Thread: Who's the Leader?

[Johncn]

Hello,

I love the thread for each checkpoint, but thought we may also want to have a thread specifically for breaking news about the leaders of the moment.

For the actual latest standings, be sure to use the Official Iditarod Current Standings page, and the excellent 2008 EarthSLOT files.



So, post your breaking news, rumors and speculation here!

Note: As Breeze so accurately points out, it is way early to talk about who will WIN the race, but I was intending to just have thread to track the front group as things change, and the race develops.

Regards,

Johncn

[tilstede]

OK.
Is Mackey out of Takotna?

[bourgeois_rage]

Good point, John. It is always a trip trying to navigate all of the threads discussing checkpoints, trying to figure out who's on first.

[Di*]

Thanks John, handy link!

[Breeze]

LOLOL!!!!


Its is only just coming up on halfway ( and I personally regard Ophir as the halfway reference point). Ophir is where the northern and southern routes deviate, and I REALLY don't nitpick about exact mileage.

Regardlesss of who happens to SEEM first at this point, there is a loottaa race left to go, and the Iditarod is well known for handing anyone their hat at any time. Strategies about the 24 and 8 rests are crucial now and this is where it begins to narrow the field.


Rohn Buser is impressing the heck outta me, but I think he is waving bubbye to his Dad's tail-lights about now.

Its way too early for ME to be speculating about anything, I'll wait to see the traffic and weather at UNK.

Breeze

[Johncn]

Hello,

Fresh APRN podcast (9:35 p.m. tonight) from by David Shurtleff in McGrath with a race update and Gephardt as current leader has been posted.

Gephardt Leads Iditarod for Now
http://aprn.org/2008/03/05/gebhardt-leads-the-iditarod-for-now/

Paul Gebhardt was the first musher out of the Ophir checkpoint this afternoon. He left at 12:52 p.m. and is now leading the Iditarod. Mitch Seavey is now in second place. But he was the first into Ophir at 10:00 a.m. this morning. He was followed into the checkpoint by Hugh Neff, Zach Steer, Ed Iten and Martin Buser. But it’s getting tricky to rely on the standings, as many mushers are taking their 24-hour layovers, including a handful at McGrath and Takotna.

Regards,

Johncn

[aren]

Thanks John for sharing this with us.
Interesting to hear Hugh Neff saying that "I am not in the competitive mode yet we are just travelling". I am not sure if I believe him. Especially when I see that he was # 2 pushing on through Ophir at good speed.

aren

[Domer]

Thanks John for sharing this with us.
Interesting to hear Hugh Neff saying that "I am not in the competitive mode yet we are just travelling". I am not sure if I believe him. Especially when I see that he was # 2 pushing on through Ophir at good speed.

aren

This is musher speak for "My dogs are doing really well and I am so stoked to be here!"

[carolynh]

Re: Hugh Neff and musherspeak:

And the rest of the sentence after "I'm so stoked to be here" would be "and I don't want to jinx myself by saying how happy I am with how I 'm doing right now."

Carolyn H.

[carolynh]

As to who's really in the lead at the moment:
Here's my take on it. Lance, Kjetil and Jeff have all finished their 24's and reached Ophir, so I'd make them the top 3. Of those, Mackey's "24" was the longest because of his start position. Yet, the GPS shows him ahead of King and apparently about to overtake Backen.

So I'd say he's the leader at the moment, but there's still a lot of ground to cover before Nome.

Carolyn H.