Iditablog.com – Iditarod 2012 News & Coverage

At over 1,000 grueling miles the Iditarod Sled Dog Race is the toughest race on earth. Starting in Alaska’s largest city the trail goes through an amazing scope of landscape, crossing mountain ranges and over barren tundra as it leads to the gold rush town of Nome. The Iditarod has been won by men, by women, by citizens of other countries, by family members of previous winners, and by back-to-back champions.

The big question is, who will win the Iditarod this year? We want to know what you think!

Contest #1 – Vote for your favorite Musher: Post your guess below as to the winning musher and if right, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a Iditarod Prize Pack from Iditablog.com.
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Miles from previous Checkpoint: 55

In reasonable weather it’s a is a pleasant is a 5 to 8 hour run to Safety and in the worst conditions, it can be impassable. Inbetween the natural wind-tunnels in (known as blowholes) There are several cabins for mushers to use in those worst case scenarios. Once at the Safety Roadhouse, competitive mushers will most likely only stop for a minute or two while others sometimes go inside and buy themselves a drink while enjoying the company of the Nomeites visiting this outpost. From here is 22 miles to the finish line

Previous Mushers to arrive at the checkpoint first:

Race Stastics property of and provided by iditarod.com – Iditarod Trail Committee

Post your predictions as to who will be the first musher to reach Safety below and when.
Eg. Joe Reddington, January 1st at 12:45pm

Posts close after the first musher arrives at the previous checkpoing of White Mountain.

Miles from previous Checkpoint: 46

Passing through the unofficial checkpoint village of Golovin, the trail to White Mountian passes through a huge variery of terrain in a short distance. White Mountian is a beautiful village in a little valley just off of the Fish River. Mushers are required to take a eight hour layover at this checkpoint before heading the last 80 miles to Nome.

Previous Mushers to arrive at the checkpoint first:

Race Stastics property of and provided by iditarod.com – Iditarod Trail Committee

Post your predictions as to who will be the first musher to reach White Mountain below and when.
Eg. Joe Reddington, January 1st at 12:45pm

Posts close after the first musher arrives at the previous checkpoing of Elim.

Miles from previous Checkpoint: 48

About 15 miles outside of Elim on the tip of a narrow spit is Moses Point where Old Elim is located. The village relocated about 30 years ago and this area is now used for summer fish camps. There is also an amandonded FAA station outside of Old Elim. The current village home to about 350.

Previous Mushers to arrive at the checkpoint first:

Race Stastics property of and provided by iditarod.com – Iditarod Trail Committee

Post your predictions as to who will be the first musher to reach Elim below and when.
Eg. Joe Reddington, January 1st at 12:45pm

Posts close after the first musher arrives at the previous checkpoing of Koyuk.

Miles from previous Checkpoint: 48

Along with being bleak, flat, and monotonous this 5 to 9 hour section of the trail is also often very windy and cold. There is a small shelter cabin about 15 miles from the previous checkpoint that many mushers have used during fierce storms (like the one in 2009). Koyuk itself is a village of about 300 people and is 171 miles or so away from the finish line in Nome.

Previous Mushers to arrive at the checkpoint first:

Race Stastics property of and provided by iditarod.com – Iditarod Trail Committee

Post your predictions as to who will be the first musher to reach Koyuk below and when.
Eg. Joe Reddington, January 1st at 12:45pm

Posts close after the first musher arrives at the previous checkpoing of Shaktoolik.

Miles from previous Checkpoint: 42

Although well traveled by locals on snowmachines, this is often some of the most brutal miles in the race. Leading into Shaktoolik often presents ground blizzards and tough snow drifts making it tough for teams to navigate. Shaktoolik is a village with around 230 very friendly and warm people.

Previous Mushers to arrive at the checkpoint first:

Race Stastics property of and provided by iditarod.com – Iditarod Trail Committee

Post your predictions as to who will be the first musher to reach Shaktoolik below and when.
Eg. Joe Reddington, January 1st at 12:45pm

Posts close after the first musher arrives at the previous checkpoing of Unalakleet.

Miles from previous Checkpoint: 90

Usually averaging about 10 to 15 hours for this leg, some mushers have been known to stop at one of two BLM cabins on the way to Unalakleet. Tripod Flats is 50 miles from Unalakleet and Old Woman cabin is 35 miles. Unalakleet is the first checkpoint on the Bering Sea coast and often signals a “home stretch” for mushers, although the race is far from over with over 250 often brutal miles left to Nome. Unalakleet is a large village of nearly 1,000.

Previous Mushers to arrive at the checkpoint first:

Race Stastics property of and provided by iditarod.com – Iditarod Trail Committee

Post your predictions as to who will be the first musher to reach McGrath below and when.
Eg. Joe Reddington, January 1st at 12:45pm

Posts close after the first musher arrives at the previous checkpoing of Kaltag.

Miles from previous Checkpoint: 42

Another run on the Yukon River, when teams reach Kaltag they will find the checkpoint at the community center several blocks into the village of about 230 people. This is the point in which the northern and southern routes meet back up.

Previous Mushers to arrive at the checkpoint first (Northern Route):

Race Stastics property of and provided by iditarod.com – Iditarod Trail Committee

Post your predictions as to who will be the first musher to reach Kaltag below and when.
Eg. Joe Reddington, January 1st at 12:45pm

Posts close after the first musher arrives at the previous checkpoing of Nulato.