Sass and Zirkle lead Iditarod down Yukon River
Dog teams moved swiftly down the Yukon River all Friday afternoon. Many came off an eight-hour rest, but some mushers chose to push their teams before taking the mandatory break on the river. KNOM’s Emily Schwing reports.
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Aliy Zirkle arrives first into Galena
Aliy Zirkle was the first musher to reach the Yukon River checkpoint of Galena Friday morning. She arrived at 10:46 with 14 dogs. Brent Sass was next into the checkpoint but swiftly moved through without stopping with his 15 dogs. Mitch Seavey pulled into Galena by 2:45.
How chefs cook wilderness gourmet on the Iditarod Trail
One of Jeff King’s prizes for reaching the Yukon River in Ruby before anyone else was a five-course meal supplied by on of the Iditarod’s sponsors. And as Alaska Public Media’s Zachariah Hughes reports, the meal might mean more to the chefs than it does for the musher.
Zirkle first musher into Galena, Sass first to leave
Iditarod veteran Aliy Zirkle was the second musher out of Ruby early this [Friday] morning, but was the first to reach Galena, checking in at 10:46 a.m.
Friday’s Three to Read: catch up on Iditarod 44
The teams that have been lurking behind the front runners in the spotlight are about to come out of the woodwork. Leading teams are done with their 24-hour layovers (or soon will be) and head to the flat expanses of the Yukon River, where a new race opens up to the Bering Sea coast.
Musher Ken Anderson receives 2-hour time penalty
When he came into Ruby Friday morning, race officials informed Ken Anderson that they would add two hours to his mandatory eight-hour layover. The penalty comes after Anderson violated rule 38 and ran more than two dogs abreast.
Aliy Zirkle takes lead en route to Galena
Iditarod veteran Aliy Zirkle was the second musher out of Ruby early this morning, but she overtook Brent Sass a short ways down the trail. Both are on the move toward Galena - a 50-mile run down the Yukon River - with 15 dogs in harness.
Trail Mix: No need for five-course meal in Ruby when there’s $5 bear soup for sale
Near the first Iditarod checkpoint on the Yukon River, the Ruby Bible Church was selling a soup and sandwich lunch special for $5. When I arrived, there were three options to pick from, and I went with the "Seven Bean and Black Bear" offering.
Iditarod teams consider options for run down the Yukon River
Halfway to Nome, the real racing has begun as Iditarod dog teams make their way to Ruby, the first stop along the Yukon River. Somewhere in the next 134 miles, teams must take a mandatory eight-hour layover, but gaps are starting to open up in the field. The challenge for mushers now is how and when they will decide to make their big moves.
Mid-pack and back-of-the-pack Iditarod mushers meet adventure on race trail
Spirits in Takotna were high Thursday morning, with a cluster of well-fed and rested mushers getting set to end their 24-hour rests. The front-runners who rested here like Mitch Seavey and Pete Kaiser roared back onto the trail late last night. The mushers camped out now, like Ryne Olson, are on a different pace.
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A King’s march to the mighty Yukon River
The first dog team in this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has reached the midway point of of Ruby on the Yukon River, 495 miles along the Iditarod trail. Jeff King’s team was not only the first team to arrive, but is the only team to travel this far without taking 24 hours rest.
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Iditarod adjusts Robert Redington’s rest schedule after mistaken early release
Iditarod officials are adding 50 minutes to Wasilla musher Robert Redington’s Yukon River layover after he was inadvertently allowed to leave the Nikolai checkpoint...
Trail Mix: McGrath’s Iditarod auction
Iditarod is far more than dog racing. Small Alaska communities celebrate the arrival of longer days and the people in the community. McGrath hosts an auction fundraiser each year when the Iditarod rolls through to raise money for a local organization and a family in need.
KNOM’s Emily Schwing stopped into the bar Tuesday night to get a first hand look at what the auction is all about.
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Benja scratches in McGrath
Charley Bejna has scratched from the 2016 Iditarod. The veteran from Addison, IL pulled out of the race at 11:50 a.m. Thursday at the...
Jeff King rolls into Yukon River checkpoint of Ruby
Four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King has arrived at the Yukon River checkpoint of Ruby. He pulled in just after 1:00 Thursday afternoon. He told...
Brent Sass arrives in Cripple, then takes off toward Ruby
Eureka musher Brent Sass has made it to the Cripple. Sass checked in shortly after noon Thursday, making him the first musher who has taken the mandatory 24-hour layover.
Thursday’s Three to Read: catch up on Iditarod 44
Halfway to Nome, teams’ locations on the map are just dots, or perhaps more appropriately, asterisks. The question this morning is not “where are...
Some Iditarod leaders pushing race pace
Mushers seem to be pushing their dogs a little farther down the trail this year before they opt to take their mandatory 24-hour rest. It’s a move Jeff King predicted at the ceremonial start of the race in Anchorage.
Jeff King takes Iditarod lead mushing toward Ruby
Denali musher Jeff King, so far, is the lone musher to push through Cripple toward the Ruby. The 4-time Iditarod champion spent four hours in the Cripple checkpoint, before heading down the trail at 3:05 a.m. today.