2020Iditarod

What Matthew Failor did not know when he left White Mountain with two other mushers was the relentless wind was pushing ocean water onto the trail ahead.

The mushers and dogs are in good health, Iditarod officials say.

Thomas Waerner is the winner of a race hobbled by the coronavirus, which became a global pandemic as mushers raced to the finish line.

Shaktoolik is usually a key resting spot for mushers and their sled dogs before they push the 50 miles to the next checkpoint at Koyuk.

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.

The Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership is the Iditarod's second top sponsor to drop its financial support of the race this month.

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.

The Bethel musher said sickness slowed him down.

This weekend, as race officials changed checkpoints over coronavirus concerns, there was a lot of advice being swapped between mushers, including Jessica Klejka and Linwood Fiedler, a musher in the middle of her second Iditarod and another who had just ended his 26th race early.

Jessie Royer has been running at the front of the pack in this year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, even with a sled fire.