreciate your thoroughness and helping us all out.
Not Frosty, but there's cash for high placers. If you look on Paige's profile on the Iditarod site, you can see how much she's won over the years.
There are the awards along the trail. Jessie picked up another one as the first to arrive at White Mountain. The
Northrim Bank Achieve More Award, which is a $2,500 check and a trophy. I think he has won all of them except the Feast on the Yukon that Paige took. But I might have missed one. There is the rookie of the year award for the first rookie to reach Nome. Looked like Emily Ford was going to run away with that one, but Samantha LaLonde holds the lead rookie position now. Both are resting in Unalakleet, but Samantha got there first. There is an award for the most improved musher and another, the name escapes me, for the most inspirational or most gentlemanly or most admired or some such as well. I'll have to look that one up.
But, as was mentioned above, you do get prize money fairly far down the list. With so few likely to finish this year, might be that everyone who finishes gets some amount, even if it might be small.
Edit: here is the list of the various awards. Oh man, I completely forgot to include the Red Lantern Award! Doh! The one I was trying to remember was the Sportsmanship Award.
https://iditarod.com/iditarod-special-awards/
As of the noon local (1600 EDT) update, Jesse Holmes has been resting in White Mountain for 3h21, while Matt Hall has just arrived 7m prior, having transited the 49 miles from Elim in 6h26m, slightly above Holmes' time of 6h17m. Paige is still between Elim and White Mountain, having left 3h40m prior. If she's going at the same pace Holmes and Hall did, she should arrive in White Mountain at around 1440 local (1840 EDT), about 2h before Jesse's 8h rest ends. Two more racers have reached Koyuk since the last update, and there are a total of five racers between Koyuk and Elim.
Looks like Paige just pulled into white mountain to do her mandatory 8 hour stop. Jesse can leave in about 2 hours and Matt in about 5 hours. Guessing the top 3 finishers are pretty much set at this point.
Thursday evening at ~7:15 PM east coast.
First of all, Hokietopher and Little Bobby Tables, thank you for keeping things going. Trying to get a big proposal out at work. Ugh. Anyway, as mentioned, Paige is safely in to White Mountain with a comfortable leads on the 4th place team. We have:
1. Jessie Holmes resting in White Mountain with 11 dogs 1,057 miles in/71 to Nome. He is eligible to leave at ~4:40 PM Alaska time/~8:40 PM east coast
2. Matt Hall resting in White Mountain with 10 dogs 1,057 miles in/71 to Nome. He is eligible to leave at ~7:50 PM Alaska time/~11:50 PM east coast
3. Paige Drobny resting in White Mountain with 12 dogs 1,057 miles in/71 to Nome. She is eligible to leave at ~10:44 PM Alaska time/~2:45 PM east coast
4. Michelle Phillips resting with 9 dogs in Elim, 1,008 miles in/120 to Nome
5. Mitch Seavey - at 65 years old - running 10 dogs 989 miles in/139 to Nome
6. Ryan Redington running 9 dogs 985 miles in/143 to Nome
7. Travis Beals resting on the trail with 11 dogs 976 miles in/152 to Nome
8. Bailey Vitello resting on the trail with 12 dogs 975 miles in/153 to Nome
9. Millie Porsild with 9 dogs resting in Koyuk, 958 miles in/170 to Nome. She has been there a long time, since about 6:20 AM east coast. Hopefully she is not having a problem, but after waiting this long, I'm guessing something must be up. Unless her GPS isn't working either?
10. Riley Dyche running 10 dogs 908 miles in/220 to Nome
Red lantern position is held by Jenny Roddewig with 10 dogs resting in Kaltag2, 785 miles in/343 to Nome
Had short videos of Jessie and Matt as each one came into White Mountain. Jessie looked pretty beat. Said his team looked mentally tired coming into Elim and decided he had to take a break there. Said the team bounced back pretty quickly after the rest. When he was moving the sled over to the parking area, the team was getting tangled up with a checkpoint worker and then seemed to be pulling in different directions on the way over. Needed to give many more commands to get them parked.
Matt Hall seemed much more energetic and cheerful. His team also seemed to just go straight over to the parking area.
I'm probably reading too much into this, but it does make me wonder if the remaining stretch as longer if Matt's team would be able to overtake Jessie's. Hard to imagine that will be the case with the size of the lead, the short distance remaining and the team getting 8 hours of rest, but I wonder if Matt is just going to run out of distance and could do it if there was more race left. We will never know.
Jessie is getting his team ready.
Meanwhile, further back, apparently Millie Porsild had tried to pull out of Koyuk, but the were not doing well. She came back feeling they need more rest.
A bunch of people on the live chat were talking about how they feel bad for Jenny. That is rookie Jenny Roddewig. Apparently, someone stole her supplies at Kaltag2. Unless someone moved them out thinking they were someone else's and were to be packed out. This is what was posted on her kennels' Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/sagemtnsleddogs/
"We just received an update from Jenny. Unfortunately, all her drop bags in Kaltag were stolen. My (Mike) care package for her was also stolen. Jenny has managed to scrounge enough supplies to keep going, but this is a major setback and very disheartening."
Not sure if she will be able to keep going or not.
Saw that on reddit. What a shitty break.
Jessie Holmes took a long time to get the team set up. Pulled out at 8:54 PM east coast, ~15 minutes past when he was eligible to go. Should get to Nome early tomorrow east coast time.
Once again, thanks for being our guide every year Chris! The insider info and interviews (that you pay for) and share are fantastic!
Frosty... again, thanks. Every year this is a great distraction.
The fact that a Hokie will finish 3rd in this incredible race is AWESOME!
Paige needs to get recognition in Lane Stadium (if that interests her).
I still would love to see a Paige AMA on the key play, of course if she was interested.
Ha! That's bitchin' idea.
I bet she doesn't realize a bunch of degenerate All/everything Hokie fans have a yearly thread watching her progress.
I pass the updates on to the tailgate crew that I always came to lot 18 with. (Dam good thing I'm not an English major.)
We need to dig out some of those expired Hardees coupons to get to her.
I messaged them over on FB to mention that we'd love to see this happen!
6:51 AM and Jessie Holmes 1 mile to the finish. I thought he would be done before I got up.
Matt Hall just pulled out of Safety with 10 dogs, 22 miles to Nome.
Paige pulled out of White Mountain ~11 PM Edit: meant that as 11 PM Alaska time/3 AM east coast
Just pulled in at 6:56 AM east coast by my computer. Need to go through the equipment check and he will, officially, be the winner.
Equipment check done and Jessie Holmes is the official winner. Finish line person said 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds. Will confirm that when the leader board is updated.
And confirmed leader board finish time was: 10d 14h 55m 41s
Shot of Jessie with Polar (white), Hercules (dark) and a $57,200 check.
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I wonder if one of the talented people here can do a Dog on a Treadmill T-shirt?
At about 7:10 AM east coast, we have:
1. Jessie Holmes, finished in Nome with 10 dogs
2. Matt Hall running 10 dogs 1,106 miles in/22 to Nome
3. Paige Drobny running 11 dogs 1,083 miles in/45 to Nome
4-6 all resting in White Mountain, 1,057 miles in/71 to Nome including:
4. Michelle Phillips with 9 dogs
5. Mitch Seavey with 10 dogs
6. Bailey Vitello with 12 dogs
7. Travis Beals running 11 dogs, 1,032 miles in/96 to Nome
8. Ryan Redington running 8 dogs, 1,030 miles in/98 to Nome
9. Millie Porsild running 8 dogs 990 miles in/138 to Nome
10. Riley Dyche resting in Koyuk with 10 dogs 958 miles in/170 to Nome
In the red lantern position, Jenney Roddewig has been able to stay in the race. Resting on the trial between Kaltag and Unalakleet with 10 dogs, 829 miles in/299 to Nome
I have a horrible feeling that Paige is going to finish between 12:30-2 PM east coast when I have meetings scheduled. Says she is 36 miles out at 8:01 AM east coast. Hopefully she makes a fast run and gets in before then.
Matt Hall has made it safely into Nome in second place with 10 dogs in harness. Arrived at 5:59 AM Alaska/9:59 AM east coast. Final time 10 days, 17 hours, 59 minutes and 46 seconds.
Paige is currently (10:22 AM east coast) past the Safety Roadhouse checkpoint and running 11 dogs 1,111 miles in/17 to Nome. Current speed is 7.7 mph meaning she is on a perfect pace to arrive a little before 1 PM. Right in the middle of my meetings. Me right about now:
Hopefully Little Bobby Tables or Hokitopher or someone can update people when she pulls in.
Paige 4 miles out at 12:15 PM and moving at 8.3 miles per hour. My 12:30 meeting is internal and not client-facing. Think I'll have 2 computer windows open in case she comes in soon enough. Hey I have to listen to ages of G__ D___ stuff about the Eagles at work for weeks. I can blow some of these people off for a few minutes.
Paige pulls in at 12:39 PM my unofficial time. 3rd place, her best finish ever. Go Paige and go Hokies!
No new log yet, and I'd refreshed about 15sec before your comment. I'll update standings when I see it.
Paige Drobny crosses the finish line in third, following Jesse Holmes and Matt Hall, accomplishing her best finish at the Iditarod. She finishes the 1128mi from Fairbanks to Nome in 20h38m, with an average speed of 4.33mph. Way to go, Paige!
There are still 20 riders left on the course, with one having left White Mountain, and four on their final 8h mandatory rest there. Samantha Lelonde in 16th, currently en route from Shaktoolik to Koyuk, is the top rookie so far, while Jenny Roddewig is still bringing up the rear, currently en route from Kaltag 2 to Unalakleet.
10 riders have scratched (or have been scratched) so far, including Justin Olnes, who at one point had been the benefit of a computer glitch that credited him with a whopping 37mph in one leg from Grayling 2 into Koyuk, completely skipping Unalakleet and Shaktoolik.
The Squid Acres Kennel Facebook page was fun to follow along with as well this year. Her last section of travel occurred with a total lunar eclipse that you can see in the post linked below.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1A7zdrDiw5/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Yeah I saw that earlier today. Very cool.
Did anybody hear or read any further developments in the death of Daniel Klein's dog?
I had not heard anything. Did try and look and found the preliminary results that the Iditarod press release had:
"Anchorage, Alaska – Two board-certified veterinary pathologists in Anchorage have completed
the gross necropsy on Ventana from the race team of Daniel Klein (bib #19).
At this time, the only unexpected finding was that Ventana was pregnant. Further testing at the
laboratory is being performed as per race protocol for thorough investigation to complete the
necropsy study."
If you go to Paige Drobny's page at iditarod.com, there's a nice table of all the checkpoints she went through and the data displayed for each. Good stuff.
Friday evening, March 14. Well, Paige may be in Nome, the race ain't over till
the fat lady singsthe last team makes it into Nome. At ~7 PM east coast, we have:1. Jessie Holmes into Nome
2. Matt Hall into Nome
3. Paige Drobny into Nome
4. Michelle Phillips almost there, running 9 dogs 1,113 miles in/15 to Nome
5. Baily Vitello getting close, running 12 dogs 1,089 miles in/39 to Nome
6. Travis Beals who will likely arrive early tomorrow east coast time, running 10 dogs 1,060 miles in/68 to Nome
7. Mitch Seavey resting with 10 dogs in White Mountain, 1,057 miles in/71 to Nome
8. Ryan Redington resting with 8 dogs in White Mountain, 1,057 miles in/71 to Nome
9. Millie Porsild running 8 dogs 1,045 miles in/83 to Nome
10. Riley Dyche running 10 dogs 1,027 miles in/101 to Nome
Rookie of the year is a toss up between Emily Ford and Samantha LaLonde. They came over the sea ice together on the GPS and have both been resting in Koyuk, 958 miles in/170 to Nome. Would not be surprised if they try and do the rest of the race together.
Red lantern held by rookie Jenny Roddewig resting with 10 dogs in Unalakleet
Couple of screen shots of Paige's finish. A bunch of people doing the can-can dance and singing "Go Paige. Go Squid" just before she arrived and a shot of the team just before the finish line.![]()
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Short interview with Paige after she had finished. Person mentioned that she had not signed up on signing day, still had not signed up on January 1, what made her sign up. Said, like in the pre-race interview, that the dogs were amazing. Ran several races and came in 2nd-6th in the races. Commented that the river trail was tough. That you'd think it should be straight and easy, buy definitely was not. Said that after the race, they have tours to run the rest of the month with people who had signed up with Squid Acres for them. No rest.
Holy moly! I hope Cody finds someone to do the first tour or two, and lets Paige rest a little bit. They posted a picture of her on the Squids facebook page after she did the run into Koyuk. Her hair was frozen solid and she had the combat fatigue 100 yard stare. She looked exhausted.
The fact that she wasn't even planning on entering, didn't push her dogs, and still came in 3rd, less than 6 hours behind the winner, in the longest Iditarod in history, is nothing short of incredible.
Well said, great post. What she and her team did is:
Pretty. Damn. Impressive.
If we get the AMA, maybe we make that honorary dogleg day.
5th hole at Augusta.
5th turn at Phoenix Raceway
Saturday morning the 15th. Top 7 in Nome
1. Jessie Holmes
2. Matt Hall
3. Paige Drobny
4. Michelle Phillips
5. Bailey Vitello
6. Travis Beals
7. Mitch Seavey
8. Ryan Redington running 6 dogs (I believe the minimum you are allowed) 1,116 miles in/12 to Nome
9. Millie Porsild running 7 dogs 1,076 miles in/52 to Nome
10. Riley Dyche running 10 dogs, 1,060 miles in/68 to Nome
Saturday March 15 at ~12:30 PM east coast, and we have more teams finishing up or taking their 8-hour layover at White Mountain. Top 10 is:
1. Jessie Holmes into Nome
2. Matt Hall into Nome
3. Paige Drobny into Nome
4. Michelle Phillips into Nome
5. Bailey Vitello into Nome
6. Travis Beals into Nome
7. Mitch Seavey into Nome
8. Ryan Redington into Nome
9. Riley Dyche running 10 dogs, 1,095 miles in/33 to Nome
10. Millie Porsild resting on the trail with 7 dogs 1,083 miles in/45 to Nome
Looking at the race for rookie of the year:
Samantha LaLonde just pulled into White Mountain with 10 dogs. The GPS has her listed in 15th ahead of Nic Petit, but the leaderboard has her listed in 16th with Nic having pulled out of White Mountain. Not sure what is up. Maybe Nic left and came back to the checkpoint. Anyway, she is resting there on her 8 hours, 1,057 miles in/71 to Nome. She will be eligible to leave ~8:15 PM east coast time.
Emily Ford is the next rookie, currently in 17th place running 12 dogs 1,042 miles in/86 to Nome. Samantha's team has been doing better since Kaltag1 and I'd guess Emily does not have much of a chance of catching her unless something bad happens.
Jenny Roddewig continues to hold the red lantern position, running 10 dogs on the sea ice, 924 miles in/204 to Nome.
If weather cooperates, almost everyone will finish on Sunday. 1 or a handful may come in Monday morning east coast time.
Quick follow-up on the Nic Petit situation. Just asked in the livestream chat and several people responded that Nic did pull out, but then returned to drop a dog. Also had problems with his sled runners and was working or them or changing them. In order to not confuse the dogs with coming and going, he decided to rest them a bit longer. Why the leader board has him in 11th as he did pull out of White Mountain in 11th, but GPS has him 16th and resting back at White Mountain.
FridaySaturday night March 15. The top 10 are in Nome, a couple more should be there within 2 hours and a few more will come in tomorrow morning east coast time. We have:1. Jessie Holmes into Nome
2. Matt Hall into Nome
3. Paige Drobny into Nome
4. Michelle Phillips into Nome
5. Bailey Vitello into Nome
6. Travis Beals into Nome
7. Mitch Seavey into Nome
8. Ryan Redington into Nome
9. Millie Porsild into Nome
10. Riley Dyche into Nome
Matthew Failior is running 7 dogs 1,113 miles in/15 to Nome followed by Nic Petit running 12 dogs 1,111 miles in/17 to Nome. 4 other teams - Anna Berington, Lauro Ekland, Jason Mackey and rookie Samantha LaLande - have all left White Mountain and are all 50-65 miles from Nome. Should be in by the next post on Sunday morning.
Jenny Roddewig is listed on the GPS as running 10 dogs at 5.7 mph 958 miles in/170 to Nome, but the GPS also says that she is still in Koyuk, so I'm guessing that means she has pulled out but the location has not been updated yet. She holds the red lantern position.
I'm curious, do the top finishers hang around for the other finishers to celebrate with them? Thanks
Some of them stick around for the finisher's banquet. That is in Nome on Sunday evening this year. I'm not sure how many stay and how many go though. And a lot of them are pretty exhausted, so I doubt they stay at the finish line unless there are teams right behind them.
I did read that the banquet may happen before all of the teams have finished. But if someone arrives after that, they will get their own thing.
Watched Calvin Daugherty arrive and several of the earlier finishers were there. He was running a Seavey Kennel young, 2 year old, team to get them experience, so Mitch Seavey was there to great him. Heard someone say Jessie Holmes was there too, but not 100% sure. Could not tell who the others were.
Sunday morning, March 16. The top 16 are in Nome. Samantha LaLonde officially claimed the rookie of the year award being the first rookie to finish, pulling in with 9 dogs at 2:20 AM Alaska time/6:20 AM East coast. A couple more are out of White Mountain and pushing towards Safety Roadhouse. We have:
1. Jessie Holmes into Nome
2. Matt Hall into Nome
3. Paige Drobny into Nome
4. Michelle Phillips into Nome
5. Bailey Vitello into Nome
6. Travis Beals into Nome
7. Mitch Seavey into Nome
8. Ryan Redington into Nome
9. Millie Porsild into Nome
10. Riley Dyche into Nome
11. Matthew Failior into Nome
12. Nic Petit into Nome
13. Anna Berington into Nome
14. Lauro Ekland into Nome
15. Samantha LaLande into Nome
16. Jason Mackey into Nome
Emily Ford is running 11 dogs 1.102 miles in/26 to Nome and Keaton Loebrich is running 11 dogs 1,008 miles in/61 to Nome.
Further back, we have 3 teams in White Mountain on their 8 hour layover (Calvin Daugherty, Connor McMahon and Ebbe Pederson) 1,057 miles in/71 to Nome and Dane Baker is approaching White Mountain with 9 dogs, 1,043 miles in/85 to Nome.
Jenny Roddewig is resting in Elim with 10 dogs, 1,008 miles in/120 to Nome in the red lantern position. Assuming she will not come in until Monday morning east coast time .
Sunday evening, March 16 approaching 7 PM east coast. The top 18 are in Nome, st rookie to finish, pulling in with 9 dogs at 2:20 AM Alaska time/6:20 AM East coast. A couple more are out of White Mountain and pushing towards Safety Roadhouse. We have:
1. Jessie Holmes into Nome
2. Matt Hall into Nome
3. Paige Drobny into Nome
4. Michelle Phillips into Nome
5. Bailey Vitello into Nome
6. Travis Beals into Nome
7. Mitch Seavey into Nome
8. Ryan Redington into Nome
9. Millie Porsild into Nome
10. Riley Dyche into Nome
11. Matthew Failior into Nome
12. Nic Petit into Nome
13. Anna Berington into Nome
14. Lauro Ekland into Nome
15. Samantha LaLande into Nome
16. Jason Mackey into Nome
17. Emily Ford into Nome
18. Keaton Loebrich into Nome
Calvin Daugherty in listed as 2 miles to the finish, running 12 dogs and Connor McMahon will round out the top 20 as he is running 13 dogs, 12 miles to Nome.
Ebbe Pederson just pulled out of White Mountain at ~6:50 PM east coast. Should arrive this evening Alaska time, but will be early AM east coast.
Dane Baker is doing his 8 hour in White Mountain, 1,057 miles in/71 to Nome and Jenny Roddewig holds the red lantern, running 10 dogs, 1,029 mile in/99 to Nome. They will arrive tomorrow if all goes well.
Paige was awarded the Leonard Seppala Humanitarian Award for the musher who exemplifies the best standard of dog care. It comes with free entry to next years race.
Hey, thats $4000. Thats a pretty good deal!
Monday morning, March 17 at 7:20 east coast and there is just 1 more team to come in. The leader board says Dane Baker came in 21st and Ebbe Pederson 22nd, but the GPS lists them both in Nome but with Ebbe in 21st and Dane in 22nd. Guess we'll get final confirmation later. Jenny Roddewig is in White Mountain and eligible to pull out at 6:31 AM Alaska time/10:31 AM east coast.
1. Jessie Holmes into Nome
2. Matt Hall into Nome
3. Paige Drobny into Nome
4. Michelle Phillips into Nome
5. Bailey Vitello into Nome
6. Travis Beals into Nome
7. Mitch Seavey into Nome
8. Ryan Redington into Nome
9. Millie Porsild into Nome
10. Riley Dyche into Nome
11. Matthew Failior into Nome
12. Nic Petit into Nome
13. Anna Berington into Nome
14. Lauro Ekland into Nome
15. Samantha LaLande into Nome
16. Jason Mackey into Nome
17. Emily Ford into Nome
18. Keaton Loebrich into Nome
19. Calvin Daugherty into Nome
20. Connor McMahon into Nome
21. Ebbe Pederson or Dane Baker
22. Dane Baker or Ebbe Pederson
I looked back through a few previous logs, and I'm seeing a normal transit time between White Mountain and Safety of about 6-7 hours, and a bout 2.5-4 hours from Safety to Nome. So if Jenny is eligible to leave White Mountain at around 0530 local / 0930 EDT (8 hours from 2130 arrival), then we're looking at a Nome arrival somewhere between 1400 and 1630 local (1800-2030 EDT). So most likely some time after I leave work today.
Sadly, and after all she has been through, Jenny Rodderwig has scratched in White Mountain in the best interest of her team. That means Ebbe Pederson now claims the Lynden "Committed to the Last Mile" Red Lantern award.
Final standings:
1. Jessie Holmes into Nome
2. Matt Hall into Nome
3. Paige Drobny into Nome
4. Michelle Phillips into Nome
5. Bailey Vitello into Nome
6. Travis Beals into Nome
7. Mitch Seavey into Nome
8. Ryan Redington into Nome
9. Millie Porsild into Nome
10. Riley Dyche into Nome
11. Matthew Failior into Nome
12. Nic Petit into Nome
13. Anna Berington into Nome
14. Lauro Ekland into Nome
15. Samantha LaLande into Nome
16. Jason Mackey into Nome
17. Emily Ford into Nome
18. Keaton Loebrich into Nome
19. Calvin Daugherty into Nome
20. Connor McMahon into Nome
21. Dane Baker into Nome
22. Ebbe Pederson into Nome
Thank you all for your interest. Iditarod 53 has been a blast for me.
Put this on the list of All-Time greatest screwjobs in sports.
She had 70 miles to go.
If the team was not up to it though, she made the right call. That "in the best interest interest of her team" language is what people say when they don't give specifics, so we do not know how she or the team were doing. She did scratch and was not withdrawn by race officials. Unless someone hinted that to her, but I had not seen anything more.
She'd have finished if her gear hadn't been stolen
Yeah, that is possible. She did manage to scrounge enough together to make the next leg, but I'm not sure if some of the things that were taken in Kaltag were things that she would have needed later on and didn't have. Had to be a mental shot too, so fair point.
And here's the data from the final log:
Thanks again Frosty for all the inside intel and updates. We need to find a way to get Paige to do an AMA. It would be epic.
I had a lot of fun following this with y'all. Hope that the AMA happens, and am looking forward to next year!
I know I'm late to the party. Thanks frosty. Always entertaining. Also... DC Wilson was waiting for it to end... so I might be here everyday.... Forever.
Not Paige, but a cool sled dog story.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJFa4BpSEPv/?igsh=MXJtOWdkNDIycXB1Nw==