Nikolai - McGrath - Takotna - Ophir - Iditarod

[Eggs]

You load 16 dogs and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt ... sorry couldn't help myself ....
Team trivia:
Who still has 16 dogs?
Joar at Iditarod
Martin Buser in Ophir
Kelly Maixner out of Tak
Mats Pettersson out of Tak
Ramey Smyth in Tak
Matt Failer in Tak
Rob Cooke in Tak
Lev Shvarts in McGrath
Magnus Kaltenborn in McGrath
Steve Watkins in Nik

Leaders in mileage out of Ophir
Joar: 16
Lars: 15
Jeff: 14
Larry: 15
Nic: 14
Mitch: 13
Aaron: 15
Ray: 15
Jessie Royer: 14
Aliy: 15

Not that many dropped dogs overall. Ryan Redington the most at 11; Bradley Farquhar is down to 12.
Everyone else 13+

[Eggs]

Video: Ulsom wins GCI Dorothy G. Page Halfway Award
http://www.ktva.com/story/37596792/idit ... -race-blog

Also: Takotna offers Iditarod racers Norwegian welcome (from yesterday - with video)
http://www.ktva.com/story/37674378/tako ... an-welcome

[flowerpower]

So Lars, Larry and Jeff are probably taking their 24 in Iditarod also?

[mira]

Lars has been there for some hours. Larry and Jeff.. I guess so, but they need to get to Iditarod first...

[elsietee]

I agree - Joar's team looked *great* coming in last night - I thought they'd be trudging along, so thrilled to see them looking so good. At the very least, we can hope that it didn't take too much out of them.

And Joar should be proud - that footage of them driving into a headwind, trotting along perkily is wonderful. The fact that he had one of the best runs ever will make up for it - it's the memories, not the winning that does it (I know that sounds trite, but one of the best rides I ever had on one of my horses still gives me chills because it was *so* good. We were ultimately pulled from the ride, lame, at 92 (out of a 100) miles. But that wonderful memory far out-weighs the fact that we didn't complete, and I'll remember it forever).

As a strategic move, I don't think it's going to work out, though. His team were SO slow in parts, particularly the last hour or two - travelling at < 6mph.

I'm looking at the speeds of the following mushers, and they are flying by comparison -

Ray - 8.3 mph
Jessie - 10.4 (?!?)
Mitch - 9.3
Pete - 8.7
Linwood - 9.1
Wade - 8.4
Michelle - 8.2
Matts - 8.9

...Joar never hit 8 mph

Lars was 25 mins faster than Joar, although if you take into account Joar's detour back to get his food, maybe that's insignificant. This evening, when teams start to arrive in ID will really show the time differential.

[fladogfan]

And Joar should be proud - that footage of them driving into a headwind, trotting along perkily is wonderful. The fact that he had one of the best runs ever will make up for it - it's the memories, not the winning that does it (I know that sounds trite, but one of the best rides I ever had on one of my horses still gives me chills because it was *so* good. We were ultimately pulled from the ride, lame, at 92 (out of a 100) miles. But that wonderful memory far out-weighs the fact that we didn't complete, and I'll remember it forever).

Thanks for sharing that memory elsie.

[mira]

The trail must have settled very nicely, I am a bit surprised of their speed. But.. Someone must be the first to go from Iditarod, and that goes for all the way to kaltag (I guess there might be some base between anvik/grayling and Shageluk but that isn't a long stretch).

[Moose]

I'd like to see Jeff King do well. He's currently two miles behind Seavey on the road to Iditarod. Seavey has clocked his 24. King has not yet done so. Dang.

[mira]

I'd like to see Jeff King do well. He's currently two miles behind Seavey on the road to Iditarod. Seavey has clocked his 24. King has not yet done so. Dang.

I know Earlier today I was kind of trying to count the top ten-fifteen contenders and automatically counted Jeff.. Before I realised he is 24 hours behind. Sigh.

[Eggs]

Good look at Mitch's dog kennel sled bag in this video (at .30 mark)
http://www.ktva.com/story/37682427/seav ... g-his-dogs

Seavey’s IdidaRide Sled Dog Tours 3 hrs ·
Danny: “I translated the Lars Monsen (currently in 2nd place) Facts Page … you gotta read this.”
https://www.facebook.com/seaveysididari ... 4938201381