WM-Safety-Nome

[Frozen Chosen]

Mille 2 miles from Finish Line! Somebody tell ITC or Nome Mayor to lift the two Finish Line Cams a bit so we can see more!

[libby the lab]

Amanda, Pete and Jessie are very close together coming into the finish!

[elsietee]

Six miles to go and or looks like Amanda is JUST ahead of Pete (what did I say days ago - watch Amanda at the finish??). They are yards apart! Going to be a wild finish.

[elsietee]

From https://kaiserracing.com/2024/03/iditar ... te-kaiser/

Pete and the Team have completed the 2024 Iditarod Trail Race!

It was a cold morning in Nome, Alaska, as Pete and the Team were just on the tails of 8th place Finisher, Amanda Otto to take 9th place in 9 days, 18 hours, 30 minutes, and 50 seconds.

The story, though, is of the trail in from White Mountain early this morning. “I’ve been nervous before” Pete said to a reporter. “But maybe not as nervous as I was this morning…”

Pete left out after Jessie Royer and Amanda Otto last night just before Midnight. As the three approached the “blowhole,” halfway between White Mountain and Nome, they encountered a severe blizzard. Pete said winds were easily 60mph and he and the Team were struggling to see the trail. As Pete and the Team progressed through the storm they came upon Amanda Otto and her Team. Amanda had put out the lead hook and the team was stopped and curled up trying to hunker down. Pete helped Amanda get going and he could also see Jessie Royer who was out off the trail. “I could see her light and just kept using my headlamp to give her something to focus on,” Pete related. Finally Jessie caught up with Pete and Amanda and off they made to keep going with Pete leading them through. They were in the storm for about 2 hours before it calmed down and then they had to climb Cape Nome to finally see the lights of Nome.

“As we were in this storm I kept thinking that “I’ll bet it’s calm in Nome”” Pete said. And sure enough as we had our coffee and leisurely made our way to see Pete and Amanda come by, it was cold– But calm!!

Pete said it was one of the worst storms he had been through in his many years on the trail. “It was really something. A Team stopping out in that stuff would surely have to press the Emergency button on their SPOT tracker,” he said.

And with that, it was a short run down front street into the arms of family and friends. Pete arrived just six minutes after Amanda who was so thankful for his help.

After the dogs were bedded down, we all met together to watch Pete wolf down a monster breakfast made by wife Bethany and her mom, Mae. Little Aylee was so happy to be sitting, eating with Daddy.

For us, just listening to the stories gave us more reason to have such awe for Pete, the Team, and all of the other mushers who annually test their training, strategy, and endurance. For us, it’s purely entertainment. For them, sometimes I just don’t know but to say it is truly an accomplishment and celebration of this great sport.

What a great finish!! Go Team Kaiser!!

[Pippiroo]

Wow- that was some storm they came through. Thanks for posting- nice to see the three of them helping each other out to get through it!

[Frozen Chosen]

Yes, great story ElsieTee! I figured there would be a good Bering Sea Storm story, and with a happy ending! Thanks Pete for being a sport and helping Amanda and Jessie out! Hope you get the Sportsmans Award!

[fladogfan]

This is the first I've heard about a storm this year. I'm glad they made it through safely, but boy some scary times from them.

[tanglefoot]

Jason Mackey looked sooo tired and cold when he came in in 16th.

[elsietee]

He did, didn't he Tangles?! Poor guy seemed in a lot of pain too.

Anna Hennessy, OTOH, was positively bouncing.

* * *

I was watching the post-race interviews (where they're wearing normal clothes, after they've showered and had a sleep).

Jeff Deeter's is particularly interesting with regard to race strategy and how this year's race went. And he tells a funny story about how, in 2022, he and KattiJo ended up being helped out of the Topcok Hills and down to the shelter cabin on the shore, where they and 4 other teams stayed for 24 hours during that awful storm that year.

Fast forward to 2023 and KJ is taking the team on ID again. Jeff warns her to go carefully past the cabin, lest they associate it with a nice cozy stay. Sure enough KJ stops the teams a mile or so beforehand, gives them a nice break, and so when they get to the shelter cabin they mush on by, no issues at all.

Fast forward again to 2024. Most of Jeff's team are from KJ's 2023 team, so he knows they'll go past the cabin without any problems, since they did in 2023. What he didn't remember was that one of his lead dogs was on the 2022 race but not on the 2023 race. So they're about to pass the cabin, Jeff's got his coffee mug in his hand, he's taking pictures, looking at the weather ahead down on the shore, and the lead dog suddenly pulls a 90° turn and heads up to the cabin, taking the entire team up onto the porch of the cabin and standing with his nose on the door handle.

Jeff quickly runs up to haw them off the porch and back on the trail, but the same lead dog takes them back again.

Finally he gets them lined out, has a stern word with the lead dog and they carry on. But he said he could see his entire 4th place obliterated by that one dog's conviction that "this cabin is home!".

[mira]

That was a funny story