Iditarod 2012: Dallas Seavey Wins!

The 2012 Iditarod crowned a new champion yesterday when 25-year old Dallas Seavey crossed the finish line in Nome at approximately 7:30PM local time. He is the youngest person to ever win the event which is dubbed the "Last Great Race."

Seavey's victory comes after ten days of intense racing across a trail that is nearly a thousand miles in length. He finished exactly one hour ahead of his closest competior – Aliy Zirkle – who claimed second place. Late charging Ramey Smyth was third with Aaron Burmeister and Peter Kaiser finishing fourth and fifth respectively. Four other mushers have also made it to Nome including Dallas' father Mitch who finished the race in seventh place. Last year's champ John Baker ended in ninth.

At the moment there are still 44 other teams still out on the trail and several of those are expected to finish today. In that group are fan favorite DeeDee Jonrowe, currently running in 10th place, as well as Brent Sass and Yukon Quest champ Hugh Neff.

With the win, Dallas joins his dad as an Iditarod champ. Mitch won the race back in 2004. But more than that, the younger Seavey fulfills the promise that he has been showing over the last couple of years. Not only did he race very well in the Junior Iditarod a few years back, he also became the youngest person to win the Yukon Quest last year. Since first entering the Last Great Race at the age of 18 he has continued to improve his position every year. Following a fourth place finish last year, he was amongst the contenders heading into the 2012 edition of the race.

Congrats to Dallas, Aliy and Ramey on a great race to the finish and good luck to the remaining competitors who will continue to come in over the next few days.

Iditarod 2012: And Then There Were Three

The 2012 Iditarod will be decided today, we just don't know who will claim victory in Nome just yet. The frontrunners have arrived in White Mountain, which is just two checkpoints away from the finish and at the moment they are serving out a final mandatory 8 hour rest before they begin the final run to the end.

As I write this, Dallas Seavey is in first place with a one hour and 11 minute lead over Aliy Zirkle. Racing in third place is Ramey Smyth who is another 52 minutes back. Aaron Burmeister is the only other musher to reach White Mountain at this point and Peter Kaiser is currently holding down the fifth position on his way into the CP.

Once they have completed their mandatory rest, the teams will head back out onto the trail. That means Dallas will maintain his lead as they resume the race, but what happens after that is what will ultimately decide the outcome. The leg from White Mountain to Safety, the penultimate checkpoint, will be a challenging 55 miles in length and from there it will be just 22 miles to Nome.

The wildcard in the top three is Ramey, who struggled at the mid-point of this race but has come back very strong now. Smyth has bolted past a number of very good teams and is now in position to contend for the win, something that seemed unthinkable just a few days ago.

Now it all comes down to who has the fresher dogs and sets the right pace. Nome is close but there are still many miles to go until these teams are done. Trail tactics can still play a role in who will come out on top. No matter who wins however, it is going to be an exciting finish.

The winner should arrive in Nome sometime early evening today.

For more Iditarod coverage be sure to check-out the Iditablog.

Iditarod 2012: Father and Son Lead the Way!

The 2012 Iditarod is shaping up to be one of the best races in recent memory. With the teams now past the halfway point, the mushers are beginning to think about the best strategies for the stretch run to Nome. That has led to some tactical moves out on the course that could have an impact on the outcome of the race in the days ahead.

Earlier today the first racers arrived at the checkpoint in Ruby, which falls at the 545 mile mark along the trail. Father-son duo Mitch and Dallas Seavey were the first to arrive and both have elected to take their mandatory 8-hour rest at that point. That has allowed Aliy Zirkle to retake the lead out on the course as she blasted through Ruby, stopping just long enough to check in and out.

The current leaderboard has Zirkle out in front as the only musher through Ruby. Behind her are the two Seaveys, followed by defending champ John Baker and Aaron Burmeister, who are holding down the fourth and fifth spots respectively. The only other musher who has reached the Ruby checkpoint is Jeff King, who now sits in the sixth position.

While it appears that the other racers have elected to rest in Ruby, Zirkle is making a bold move to try to put enough distance between herself and the pack so that she can take her 8-hour rest period down the line without surrendering back too much ground. The hope is that she can run faster over the next few legs of the race so that she can be on even footing when the final run to Nome begins. We'll just have to wait to see if that strategy will pay off.

Other names of note include four-time champ Lance Mackey, who is currently running in 18th place and Yukon Quest champ Hugh Neff who is holding down the 23rd position. Fan favorite DeeDee Jonrowe is making a great account of herself running in eighth place at the moment as well.

For more Iditarod coverage be sure to checkout the Iditablog.

Iditarod 2012: Well Rested Teams on the Move

Following a slower day yesterday, thanks to most of the mushers taking a mandatory 24-hour rest break, the action in the 2012 Iditarod is heating up once again today. The teams are on the move once again, and steaming towards the halfway point, where the first to arrive will receive a very rich reward indeed.

Iditarod 2012: Mandatory Rest for Mushers and Dogs

It has been a bit more of a subdued pace today for the competitors in the 2012 Iditarod, mostly because a number of the teams have are now taking their mandatory 24-hour rest. This rest day was instituted a few years back to ensure that both mushers and dogs were staying healthy and alert while out on the trail. Once they've competed their layover however, it'll be back to the trail for more intense racing.

The leaderboard remains crowded with big names at the top and as I write this, Aliy Zirkle remains in first place. Just behind her is John Baker and Mitch Seavey in second and third respectively. Jeff King and young-gun Dallas Seavey round out the top five.

Each of those racers, along with a host of others, are in the Takotna checkpoint, which seems to be a popular place to serve out the mandatory rest time. That CP sits at 329 mile marker for the race, or about a third of the way through.

Four-time champ Lance Mackey is currently running in 32nd place, although mostly because he has elected to rest at the McGrath checkpoint, about 18 miles behind the leaders. He'll definitely be back in the thick of things once he has completed the rest period and will likely pass most of those currently ahead of him when he blows through Takotna. This was a strategic move on his part and we'll see if it pays off down the line.

So far, all 66 mushers are still in the race, which is great news actually. That means that no one has gotten hurt out on the trail or had their dogs get sick or injured either. Usually be now we've seen one or two drop out for one reason or another, but so far the 2012 edition of the Last Great Race has been a safe and smooth one for the most part.

Iditarod 2012: Legends Lurk on the Leaderboard

The 2012 Iditarod has moved into its first crucial stage with the mushers moving through Rainy Pass, a notorious piece of the trail that has dashed the dreams of a number of competitors in the past. The lead teams are now through that difficult section and have moved into Nikolai, with some very impressive names now lurking near the top.

As of this writing, Aliy Zirkle leads the race as the first person into the Nikolai checkpoint. Joining her at that stop are last year's winner John Baker, currently running in second, and four-time Iditarod champ Lance Mackey. Still out on the trail, but steaming towards the leaders are Kelley Griffin in fourth place and the "innovator" himself Jeff King. Mitch Seavey and Dallas Seavey are both in the top ten as well, making it a very impressive group out in front.

Nikolai falls 263 miles into the race, which is nearly a thousand miles long. That means the lead teams are about a quarter of the way to the end in Nome and by most accounts they are very happy with the trail conditions thus far. If the weather holds out, we should see a winner crowned early next week.

Stay tuned for updates in the days ahead.

Iditarod 2012: Off and Running!

As I mentioned last week, the 2012 Iditarod got underway this past weekend with 66 musher setting out on Saturday from the ceremonial start in Anchorage. That first stage ran for just 11 miles, ending at Campbell Airstrip, where the teams were promptly loaded up and moved to the town of Willow for the official re-start yesterday. That took place as scheduled and the mushers are all now officially out on the course and making their way towards Nome.

Like any long distance race, the first few days of the event rarely have an impact on the final outcome. That said however, there are already a few well known names lurking at the top of the leaderboard. As of this writing, Nicolas Petit is currently in first place and the only competitor that has reached Finger Lake, the fifth checkpoint of the race located 153 miles down the trail. Bren Sass is in second, with Tom Thurston in third, followed by Ray Redington, Jr and defending champ John Baker rounding out the top five. All of those teams are through the Skwentna checkpoint and are now en route to Finger Lake.

Other names of note include Hugh Neff, winner of the 2012 Yukon Quest, currently running in the sixth position and former champs Mitch Seavey and Lance Mackey running in the ninth and tenth positions respectively.

At the moment, the mushers are still fairly well grouped up with not a lot of distance between them. That will likely begin to change today as racers start to reach the more challenging sections of the trail starting at Rainy Pass, the first checkpoint after Finger Lake. Over the next few days we should start to see the real contenders start to emerge, with the first teams expected to arrive in Nome sometime early next week.

2012 Iditarod Begins Tomorrow!

One of my favorite events each year is the Iditarod, the 1000-mile long sled dog race through the Alaskan wilderness. The 2012 edition of the race is set to get underway tomorrow with the ceremonial start taking place in Anchorage. At that start, 66 teams will parade down city streets before an enthusiastic crowd which will be mostly non-existant at the official start on Sunday, when they'll take to the trail for the first time and begin the dash for Nome.

Billed as the "Last Great Race," the Iditrod is never short on excitement and drama as some of the top mushers in the world go head-to-head across an always challenging course. The race commemorates a historic 1925 sled dog run in which teams raced to deliver medicine to combat a diphtheria epidemic that threatened the lives of many children in Nome. Now, many years later, it has become the most popular and famous sporting event in Alaska.

The course actually has two different routes which are used on alternating years in order to protect the trail. In even numbered years, like this one, the mushers take the Northern Route, which runs through Cripple, Ruby, Galena, Nulato, and Kaltag – checkpoints that aren't on the Southern Route. The course is also slightly shorter this year due to a few changes in logistics. Instead of the usual 1049 mile length, this time out it will be a "mere" 975 miles instead.

This year's field of racers is as deep as ever with some very familiar names competing for the top spot. Lance Mackey is back for another go of course, as is Jeff King. Both of those legendary mushers had talked about retirement after last year's race, but it seems they can't find anything better to do in Alaska in March. They'll be challenged by Hugh Neff, who is coming off a great win at the Yukon Quest, and Dallas Seavey, one of the more promising young racers to emerge over the past few years.

Unlike other parts of the U.S., Alaska has had plenty of snow and ice this winter. That means the trail is going to be challenging, particularly out in the more remote areas. The lead teams will be forced to break trail much of the way, which can tire the dogs out, but considering the amount of experience in this field, I'd expect them to work well with one another – at least until Nome is in sight.

It should be another fun race to follow. Expect the winner to reach the finish line approximately 8 to 10 days after getting underway.

Hugh Neff Wins 2012 Yukon Quest

The 1000 mile long Yukon Quest sled dog race was won by veteran musher Hugh Neff earlier this week, when he crossed the finish line just 26 seconds ahead of second place finisher Allen Moore. It took Neff just 9 days, 16 hours, and 5 minutes to cover the course, which is run annually between Fairbanks and White Horse. Neff managed to make up 42 minutes of time over his rival in the final 100 miles, to nip him at the finish line.

Third place in the race went to Lance Mackey, who has won the YQ on four occasions. He was about 5 hours and 20 minutes off the pace, but says he felt like he actually won, since his dogs were on all three of the top teams. Jake Berkowitz and Brent Sass rounded out the top five at the event.

The Yukon Quest is always in interesting preview of what to expect at the Iditarod, which gets underway in about two weeks time. That race will actually be shorter than the YQ this year, dropping to 975 miles in length, due to changes in the course and the ceremonial start in Anchorage. Still, it remains one an amazing event, and should be fun to follow once again this year.