In our final podcast of the 2009 Iditarod Season (we’ll continue blogging for another week or so) we talk about the top 20 Iditarod finishers, talk about “next year” and review the news.

Thanks to all the thousands of you who have downloaded the podcasts this season.  You’ve blown us away – your support is appreciated.

Thanks to the nearly 4,000 of you who joined us LIVE! during Lance Mackey’s amazing win.

Thanks to the nearly 4,000 of you who joined us LIVE during Lance Mackey’s amazing win.

Thanks for all those who tuned and listened to our live coverage this morning, it was pretty crazy to have nearly 1,000 listeners all listening at once around the time Lance crossed the finish line.

We’ll have audio posted soon of the hour long broadcast, many thanks to KICY for the “on the ground” reports, and BSSD SBD who were hosting a great webcam!

Lance Mackey left the last major checkpoint in the Iditarod Sled Dog race at an early 2:11am this morning, he is on his way to Nome, and onto making Iditarod history.  Mackey is set to be the third Iditarod musher ever to win three consecutive championships, putting him in the same category as legendary athletes Susan Butcher & Doug Swingley – no one has yet to win four in a row.

Mackey led the Iditarod for more than he ever has before, having very little serious competition once arriving in ghost-town checkpoint of Iditarod, marking the race’s halfway mark.  It wasn’t for the lack of a competitive field that Mackey found himself often alone at the front of the race, Lance’s rival last year Jeff King was seeking a record-tying 5th Iditarod win, as was Martin Buser.  Sebastian Schnuelle took Lance Mackey’s Yukon Quest throne this year after the former reigning champion decided to bow out of this years race, Schnuelle saught to also take Mackey’s Iditarod throne  – and currently is on track to place an impressive second place if he is not passed by John Baker out of White Mountian.

After going through Safety at 8:48am Wednesday morning, an arrival into Nome should be around Noon Alaska time.

We’ll be broadcasting pre-show coverage live online, stay tuned for updates as Mackey makes his way to Nome.

About an hour before the first musher crosses the finish line, you can get online and listen to “Iditablog live pre-race coverage”.  Live special guests, your listener questions, and a ’09 trail recap will take us up to the live finish from Nome.

Until the live broadcast begins, you can listen to the “Best-of Iditablog Podcasts” which include archived Iditarod finishes going back to 2005, this year’s prior podcasts, and some other fun surprises.  The “Best-of Segments” will stop airing a half hour before the live broadcast begins.

Listen by clicking “play” in the box below, or (click here) to open in a new window.

Wow, lots to go over this morning…

To say that trail conditions over the last 24 hours have been brutal might just be an understatement. Extreme cold temperatures and high winds made for a dangerous 50 below wind chill factor along the Bering Sea coast yesterday and into this morning for the top 19 mushers. Those running along the Yukon River, and even teams in the back, still traveling the interior didn’t find weather that much better as sub-zero temps and occasional ground blizzards made Monday a bone-chilling day for many traveling the Iditarod trail.

Sunday & Monday morning speculation was leaning towards Lance Mackey locking a third straight victory, however mother nature used this as an attempt to teach those of us who made these claims what happens when you assume. Mackey ended up spending most of yesterday pooled up in Koyuk after what he called a “demoralizing run” for his dogs from Shaktoolik. After making it to the small village of about 300 around noon, Lance took an eight hour rest – twice the rest time as he took in ’07 & ’08 in this location, before winning the Iditarod. Mackey’s time between Koyuk and Elim posted overnight and into this morning was surprisingly similar to recent years, however normally waiting only an hour or two before heading onto the mandatory 8-hour layover in White Mountain, this year Mackey spent time over 6 hours in Elim.

Lance might be able to count himself fortunate however, because it appears as he was slightly ahead of the worst weather of the trail. Behind him Jeff King & Hans Gatt were forced to turn around outside of Shaktoolik last night and return to the checkpoint, something King hasn’t done since over 10 years ago when he was in a similar location with Lance’s older brother Rick Mackey. King & Gatt had been camping with Aaron Burmeister & Mitch Seavey who were all 15 miles out of the checkpoint when they realized going onto Koyuk wasn’t going to be a good idea. While King & Gatt turned around, Seavey & Burmeister have been hunkered down at most likely a location described on the trail description as a “dilapidated shelter cabin” where “more than a few mushers have had to hole up here to wait out storms”. They’ve been there for at least 9 hours already. Also, Hugh Neff received minor medical attention in Shaktoolik yesterday for some pretty nasty injuries that sound frostbite & wind related on his face, rumors had been emerging that he had been taken out of the race but those don’t appear to be valid at this point.

King, Gatt, and Neff were joined by 11 other mushers in Shaktoolik this morning who will be all eventually competing against each other for the final top 10, and 20 positions in Nome.

More trouble in the back of race, as not only did we learn yesterday about two strange dog deaths in rookie Lou Packer’s team but then the two mushers whom Packer had earlier been traveling with also scratched between Iditarod & Shageluk. Kim Darst and Blake Matray were checked on by Iditarod Air force pilots who had airlifted Packer and his dogs out of the race when the three teams had all been on the trail for an extraordinary amount of time. Once Darst & Matray scratched at 8pm it was decided that they would start moving toward Shageluk early this morning and await a snowmobile convoy to ensure their safety on a trail that is blown over and doesn’t exist anymore.

Here is where the top 19 mushers are currently located, it’s anyone’s top ten right now. The weather forecast for the Eastern Norton Sound & Nulato Hills, including Unalakleet, Shaktoolik, Koyuk and Elim calls for wind chill temperatures to temporary become less harsh this afternoon as the air temp moderates to 5 below.

Into Elim:
Lance Mackey

Out of Koyuk (moving):
John Baker
Sebastian Schnuelle

Out of Shaktoolik (camping):
Aaron Burmeister
Mitch Seavey

Into Shaktoolik: (in order of arrival time)
Jeff King (returned)
Hugh Neff (returned)
Hans Gatt (returned)
Sonny Lindner – 3/16 -16:15
Dallas Seavey
Cim Smyth
Paul Gebhardt
DeeDee Jonrowe
Aliy Zirkle
Jessie Royer
Ken Anderson
Martin Buser
Ramey Smyth
Ed Iten – 3/17 – 2:58

Earlier today (at approximately 2pm Alaska Time) Iditarod Race officials deployed an Iditarod Air Force (IAF) aircraft to check on the whereabouts of Iditarod Rookies Lou Packer (bib #43), Kim Darst (bib #52) and Blake Matray (bib #9). All three mushers were overdue on their run to Shageluk. Packer was located approximately 22 miles past Iditarod. He signaled that he was in distress. The (IAF) pilot landed and found that two of Packer’s 15 dogs were deceased. A plane load of dogs were immediately flown out and a second flight is underway to airlift Packer and the remainder of the team.

A group of local residents from Shageluk are on the trail to assess and assist Darst and Matray.

A necropsy will be conducted by a board certified pathologist to make every attempt to determine the cause of death of the two dogs.