Iditablog.com – Iditarod 2012 News & Coverage

Last year’s media darling, Rachael Scordis is at it again, racing that is. In 2005 the then 19 year old musher created controversy when she entered the Iditarod as the first legally blind participant to do so. Many veteran mushers were concerned for her safety and the safety of her dogs, but they were also upset about the changes to the rules that were made so that she could enter. She was getting special permission to race, using methods that other mushers were not granted access to, specifically a two way radio with another musher who was acting as a visual interpreter.

Last year was Rachel’s year, she was allowed to race, she was attracting national media attention and she even had a famous visual interpreter… not someone famous from the mushing world, but from the world of professional wrestling. “Precious” Paul Ellering was going to act as Rachel’s eyes on the trail, communicating problems, obstacles and trail conditions over a walkie-talkie. Paul had only run the Iditarod once before, in the year 2000 when he came in 54th. Even though Rachael was psyched and ready to go, things didn’t work out the way she hoped as both her and Paul were forced to scratch in Eagle Island.

This year however, things are different for Rachael. The media spotlight isn’t quite as bright, she has a much more experienced teammate acting as her visual interpreter. Tim Osmar is one of Iditarod’s Golden boys, he grew up in the system. Son of Iditarod legend Dean Osmar, Tim won the jr. Iditarod three out of four times before moving onto the big race in 1985. In twenty years, Tim has only finished out of the top 20 once..and has a previous nine year streak placing in the top 10. It’s the addition of a veteran like this who knows the trail like the back of his hand who might be able to help Rachael through her first completion, and if all goes well she’ll be able to make it to Nome via dogsled this year.

I’ve got to admit, there was much less shakeup going into Nikolai that I was expecting. Doug Swingley has however lost his hour lead over Jeff King, they left for McGrath just 5 minutes apart. Aliy Zirkle is just half an hour behind those two, and could have just as good of a shot as anyone else.

I’m still expecting someone to shoot out from behind though, whether its Bjornar Andersen (currently #11), or Lance Mackey (13th), or maybe even Ramey Brooks (30) who is resting at very different places that his other competitors. I am very surprised to see Martin Buser keep slipping in the rankings, right now he is placed at number 62, still resting in Rohn. Even though Buser only placed 13th last year, despite having sawn off a finger three days before the race, he was nipping at Robert Sorlie’s heels in second place the entire way to White Mountain, just right before reaching Nome.

Its good to see father and son team, “The Barron Boys” John & Jason Barron doing well. John has run the Iditarod 26 times, since 1979, and his 34 year old son Jason has been at this regularly since 2002. Last year they finished together, placing thirtieth, and thirty-first, but right now they are number 8 and number 10.

I’m excited to wake up in the morning and see what direction the race has taken, and how things have shifted around.

P.S. Any true Iditarod fan who isn’t part of the “Iditarod Insider” over at Iditarod.com is really missing out. I just got done watching some of today’s new videos and I’m really impressed with what the team is able to get out, and the depth that they go into during each segment. Its worth the $19.95 for sure!

We’re all waiting . Late last night Doug Swingley checked out of Rohn on his way to Nikolai, but less than an hour behind him was Jeff King and the rest of the top 7 follow within the hour. We’re sitting here at our computers waiting for another update to see who gets into Nikolai first, and who decides to spend some time resting there. The trail most of the mushers are on right now is some of the trickiest and toughest in the entire race. You’ve got the Alaskan range and many elevation changes. An hour isn’t that much of a lead in this area of the trail.

Doug Swingley is a four time champion, and Jeff King has won three times. Its been quite a number of years since we’ve seen these two go at it for the top slots in the Iditarod, since 2003 team Norway has been dominating the race, usually getting out ahead of the pack and staying there for most of the race, a strategy that Swingley told reporters he was going to attempt this year. The only representative from team Norway this year is Bjornar Andersen, who is currently in the 24th position about 9 hours behind Swingley, the current race leader.

There is still plenty of race to go, with plenty of changes in the top 25 ahead. We’ve got a few days before mushers start to take their 24 hour layover which plays huge in strategy, but I’m sure its on their minds right now…

Gary Paulsen, one of Iditarod’s biggest fans became the first musher to scratch from this year’s race early yesterday morning. Paulsen, 66 was attempting to run his third Iditarod, his first was in 1983, second in 1985, and he withdrew from last years race just days before the start. Paulsen is most known for his work as a children’s book author and his venture into screenwriting for the Disney film “Snowdogs”. Back in Anchorage before the race, Gary called the 2006 race a “nostalgia run”, and said that he should have never quit running dogs. The passion that Paulsen has for the sport can be seen simply in the fact that at 65 years old, he relocated from warm, sunny New Mexico to Alaska just to train for the Iditarod. It is unclear if Paulsen will try again next year, I’m sure not even he knows yet… but one thing is certain, Gary Paulsen’s thirst for Iditarod has not been quenched yet.

ALSO: I just found out that this site doesn’t look right when viewed with some versions of Internet Explorer. I’ll work on a fix right away, hopefully if everything looks goofy for you, you’ll stick around as things SHOULD be looking right by this afternoon.

(photo from iditarod.com)

Rainy Pass is still pretty early to be developing race leaders, but the top 10 right now looks pretty believable. Ramey Smyth checked out at 2:46pm, that’s 3.5 hours ahead of Jessica Hendricks and Lance Mackey. Bjornar Andersen is going to start his race for the lead over the next few checkpoints, he technically is in 4th place, but he took a much longer rest than anyone else and should make up time quickly. Doug Swingley (currently #6) is also coming out of Rainy Pass with a very long rest.

Ramey Smyth is a musher who is addicted to the race. When I spoke with him in 2005, he expressed how much he needs to place high in order to pay the bills. At only 30, this will be Ramey’s 12th Iditarod, and in those 12 races he has finished in the top 10 four times, with 2004 being the closest he has come to winning first place. Last year was definitely an off year for Ramey as he placed almost the worst in his Iditarod career. Ramey also spoke about how important the dog’s safety is to him. Last year he had a rough training season with his team getting stomped by a moose, but going into the ’05 race all he cared about was making sure his team stayed safe and healthy he knows that’s really the only way to come out ahead.

The Winter Games Have Only Just Begun
by Greg Asimakoupoulos

The Torino Olympics may be history, but the excitement of winter sports competition is not limited to the Italian Alps. This month marks the 34th running of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race in Alaska. Upwards of seventy mushers and their dog teams will participate in the “Last Great Race” that commences in Anchorage and culminates in Nome.

For the past two decades Wendy and I have followed this unusual arctic event with keen interest. Ever since our family spent six weeks in Nome in 1987 working at the Covenant’s missionary radio station, we’ve been Iditarodians. Three years ago while researching the history of Covenant missions in Alaska and KICY unique ministry, I experienced a dream come true. I was able to witness the Iditarod in person.

At two o’clock in the morning on March 13, 2003, I joined a thousand enthusiastic fans on Front Street to watch Robert Sorlie, a forty-five year old fireman from Norway, drive his team of dogs to victory. With sub-zero temperatures and a brisk wind off the Bering Sea, I can honestly say (even with long underwear, layers or clothing and a heavy down coat) I have never been so cold in all my life.

Of the sixty-four competitors who had begun the “Last Great Race” nine days earlier, Robert Sorlie was the first to glide beneath that famous burl arch that marks the Iditarod’s finish line. With eight of the sixteen dogs with which he had begun the thousand mile trek, a virtual no-name became was the first Scandinavian ever to win the Iditarod.

Sorlie was not however the first Scandinavian to travel in and around the coastline of the Bering Sea with hopes of breaking new ground. A Covenant missionary from Sweden by the name of Axel Karlson traveled by dog team blazing his own trail more than a century before. For Karlson the reward he sought was not a check for $68,000 and a new Dodge pickup. The thirty-something missionary would be satisfied with nothing less than the joy of leading the indigenous people of Alaska into a relationship with their Creator.

It was Axel Karlson who would penetrate the permafrost of Western Alaska and the frozen hearts of Alaskan natives with the news of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. This nineteenth century dog musher is credited with beginning our denomination’s mission in the North. For this young Swede, it was an urgent mission to save lives from an epidemic of sin and death for which there was only one known cure. Curiously, that urgency was illustrated fifteen years after Karlson’s death through a sled dog race in the very region where he’d lived and ministered.

On January 21, 1925, the lives of countless children in Nome were at stake. An epidemic of diphtheria had broken out. Tragically, the gold rush city did not have a sufficient amount of antitoxin. Dr. Curtis Welch telegraphed Fairbanks, Anchorage, Seward and Juneau, asking for help. 300,000 units of the serum were located at a hospital in Anchorage. It was the only serum in the entire state.

The problem was to get it to Nome in the shortest time possible. With the Bering Sea frozen and no railroad or roads extending to Nome’s remote location, dog teams were the only solution. The 300,000 units were packed in an insulated container and transported to Nenana on an overnight train.

Once the serum arrived a 674 mile relay race by dogteam awaited. It was a distance mushers who delivered the mail normally covered in a month. The first musher took the insulated cylinder of serum 52 miles where he passed the lifesaving baton to the second musher who traveled 31 miles. From musher to musher the relay continued until a total of twenty sled dog drivers cooperated to get the needed medicine to Nome by February 2nd. In only 127 ½ hours the lifesaving serum arrived due to the cooperative effort of individuals who were willing to do brave the austere Alaskan wilderness, sub-zero temperatures and blinding blizzards to accomplish a goal they alone were in a position to reach.

Isn’t that a remarkable story? No wonder Alaskans celebrate its significance each year. Since 1973 the Iditarod has been held to commemorate that historical lifesaving event in which Dr. Welch saved helpless children. It is also a gripping human drama that parallels how the Covenant mission in Western Alaska continued to persevere toward the goal of bringing a lifesaving message to Eskimos dying without knowledge of a Savior.

If you would like to know more about the Covenant Church’s efforts to evangelize the native arctic peoples of Alaska including the part played by a Christian radio station in the legendary gold rush town, why not read Ptarmigan Telegraph?

You can order this book online from www.covenantbookstore.com.

“Cancer Survivor Lance, leads international race…coverage on OLN”…sound familiar? 

Iditarod 2006 is definitely underway. Right now the race leader is Lance Mackey who is the only musher so far to pull into the “Finger Lake” checkpoint, he did so at 6:19am this morning. Right behind Lance is Rookie Bryan Bearss who left Skwentna last night. We’re only 194 miles into this years 1112 mile race, so its very hard to see how things will pan out. Normally in this race, it isn’t until over halfway through that real race leaders start to emerge, and you might have some idea who your top ten finishers will be.

The Iditarod is an interesting event, its more marathon than sprint, more “NFL” than it is the superbowl. I say that because out of the 81 mushers who entered the race this year, there is only a handful who really wish to do well. Infact, the top twenty are the only ones who make any money from the event and at the starting line on Saturday one musher said they had aspirations of making the top 25. Most people who run the Iditarod do it for themselves. They love the challenge, they love the dogs and the love the outdoors. That isn’t to say they won’t go broke running the race, but they don’t have any grand ideas about finishing just ahead of race veteran Jeff King.

Jeff King leads me to the group of competitors who are just that, competing for the top slots of the race. There are about 20 mushers this year who could easily win the race, and an even higher number who could place in the top money making twenty. You’ve got Rick Swenson who has won the race more than anyone else, in three decades for a total of 5 times (currently in position number 52). Martin Buser (currently in position 37), who ran in second place for 80% of the race last year, only to finish 13th has won 4 times. Lance Mackie hasn’t yet won the Iditarod, but managed last year to break a record by placing 5th, because just weeks prior he won the Yukon Quest, another 1000 mile race that starts in Alaska and ends in Canada. He won that race again this year. The have been several winners of both races, but never in the same year and Lance wants to see that change in 2006.

Other mushers to watch out for in the 2006 Iditarod:

Doug Swingly:
This four time Iditarod Campion (currently in 3rd place) was claiming last year as his “re-tooling year”. He had a very young team that he chose to train on the trail himself, instead of having a handler do it, like many other professional mushers do. I spoke with Doug at the finish line last year and he said that he will win in 2006. Taking lessons from Muhammad Ali, coming up to this year’s race he still had that attitude. He’s got a strong, young team of veteran dogs.

Ed Iten:
This musher, from outside Kotzebuee Alaska has placed higher and higher each year he has run the race, leading up to a second place finish last year. Ed lives and breathes dogs & mushing, keep your eye open for what could possibly be another “sleeper” finish for this Alaskan.

So today is it the big day that I’ve been waiting a year for: the start of the Iditarod Dog sled race. Last year when we were in Alaska working for radio station KICY, I was able to cover the race for the station, even flying out to the beginning of the race in Anchorage, and a checkpoint out in the bush. This, and all other Iditarod related posts will be mirrored on my Iditarod website, iditablog.com.

I know there are probably many who don’t know about the Iditarod, so lets consider this Iditarod 101:

The race starts in Anchorage, runs through ghost towns, mountain ranges, Eskimo villages, and lots of wilderness for a total of about 23 checkpoints to finish in Nome. The race is just over 1,000 miles total. This year, 82 mushers will compete in the “last great race”. Each team starts with 12 dogs (that means at the start of the race, there are almost 1000 dogs within the 4 block radius of the starting line). Each musher can drop a dog at any checkpoint if they are sick or injured, but has to finish in Nome with at least half the team. In about 9 or 10 days the first musher will pass under the finish “arch” in Nome, and up to 6 days later the last musher will arrive in Nome.

I’m going to be reporting each day from results that I find on the internet and from the live updates that are posted on iditarodinsider.com. Its kinda lame, but for an Iditarod junkie like me, hopefully it will get me through this race until I can be back up in the great white north in a year or two. I’ll also be posting back links to the audio that I recorded last year on the race, while some of it might be year specific, relistening to most of it this past week myself, there is also some pretty interesting stuff in there as well.

I’ll be back later this evening with a re-cap of the ceremonial start this morning, and a look ahead at this years race.

Me Reporting Last Year:

Me Reporting This Year: