Iditarod

We talk about trail conditions, which teams look like contenders for the Top 10, our Rookie Of The Year Picks, and the best ways to follow the race. Also, a quick intro to our team on the trail.

Riley Dyche described 5-year-old Elway as fearless, smart and strong.

Iditarod veteran Jan Steves, of Willow, scratched early this morning at the Skwentna checkpoint - 83 miles into the race.

That's right, it's Iditarod time, and we're back with another season of Iditapod. In the first episode of our seventh season, host Casey Grove and trail reporters Lex Treinen and Ben Matheson discuss the smallest field in race history and how a quarter of the mushers in the 2023 Iditarod are rookies. We also recap last year's race, talk about the legacy of the late four-time champion Lance Mackey and we even have a Dog of the Day, a spunky little leader named Dusty.

Denali musher Jeff King led the Iditarod front-runners into Galena...with Aliy Zirkle and Aaron Burmeister arriving around an hour and a half later. The Iditarod saw its first scratch of the race, as Zoya DeNure made the decision in Tanana, citing personal reasons. Download Audio

For being first to the coast on Sunday, Thomas Waerner earned $2,000 worth of gold nuggets. But, more importantly, he was in a full five hours in front of the next team.

In the aftermath of Tuesday’s rough run through the Dalzell Gorge and into Nikolai, many Iditarod mushers have had to act fast to change their race plans.

For nearly a week, racers continue arriving ahead of the banquet that officially concludes each year's Iditarod. For some, that means days of free time. And plenty of fun, strange events to fill it. Listen now

The Bethel musher said sickness slowed him down.

In Episode 11, we talk about: How few dogs have been dropped, the rookies are making a run for it,  and Huslia's mushing tradition.

The report was commissioned by a group of major sponsors after a series of controversies regarding policy changes and the handling of a doping scandal. Listen now

During the first night of this year’s Iditarod, teams endured frigid temperatures on the Tanana River to reach the second checkpoint of Manley Hot Springs. Teams are adjusting to the deep cold and preparing to push to the Yukon River, where the race will unfold. Listen now

Iditarod mushers are preparing for a particularly bumpy, brutal ride on the trail’s first leg on icy terrain with little snow. Many have modified their run strategies, and adjusted one of the main tools for keeping a competitive edge: their sleds. Many mushers say durability is trumping speed this year as they expect to take a beating along the early trail.

After two prior attempts, this year’s Red Lantern, Cindy Abbott, completed her first Iditarod late last night. Download Audio

The Iditarod rookie came in for a rather lengthy interview last week. We talked about his past and present, and, among other things, Quince’s experiences being transgender. As far as we know, he’s the first openly trans person in the Iditarod.