Another copy/paste from Joar’s FB
Iditarod Update- by Jen Seavey
As the leaders push into their 24 hour mandatory layovers, we can gain some insights into their positions by analyzing the race up to Nikolai. This is a key point where we see all of the different strategies temporarily converge. Being within a few hours of the first team to Nikolai is a reliable indicator of who's in position for a win.
Joar was the first musher to Nikolai, arriving at 6:36am. There were ten teams that arrived within the next 4 hours. The only team that did not rest in Nikolai was Nic, who knocked out a massive ten and a half hour run from his camp outside of Rohn all the way to McGrath. All of these guys either camped outside of Rohn or rested in Rohn, so it's a fair comparison to add up how much rest they have taken so far during the race upon arriving in Nikolai. Note that these rest times are close estimates based on the GPS analytics, and that I didn't count any stop less than an hour. Teams are in order of arrival.
Joar Ulsom- 13h
Pete Kaiser- 14h
Jessie Royer- 14h
Aliy Zirkle- 14h
Matt Hall- 15h
Nic Petit- 14h
Ryan Reddington- 13h
Richie Diehl- 14h
Travis Beals- 13.5h
Mitch- 14.5h
Jesse Holmes- 17.5
Despite drastically different strategies, their accumulated rest is surprisingly even.This race is closer than it seems at first glance, with well rested, fast teams within a few hours of the lead in very competitive positions. Based purely on the rest factor, I'd say Travis and Ryan are probably not in contention for first place, but Mitch, Richie, and Jesse Holmes should be considered a real threat to the front runners. Joar and Nic are the teams to beat and are setting the tone for Iditarod