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Zoya DeNure scratches in Skwentna, first scratch of 2018 Iditarod

The first musher to scratch in the 2018 Iditarod is Zoya DeNure of Delta Junction.

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According to a statement from the Iditarod, DeNure decided to scratch for personal health reasons. She arrived at the Skwentna checkpoint just after 3 a.m. this morning with 15 dogs on the line. Despite covering roughly 80 miles of Iditarod trail along the 1,000-mile southern route, DeNure made the decision to scratch at 7:49 a.m. in Skwentna.

DeNure has finished two Iditarod sled dog races out of the eight she has started.

Davis Hovey has been reporting in Alaska for nearly a decade and currently works at KMXT in Kodiak. Hovey was born and raised in Virginia. He spent most of his childhood in rural Virginia just outside of Charlottesville where University of Virginia is located. Hovey was drawn in by the opportunity to work for a radio station in a remote, unique place like Nome, Alaska. Hovey went to Syracuse University, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Broadcast Digital Journalism.