HonestChieffan
03-06-2011, 06:36 PM
Iditarod 39: 8 Things to know
Published: March 4th, 2011 10:04 PM
Last Modified: March 5th, 2011 07:25 PM
Here's what you need to know as 62 teams of as many as 16 dogs each begin the 1,000-mile trek to Nome:
Here comes history
Either Lance Mackey of Fairbanks wins his fifth-straight Iditarod -- a first in race history -- or Mackey fails to defend his title for the first time since he started winning in 2007.
Mackey was also the first to win four in a row.
Five titles would tie the most held by any musher, Rick Swenson of Two Rivers. Swenson is in this year's race, along with Martin Buser of Big Lake, another four-time champion who holds the record for the fastest race ever: 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, set in 2002.
Headed south
The Iditarod alternates between a northern and southern route. On the southern route, taken in odd-numbered years, the path travels through the ghost town of Iditarod.
The 1,000-mile distance is an estimate. Even global positioning systems on sleds don't count every twist and turn of the route, mushers say, and the exact length of the trail is unknown.
Battle scars
Some top mushers are still recovering from last month's bruising Yukon Quest, another 1,000-mile race from Whitehorse, Yukon, to Fairbanks. Hans Gatt of Whitehorse, who finished second in last year's Iditarod, suffered second-degree frostbite on his fingers and scratched. So did Hugh Neff, who was ninth in the 2010 Iditarod.
Yukon Quest Race Marshal Hans Oettli called the cold, windy race the toughest ever.
A top contender who didn't take a beating in the Quest? Mackey, who sat out the race and says his team is "100 percent."
Don't take it personally
Surrounded by throngs of fans, many of the sled dogs will be nervous today at the ceremonial start Downtown. So will many of the mushers. Advice from mushers: don't pet the dogs unless you ask first, and don't take any grouchiness personally.
40-somethings
The average age of mushers this year is about 43 years old, with 15 women and 47 men. About three out of four are Alaskans. Nine of last year's top 10 finishers are back. Missing is four-time champion Jeff King of Denali Park. The oldest: Bob Storey of New Zealand is 65. The youngest: Cain Carter, the 19-year-old stepson of Mackey.
A New Generation
Last year's Iditarod rookie class was particularly strong with four rookies among the top-30 money winners -- and eight among the top 40. Half of them return this year -- Mike Williams, Jr. of Akiak (26th), Michelle Phillips of Tagish, Yukon Territory (27th), Peter Kaiser of Bethel (28th) and Kristy Berington of Kasilof (39th).
Last year's top rookie, Dan Kaduce of Chatanika, just scratched from the weather-pounded Yukon Quest, but the family is represented in this year's Iditarod. Wife Jodi Bailey, who finished seventh in the Quest, is aiming to become the first rookie to finish the two races back to back.
On TV
Live coverage begins at 9:30 a.m. on GCI Cable channel 1. (As opposed to KTUU Channel 2, which has broadcast the start in recent years.) There will be a live uplink to Alaska Rural Communications Service (ARCS) broadcasts statewide.
The real start
The race starts for real 2 p.m. Sunday in Willow.
Iditarod start order
Start List
1) Leonhard Seppala Honorary Musher, Florence Busch, wife of late KNOM GM Tom Busch
2) DeeDee Jonrowe, Willow
3) Ray Redington Jr, Wasilla
4) Trent Herbst, Ketchum, Idaho
5) Allen Moore, Two Rivers
6) Newton Marshall, St. Anne, Jamaica
7) Kristy Berington, Kasilof
8) Kris Hoffman, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
9) Zoya DeNure, Gakona
10) Robert Bundtzen, Anchorage
11) Martin Buser, Big Lake
12) Melissa Owens, Nome
13) Bruce Linton, Kasilof
14) Nicolas Petit, Girdwood
15) Bob Storey, Auckland, New Zealand
16) Jodi Bailey, Chatanika
17) Lance Mackey, Fairbanks
18) Aliy Zirkle, Two Rivers
19) Angie Taggart, Ketchkan
20) Kelley Griffin, Wasilla
21) Dallas Seavey, Willow
22) Magnus Kaltenborn, Lillehammer, Norway
23) Hans Gatt, Whitehorse, Yukon Territories
24) Billy Snodgrass, DuBois, Wyoming
25) Tom Thurston, Oak Creek, Colorado
26) Ellen Halverson, Wasilla
27) Mike Santos, Cantwell
28) Mitch Seavey, Seward
29) Judy Currier, Fairbanks
30) Ramey Smyth, Willow
31) Sebastian Schnuelle, Whitehorse, Yukon Territories
32) Scott Janssen, Anchorage
33) Gerry Willomitzer, Whitehorse, Yukon Territories
34) Paul Gebhardt, Kasilof
35) Hugh Neff, Tok
36) Jessica Hendricks, Two Rivers
37) Karin Hendrickson, Willow
38) Wattie McDonald, Stonehaven, Scotland
39) Michelle Phillips, Tagish, Yukon Territories
40) G.B. Jones, Wasilla
41) Michael Williams, Jr., Akiak
42) Lachlan Clarke, Buena Vista, Colorado
43) Ken Anderson, Fairbanks
44) Brennan Norden, Kasilof
45) Sven Haltmann, Fairbanks
46) Paul Johnson, Unalakleet
47) Kirk Barnum, Grangeville, Idaho
48) Cain Carter, Fairbanks
49) Rick Swenson, Two Rivers
50) Heather Siirtola, Talkeetna
51) Robert Nelson, Kotzebue
52) Sonny Lindner, Two Rivers
53) John Baker, Kotzebue
54) Peter Kaiser, Bethel
55) Kelly Maixner, Big Lake
56) Ed Stielstra, McMillan, Michigan
57) James Bardoner, Signal Mountain, Tennessee
58) Jessie Royer, Fairbanks
59) Cim Smyth, Big Lake
60) Matt Giblin, Juneau
61) Matt Hayashida, Willow
62) Gerald Sousa, Talkeetna
63) Justin Savidis, Willow
Read more: http://www.adn.com/2011/03/04/1737357/iditarod-what-you-need-to-know.html#ixzz1Fry40NgJ
Published: March 4th, 2011 10:04 PM
Last Modified: March 5th, 2011 07:25 PM
Here's what you need to know as 62 teams of as many as 16 dogs each begin the 1,000-mile trek to Nome:
Here comes history
Either Lance Mackey of Fairbanks wins his fifth-straight Iditarod -- a first in race history -- or Mackey fails to defend his title for the first time since he started winning in 2007.
Mackey was also the first to win four in a row.
Five titles would tie the most held by any musher, Rick Swenson of Two Rivers. Swenson is in this year's race, along with Martin Buser of Big Lake, another four-time champion who holds the record for the fastest race ever: 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, set in 2002.
Headed south
The Iditarod alternates between a northern and southern route. On the southern route, taken in odd-numbered years, the path travels through the ghost town of Iditarod.
The 1,000-mile distance is an estimate. Even global positioning systems on sleds don't count every twist and turn of the route, mushers say, and the exact length of the trail is unknown.
Battle scars
Some top mushers are still recovering from last month's bruising Yukon Quest, another 1,000-mile race from Whitehorse, Yukon, to Fairbanks. Hans Gatt of Whitehorse, who finished second in last year's Iditarod, suffered second-degree frostbite on his fingers and scratched. So did Hugh Neff, who was ninth in the 2010 Iditarod.
Yukon Quest Race Marshal Hans Oettli called the cold, windy race the toughest ever.
A top contender who didn't take a beating in the Quest? Mackey, who sat out the race and says his team is "100 percent."
Don't take it personally
Surrounded by throngs of fans, many of the sled dogs will be nervous today at the ceremonial start Downtown. So will many of the mushers. Advice from mushers: don't pet the dogs unless you ask first, and don't take any grouchiness personally.
40-somethings
The average age of mushers this year is about 43 years old, with 15 women and 47 men. About three out of four are Alaskans. Nine of last year's top 10 finishers are back. Missing is four-time champion Jeff King of Denali Park. The oldest: Bob Storey of New Zealand is 65. The youngest: Cain Carter, the 19-year-old stepson of Mackey.
A New Generation
Last year's Iditarod rookie class was particularly strong with four rookies among the top-30 money winners -- and eight among the top 40. Half of them return this year -- Mike Williams, Jr. of Akiak (26th), Michelle Phillips of Tagish, Yukon Territory (27th), Peter Kaiser of Bethel (28th) and Kristy Berington of Kasilof (39th).
Last year's top rookie, Dan Kaduce of Chatanika, just scratched from the weather-pounded Yukon Quest, but the family is represented in this year's Iditarod. Wife Jodi Bailey, who finished seventh in the Quest, is aiming to become the first rookie to finish the two races back to back.
On TV
Live coverage begins at 9:30 a.m. on GCI Cable channel 1. (As opposed to KTUU Channel 2, which has broadcast the start in recent years.) There will be a live uplink to Alaska Rural Communications Service (ARCS) broadcasts statewide.
The real start
The race starts for real 2 p.m. Sunday in Willow.
Iditarod start order
Start List
1) Leonhard Seppala Honorary Musher, Florence Busch, wife of late KNOM GM Tom Busch
2) DeeDee Jonrowe, Willow
3) Ray Redington Jr, Wasilla
4) Trent Herbst, Ketchum, Idaho
5) Allen Moore, Two Rivers
6) Newton Marshall, St. Anne, Jamaica
7) Kristy Berington, Kasilof
8) Kris Hoffman, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
9) Zoya DeNure, Gakona
10) Robert Bundtzen, Anchorage
11) Martin Buser, Big Lake
12) Melissa Owens, Nome
13) Bruce Linton, Kasilof
14) Nicolas Petit, Girdwood
15) Bob Storey, Auckland, New Zealand
16) Jodi Bailey, Chatanika
17) Lance Mackey, Fairbanks
18) Aliy Zirkle, Two Rivers
19) Angie Taggart, Ketchkan
20) Kelley Griffin, Wasilla
21) Dallas Seavey, Willow
22) Magnus Kaltenborn, Lillehammer, Norway
23) Hans Gatt, Whitehorse, Yukon Territories
24) Billy Snodgrass, DuBois, Wyoming
25) Tom Thurston, Oak Creek, Colorado
26) Ellen Halverson, Wasilla
27) Mike Santos, Cantwell
28) Mitch Seavey, Seward
29) Judy Currier, Fairbanks
30) Ramey Smyth, Willow
31) Sebastian Schnuelle, Whitehorse, Yukon Territories
32) Scott Janssen, Anchorage
33) Gerry Willomitzer, Whitehorse, Yukon Territories
34) Paul Gebhardt, Kasilof
35) Hugh Neff, Tok
36) Jessica Hendricks, Two Rivers
37) Karin Hendrickson, Willow
38) Wattie McDonald, Stonehaven, Scotland
39) Michelle Phillips, Tagish, Yukon Territories
40) G.B. Jones, Wasilla
41) Michael Williams, Jr., Akiak
42) Lachlan Clarke, Buena Vista, Colorado
43) Ken Anderson, Fairbanks
44) Brennan Norden, Kasilof
45) Sven Haltmann, Fairbanks
46) Paul Johnson, Unalakleet
47) Kirk Barnum, Grangeville, Idaho
48) Cain Carter, Fairbanks
49) Rick Swenson, Two Rivers
50) Heather Siirtola, Talkeetna
51) Robert Nelson, Kotzebue
52) Sonny Lindner, Two Rivers
53) John Baker, Kotzebue
54) Peter Kaiser, Bethel
55) Kelly Maixner, Big Lake
56) Ed Stielstra, McMillan, Michigan
57) James Bardoner, Signal Mountain, Tennessee
58) Jessie Royer, Fairbanks
59) Cim Smyth, Big Lake
60) Matt Giblin, Juneau
61) Matt Hayashida, Willow
62) Gerald Sousa, Talkeetna
63) Justin Savidis, Willow
Read more: http://www.adn.com/2011/03/04/1737357/iditarod-what-you-need-to-know.html#ixzz1Fry40NgJ