IT'S MARCH...MARK THE DATE,IDITAROD

here's a race review of what is coming your way....THE LAST GREAT RACE,always ALASKA at it's boldest,best and brave.....ENJOY

ok ,it;s double sound tracked,i am not a tekky, so mute and i have subtitles on....anyone know how to fix it? I brought it over from Pinecam

I may have fixed it....

AND WE HAVE A RACE...SUN, AFTERNOON MARCH 8TH

op 10 as of 4:05am AKDT.....standing coming in....wild winds r a factor

All 10 are out of Skwentna and heading towards Finger Lake (Mile 123)

1 Jesse Holmes MILE 113
2 Thomas Waerner MILE 113
3 Kjell Rokke MILE 113
4 Michelle Phillips MILE 108
5 Paige Drobny MILE 108
6 Matt Hall MILE 106
7 Mille Porsild MILE 105
8 Bailey Vitello MILE 104
9 Rohn Buser MILE 104
10 Lauro Eklund MILE 102

Video footage indicates that the wind is really howling.

top 10 as of 1:13pm AKDT

1 Jessie Holmes (7) Out of Rainy Pass (Mile 153) heading to Rohn (Mile 188)

On their way to Rainy Pass
2 Kjell Rokke (6)
3 Thomas Waerner (13)
4 Paige Drobny (10)
5 Mille Porsild (15)
6 Matt Hall (16)
7 Travis Beals (4)
8 Rohn Buser (3)
9 Riley Dyche (19)
10 Michelle Phillips (30)
MORE POST TO COME

Between Rainy Pass and Rohn, the mushers enter one of the most challenging sections of the race:
The dreaded Dalzell Gorge :yikes:

The Dalzell Gorge is a treacherous, narrow, winding, and steep wooded canyon, often featuring, ice bridges, open water, and sharp drops. Known as one of the most dangerous, technical, and "infamous" sections, often featuring minimal snow and exposed ice. Mushers need to expect to take 1 or more spills along this section. Many sleds have been busted up in the Dalzell Gorge!

Most mushers prefer to race at night when the weather is more suitable to the dogs. However, it is best to run the Dalzell Gorge in the daylight.

The Dalzell Gorge is where Aliy Zirkle wiped out in 2021. The crash occurred on glare ice, causing her to take a very bad fall. She suffered a concussion and various upper torso injuries. She was subsequently evacuated to Anchorage, forcing her to scratch. She never ran the Iditarod again.

Saw a video where a sled overturned and the musher was being dragged for hundreds of yards before another racer got their dog team stopped.

REPLACING SLEDS...the rules r u can have 3 sled replacements (I think that;s right) and they usually have them transported to places just like this, in case of replacement....u can REPAIR a sled as many times a necessary.....PROACTIVE

Here's the top 10 as of 4:54 am AKDT
Elapsed time: 1d 14h 54m

On their way to Nikolai (Mile 263)
1 Jessie Holmes MILE 231
2 Paige Drobny MILE 230
3 Riley Dyche MILE 222
4 Matt Hall MILE 222
5 Wade Marrs MILE 210
6 Travis Beals MILE 210
7 Rohn Buser MILE 210
8 Bailey Vitello MILE 210
9 Peter Kaiser MILE 209
10 Ryan Redington MILE 209

Nikolai (Mile 263) - Population 125. This is the first of many Native villages along the Iditarod trail.



and because of a new sponsorship/ambassador ....the outlying villages r recipients of $17,000, THAT IS LIKE WINNING JACKPOT FOR THESE LOCALES.....

Jessie is in and out of Nikolai. the next 4 all arrived with in 1 10 min span and 3 of them are women. In order of arrival, they are Ryan, Mille, Michele, & Paige. Jessie moved on within 10 mins but the group of 4 have been there over an hour at this point @12:30 AK time.

Quote:
Iditarod Staff wrote:

Rookie Iditarod musher Jaye Foucher (bib #28) of Wentworth, New Hampshire, scratched at 6:30 a.m. today at the Rainy Pass checkpoint due to personal reasons. Foucher’s team remains healthy and doing well. After traveling through an extended wind storm, she made the decision not to continue further along the trail.

Foucher had 15 dogs in harness at the time she made the decision, all in good health.

We appreciate the determination and sportsmanship Foucher has shown during this year’s race and hope to see her return to the Iditarod Trail in the future.


more info

Quote:
Alaska KTUU reports:

Before scratching, Foucher noted to Iditarod Insider...
“That particular section of trail really beat us up. Beat my sled up, beat the dogs up, beat me up,” Foucher said. “I don’t know how hard [the wind is] blowing but I’m guessing must be 60+ miles per hour. A lot of markers are blown down, so we keep missing turns ... The dogs are a little fried from this run, too.”

Foucher signed up to participate in the Iditarod twice before. The first time was in 2022, but her team was struck by a truck in Willow before the race on Jan. 19, killing one dog and injuring three others, according to the Iditarod. The second time was in 2023, but she withdrew as she was still dealing with PTSD from the accident.

THIS IS NO WALK IN THE PARK...THIS TRAIL IS BRUTAL.