The last 3 mushers have left Safety and are heading to Nome 27 Jeff Reid
28 Severin Cathry
29 Joshua Robbins
They should all finish tonight ...
But who will get the Red Lantern?
LAST musher to finish on the eve of the 15th....the RED LANTERN AWARD.....JEFF REID...rookie who NEVER gave up.....something special to KNOW that u have what it takes to finish...regardless of how grueling the journey.....you made it to NOME and how many can say that???
the Red Lantern is a symbol of perseverance and determination. The Iditarod challenges mushers both physically and mentally and it requires mushers to problem-solve, push forward, and exert all of their efforts. Every year brings with it a different set of unique challenges and circumstances. Though this may be the case, one thing that is certain is the fact that this race is no easy feat.
Congratulations to every musher this year–both finishers and those who had to make the difficult decision to scratch from the race!
Last edit: 18 Mar 2024 19:24 by homeagain. Reason: add
The Iditarod Banquet wrapped up (where all the award r handed out) ,and there r MANY.........
Sportsmanship Award.
Prior to presenting the award, one of the announcers said the recipient of the award was selected partially based on a letter they received from Hunter Keefe. Then he read part of the letter...
I'm paraphasing here: Hunter said he experienced the worse day of his mushing career (referring to the death of George, a dog on his team) and Matthew Failor was willing to sacrifice his own race to help Hunter to secure and take care of the remainder of his team and came up with a plan to get out of the -40 degree cold and go on to Old Woman Cabin and take a break. Once there, Matthew and others provided shoulders to cry on, hugs and words of comfort and encouragement.
It was far more detailed than that (but that's the best I can do).
The Sportsmanship Award was indeed given to Matthew Failor. As was the Herbie Nayokpuk Memorial Award which is given to the musher "who best epitomizes Herbie Nayokpuk’s spirit of mushing the Iditarod".
As many mushers stated during the banquet, although they are all competitors, they are foremost fellow mushers sharing their love, excitement, friendship, knowledge, and experience to celebrate the true atheletes (the dogs) and all other aspects of the Iditarod, The Last Great Race!
and this is WHY I love Alaska.....u have to be WILLING to be self-reliant,but at the same time,KNOW that
the "wildness" of this wondrous state requires a certain bond among u....to survive.
I love Alaska as well, but I'd say there are many more wild and dangerous places to live in the lower 48. Pick any big blue city... I'd rather live among the grizzlies.
It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies and nosers−out of unorthodoxy
