Paul Gebhardt was the first musher out of the Ophir checkpoint this afternoon. He left at 12:52 p.m. and is now leading the Iditarod. Mitch Seavey is now in second place. But he was the first into Ophir at 10:00 a.m. this morning. He was followed into the checkpoint by Hugh Neff, Zach Steer, Ed Iten and Martin Buser. But it’s getting tricky to rely on the standings, as many mushers are taking their 24-hour layovers, including a handful at McGrath and Takotna.
David Shurtleff, APRN – McGrath
