Iditarod Leaders Leave White Mountain, Head For Nome
The top teams have left White Mountain and they are on their way to the Iditarod finish line in Nome. Spectators are unlikely to see a major shakeup in the front end of the field, but this year’s race is likely to end with career bests for many of the teams up front.
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Hugh Neff scratches from Iditarod halfway into the race
Neff said he was given the choice of being disqualified or scratching because of concerns from veterinarians about his dogs.
Iditapod: March to the coast
Well, we’ve got a race, folks. Obviously, with 45 mushers out on the Iditarod Trail vying for positions, we’ve got a race. But at the very front, it’s looking like a real battle setting up between Brent Sass and Dallas Seavey for first place. As the frontrunners head for the Bering Sea coast, we’ll have a look at the teams reaching the Yukon River, we’ll talk about a pretty big scratch, women mushers, a bit about superstition, and of course we have a dog profile and a listener question.
Our favorite 20 photos from the Iditarod ceremonial start in Anchorage
Dozens of mushers and hundreds of sled dogs paraded through Anchorage on Saturday.
Schnuelle first out of Rainy Pass in tight Iditarod leader pack
Two-time defending Iditarod champion Lance Mackey led the way into the Rainy Pass checkpoint at 11:34 this morning. Norwegian Bjornar Anderson followed more than...
Iditapod: The champ has scratched. Long live the champ.
Reigning Iditarod champion Brent Sass has scratched from this year’s race, due to what race officials described as “periodontal health” issues. So 31 teams remained in the race Saturday, and in this episode we hear from the chase pack-turned lead pack about how they were feeling about heading up the Yukon River, plus more from the top rookies in this year’s race. We have a powerhouse Dog of the Day with a funny, uh, pungent name, and a listener question about sled dog breeds that led us to the famous poodle musher.
Mandatory 24-Hour Rest Playing Into Race Strategy
Iditarod teams are making their way across the Interior region where the trail is soft, smooth and covered in snow – a far cry from the rough and rocky trail that took many mushers out of the race earlier this week.
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The Iditarod is moving to Fairbanks
Once again, the Iditarod start is moving to Fairbanks. Listen now
Iditapod: A new Norwegian champ, and the runner-up reflects
The Iditarod has crowned a new Norwegian champion: Joar Leifseth Ulsom. The 31-year-old pulled under Nome’s Burled Arch at 3 a.m. Wednesday with eight dogs in harness to claim his first championship, taking the win in Iditarod 46. Ulsom is the first Norwegian musher to win the thousand-mile sled dog race since Robert Sørlie in 2005. Girdwood's Nicolas Petit arrived a little over two hours later, and he spoke to reporters about how his race went and where it went wrong.
Photos: Iditarod pack reaches Unalakleet
Nearly thirty Iditarod teams have reached the Bering Sea checkpoint of Unalakleet as of Sunday evening. The race enters its final phase here: a mad push north along the largely treeless coastline, where fast-changing ice conditions and exposure to the wind throw new elements into racers' strategies.
Iditapod: The all-Indigenous Iditarod podium
Alaska Native mushers took the podium in the 2023 Iditarod, with the Knik Kid, Ryan Redington, winning his first championship and Bethel's Pete Kaiser and Aniak's Richie Diehl mushing into second and third place. The race's top 10 were all into Nome by Wednesday morning, and we have an update on Rookie of the Year honors, as well as three Dogs of the Day, two listener questions and a story about collecting dog pee. Also: This'll do it for Season 7 of the Iditapod. Thanks for coming along with us on this thousand-mile journey!
King Resting At Ruby, Competitors Close In
Jeff King is resting at the Yukon river checkpoint of Ruby. The four time Iditarod champion is technically in the lead at this point, but Martin Buser, Aliy Zirkle and Robert Sorlie are closing in, and they’ve already completed their 24 hour layovers. Once teams leave Ruby, they’ll have a chance to take advantage of any remaining speed they have on the flat river miles ahead.
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Here’s what McGrath looks like as Iditarod mushers settle into their 24-hour stop
One musher has regrets. Another is focused on canine appetite. And a third is relieved to have survived the "spiciest" trail.
Top Iditarod teams swap laughs and stories during long rest at remote Cripple checkpoint
Then, it was back to racing.
Iditapod: The fresh prince of Iditarod
Iditapod goes on a deep dive talking about "old school" Eureka musher Brent Sass, who won his first Iditarod championship early Tuesday in Nome. That was despite howling wind that almost caused him to stop in the final miles, with five-time champ Dallas Seavey still in pursuit, just about an hour behind. We'll take you to the finish line, plus Sass's Golden Harness dogs Slater and Morello are the subject of our listener question AND the Dog(s) of the Day.
Penalty partially reversed for 2 Iditarod mushers who sheltered dogs inside during storm
Mille Porsild and Michelle Phillips were the top female finishers in this year’s race. On one of the final runs they moved their dogs indoors to get out of a severe windstorm.
Iditapod: Race clock ticking after Willow restart
Mushers in the 2018 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race are officially on course for the 1,000-mile trek to Nome after the restart in Willow. We take a rather, uh, unique question from a listener, and Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes does whatever it takes to get an interview.
Norwegian musher Waerner makes final dash for Nome with hours-long lead over competition
Thomas Waerner and his 10-dog team left White Mountain at 1:35 p.m. Tuesday with an hours-long lead over their closest competitors and 77 miles to the finish line in Nome.
Eddie Burke Jr. wins Iditarod Rookie of the Year
The former amateur boxer and garbage truck driver had the best rookie finish since Jessie Holmes in 2018, finishing in seventh place.