Iditarod

Long before the race ever starts, mushers pack their drop bags with gear and food to so that they have options for where and when to take their 24-hour mandatory rest along the Iditarod Trail. This year, some of them tried something new, while others are doing what they know. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes clear who has the winning strategy now that dog teams are starting to come off their long rest.

Trail Mix is Alaska Public Media's trail reporters inside look at covering the Iditarod sled dog race. Emily Schwing knows a lot more than I...

It’s the fourth day of the Iditarod, and dozens of teams are in the middle of their mandatory 24 hour rests. Mitch Seavey was the first to declare his rest in Takotna, and is cleared to leave just before 11 o’clock Wednesday. The elder Seavey is a regular in Takotna, and says there are plenty of reasons for that. Download Audio

Dallas Seavey has pushed his team at the front of Iditarod pack into the old gold mining settlement of Cripple. 400 miles into the race, the three-time champion is joined by seven others out of Ophir, including Jeff King, Norwegian Robert Sorlie, and Noah Burmeister. With 14 dogs in harness, Dallas Seavey wins the Dorothy G. Page Halfway Award: $3,000 in gold nuggets. Download Audio

There's really not a lot of "planning" for this. I'm only two days in, and I feel like more attention goes towards tracking flights, coordinating deadlines, and finding Internet than it does to figuring out who's at the front of the race and why.

The 2016 race strategies that mushers have chewed over for months are coming into focus as top teams near their mandatory 24-hour rest period...

Iditarod dog teams have travelled more than 300 miles down the trail in the last three days. Defending champion Dallas Seavey. Says they’ve reached a turning point in the race.

Mushers have reached a point in the Iditarod where rest becomes strategic. Overnight, a number of them opted to push their teams further down the trail, while others chose to hunker down for a mandatory 24-hour rest. The majority of mushers who arrived first into McGrath, didn’t stay long, but some of their decisions earlier in the race, might offer clues about their race plans.

Reigning Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey, of Willow, leads the field Wednesday morning, spending about 5 minutes in the Ophir checkpoint before continuing on toward Cripple at 2:21 a.m.

Dallas Seavey was the first musher to reach the McGrath checkpoint Tuesday evening at 6:34. 11 minutes behind him--and with the fastest run time...

The village of Nikolai was bustling all day as dog teams pulled in and out of the sixth checkpoint on the Iditarod trail. After teams have passed over some of the roughest trail, the race reaches a turning point. From here, mushers will evaluate their dogs as they try to decide how best to execute a their race plans. Download Audio

Dallas Seavey is surging to the front of the Iditarod trail between Nikolai and McGrath. The defending champion dropped one dog and rested four hours in Nikolai, about 250 miles into the race. His father Mitch Seavey and Wade Marrs followed closely behind this afternoon, according to the Iditarod GPS tracker.

Two days into the race, Iditarod strategies are coming into sharper contrast. As mushers leapfrog one another, here's what you need to know to...

The vast majority of mushers driving dog teams in this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race are veterans. The field of rookies is small and their goals are varied, but they’re all taking cues from seasoned veterans.

Delta Junction's Zoya Denure scratched in Rainy Pass this morning at 9:50 a.m. According to an Iditarod press release, Denure made the decision due to concerns for her team.

Girdwood musher Nicolas Petit is the first competitor into the Nikolai checkpoint. Dallas and Mitch Seavey are running in second and third place, respectively, with Wade Marrs trailing in fourth.

Trail Mix is Alaska Public Media's trail reporters' inside perspective on covering the Iditarod. Whenever I travel, I bring something to read. Even...

In the first couple days of racing, Iditarod dog teams are running along some of the roughest parts of trail reported on this year’s Iditarod. But the actual trail may not be the challenge. A handful of mushers are sick and others are making an effort to keep their dogs race ready. Listen Now

After briefly relinquishing the lead Monday, Nicolas Petit is back in front on the way to Nikolai. But, the pack isn't far behind. Dallas Seavey, Wade Marrs, Mitch Seavey and Hugh Neff are within 10 miles of Petit.