Iditarod

ll news stories about the Iditarod or mushing in general are categorized “Iditarod.”

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. Download Audio

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.
Jeff King in Ruby. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes/KSKA)

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. Download Audio

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. Download Audio

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. Download Audio

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.