Emily Schwing, special to Alaska Public Media
Lead Dogs Begin To Prove Themselves
As Iditarod teams spread out on the trail, lead dogs will start to prove themselves. It’s up to mushers to make sure their leaders remain healthy at the front of the team. As KUAC’s Emily Schwing reports, that’s no small feat.
Mushers Debate Where To Take 24-Hour Layover
Three days into the Iditarod, the race is still anyone’s game. And the mushers are keeping it interesting this year. Martin Buser completed his 24 hour layover early in the race. Lance Mackey and Sonny Linder appear to be embracing the opposite strategy... making their way down the trail to the Iditarod Checkpoint, which is also the official half way marker in the race. But many of the veteran mushers decided to stick to a plan they know, resting in the popular 24 layover village of Takotna.
Mushers Debate Where To Take 24-Hour Layover
As dog teams get further down the trail, mushers are trying to decide where to take their 24-hour mandatory layover. Out of McGrath there are still roughly 700 miles to go before Nome. Some mushers make decisions based on timing and weather, while others have various ideas about how to use down time to their advantage.
13 Mushers Making Iditarod Debut This Year
This year’s Iditarod field includes 13 rookies. Many of them are very experienced, while just a few are new to the sport. At least two may have to race all the way to the finish for the Rookie of the Year award.
An Early Fast Pace Surprises Even Iditarod Veterans
Mushers have known since the start that this year’s race is likely to be fast, but many seemed surprised that the blistering pace would pick up so early. Mushers typically plan to maintain strong teams and take their time along the first third of the trail.
Four Women Ranking Among 2013 Iditarod's Top-20 Mushers
There are currently four women running among the top-20 in this year’s Iditarod. This year’s race could be both extremely fast and extremely competitive. The women in the race aren’t holding back.
Bikers Break Previous Iditarod Trail Invitational Record
Bikers obliterated a previous course record in this year’s Iditarod Trail Invitational. The first riders pedaled across the finish line Wednesday morning to complete the 350 mile race between Knik and McGrath. Four of the race’s top five finishers this year are all cyclists from Alaska.
First 6 Cyclists Check Into Winterlake Lodge Checkpoint On Iditarod Trail Invitational
The first six cyclists in this year’s Iditarod Trail Invitational have checked in at the Winterlake Lodge along the Iditarod trail. It’s the third checkpoint in an ultra-distance human powered race that started north of Anchorage yesterday.
Noah Pereira Claims Junior Iditarod Crown
Noah Pereira from New York state won the Junior Iditarod yesterday. The 16-year-old is a dog handler for Iditarod champ Dallas Seavey. Coming in second four minutes behind was Conway Seavey.
Bergen Awarded Yukon Quest’s Red Lantern Award
Bells jingled as Dyan Bergen pulled her team across this year’s Yukon Quest finish line. "They’re really bear bells," she said. "We always put bells to let the buffalo and moose and wolves know we’re coming. The one time I didn’t have the bells this year, we got chased by a wolf, so I put the bear bells back on.” Bergen, from Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territories, was the 20th and final musher to arrive in Fairbanks.
Top 4 Yukon Quest Mushers Planning For Long Term
Three of this year’s top four Yukon Quest teams will go on to race in this year’s Iditarod – Alaska’s “other” long distance sled dog race. All top four teams are planning long-term Yukon Quest careers for their kennels as well.
Allen Moore Claims Yukon Quest Crown
A light snow fell on a small crowd gathered on the Chena River in Fairbanks as Allen Moore’s eleven-dog team pulled the musher across the Yukon Quest finish line early this morning. The win is fitting after a narrow miss last year.
Five Teams Vying For Top Spot in Yukon Quest
Hugh Neff and Alan Moore are leading the Quest. But three teams rounding out a group of front runners are confident they can make up the time on the trail.
Lance Mackey Scratches From Yukon Quest
A demoralized and disappointed Lance Mackey pulled his dog team into Dawson this morning and voluntarily scratched from the Yukon Quest.
Yukon Quest Officials Extend Mandatory Dawson Layover By 4 Hours
Yukon Quest race officials have extended the mandatory 36 hour layover in Dawson City by four hours. It’s the second major change to this year’s race.
Neff Reaches Yukon Quest Halfway Point First
The first two teams have arrived at the half-way point along the Yukon Quest trail. Hugh Neff came in first. He’ll win 4 ounces of gold if he makes it all the way to Fairbanks. Allen Moore’s team came trotting into the checkpoint chute two hours later. Neff maintains that’s Moore’s is the team to beat.
Hugh Neff Leads Yukon Quest
Hugh Neff is leading the Yukon Quest. He left the Stepping Stone hospitality checkpoint at 9:47 this morning. Two Rivers musher Allen Moore followed at 11:25. Brent Sass, Jake Berkowitz and Scott Smith round out the top five.
Quest Mushers WILL Think Of Massachusetts Man On The Trail
At least six Fairbanks-area Yukon Quest mushers will wear wristbands during this year’s Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. The hand-made bracelets are part of a fundraiser to support a man in Massachusetts who is battling Cancer.
A Final Check-Up
More than 300 sled dogs have been cleared to run in this year’s Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. KUAC’s Emily Schwing stopped by the vet check in Fairbanks on Saturday to find out what it takes to become a race-worthy sled dog.
Denali Wolf Management Plan Battle Continues
Earlier this month, the Alaska Board of Game refused to lift a six-year moratorium on proposals regarding wolves in the Denali region. The moratorium was put in place after the board canceled a trapping and hunting buffer zone on the eastern border of the park in 2010. It’s the latest in an ongoing battle between the state, environmental groups and the federal government on how best to manage wolves in Denali National Park.