Bill Gallea for Ultimate Iditarod

THE RACE IS ON!
THE TRAIL
INNOVATIONS
LATE BREAKING NEWS


THE RACE IS ON!

Robert Sorlie poses by his sled about an hour before he left the Tanana checkpoint in first place in Iditarod XXXI

It is dusk on the Yukon River. In the village of Tanana, where the Tanana River joins the mighty Yukon, it is clear, crisp, and cold. A sliver of moon is setting in the west, and we’re anticipating a night of glorious aurora.

About a third of the teams in this year’s Race are already at this checkpoint. Two have left: Robert Sorlie, and John Baker. Jeff King is preparing to go. Many more are closing in, as we could see from the air on our way here from Manley Hot Springs.

Sorlie, the Norwegian, left right at 5PM, exactly as he told me he would. He had arrived at noon. Robert chatted with me very casually about an hour before he left. He arrived here first, and he makes it very clear he intends to arrive in Nome first as well. He puffed on a cigarette as he affirmed that to win this Race one must be driven by intense desire…and he believes he has what it takes to win.

The cigarette surprised me. It just doesn’t fit the image of a world class Norwegian athlete. But in every other respect his appearance supports his confidence. He is clearly well organized. His team of fifteen huskies is moving very well. And he is in first place.

I didn’t have a chance to speak with John Baker here. He and his team were resting when I was in the checkpoint. And I was setting up camp when he hooked up his team and left. But everyone said his team looked really eager to go, and hit the river fast and strong.

Jeff King is clearly happy with how his team is performing. He is on his schedule, and has had no mishaps or surprises so far. I did overhear him talking with the reporter for KNOM Radio as I walked by. They were discussing the pace that Robert Sorlie is setting in these first two days. I only heard two words: “He’s mad…”.

The next few days will tell. Maybe even this next stretch of the race. It is 120 miles to Ruby from here. And the villagers report that the trail is covered with a fair amount of fresh snow, and will be slower than what the teams have encountered so far. Robert told me that he intends to rest only three hours on the way to Ruby. If he maintains his current pace, he should arrive at the first of the “normal” Iditarod checkpoints by 8AM. So you’ll be able to tell from analyzing the official Iditarod updates whether his confidence is justified.

Ed Iten of Kotzebue mushes past the turbo Otter	Ramy Brooks prepares his dog’s feast after arriving in Tanana Tuesday afternoon

THE TRAIL

We flew over the trail from Manley to Tanana this afternoon, and landed twice along the trail, thanks to the skill of our pilot, Paul Claus, and his wonderful turbo Otter. Today’s trail climbed to higher ground north of the Tanana River, and traversed rolling country almost straight west to the village of Tanana. This isolated village is at the confluence of the Tanana and Yukon Rivers.

The main challenge for the dogs and mushers today has been overflow from the numerous creeks crossing the trail. This is water flowing on TOP of the frozen creek or river surface. It can be just a fraction of an inch, and pose no other difficulty except slipperiness. But it can also be over a foot deep and lead to wet and cold toes.


INNOVATIONS

Jeff King drags his drop bags to his sled in the Tanana checkpoint

I had a wonderful chance to talk with Jeff King today as he organized his sled before napping. Jeff is well known as an innovator among mushers. And this year he has incorporated a number of new ideas to augment his race strategy. He was very open about discussing these things with me, now that the race is underway, and it’s too late for his competitors to take advantage of any of his ideas.

The first thing he shared with me was his music system. He and his dogs are all listening to music as they run. Most mushers incorporate some sort of personal audio system into their race. Some listen to music, others to books on tape. But this year Jeff has developed a system of speakers, boosted by an amplifier, to play his music for the whole team.

Martin Buser has always been noted to sing to his dogs. Other mushers whistle. But this is the first time I’ve ever heard of recorded sound being broadcast to the team. I forgot to ask Jeff what music his dogs like…but I promise you I will.

The second innovation he discussed with me was his new harnesses. I had noticed at the start that both he and Cali were using harnesses on the dogs unlike any I had ever seen. They do not go rearward as far toward the tail on the back of the dog, or as far back along the flank parallel to the margin of the ribs. Jeff has been working on this design for the last few months, but this is the first race in which he’s used them.

He explained to me that he is trying to reduce stress on the spine and hips of the dogs. In the past he has worked with the maker of his harnesses to improve the way they fit over the neck and distribute pressure over the shoulders. He feels very good about how they’re working. And he’s noticed an unexpected benefit: he does not have one single sore wrist on any of his teammates. So even though he was trying to improve harness design to address concerns about the back half of his canine athletes, he’s noticing benefit in the front half as well.

Normally after this much trail running, at least some of the dogs have some degree of soreness in their wrists. The mushers treat this by wrapping the wrist area with snug neoprene wraps, which hold in heat, and also by rubbing an oily liniment containing soothing herbs onto the skin, and then massaging the entire wrist area. Jeff is finding that his team is holding up very well to the rigors of the trail, and he has found almost no soreness anywhere!

LATE BREAKING NEWS

Martin Buser offers his huskies some dessert before he settles down for a little nap in Tanana

I’ve been writing this so long that by now the stars are out and a number of teams have left. I’ve had a chance to make some observations that I think could be quite relevant to the outcome of the race. And I’m even willing to go out on a limb and make a prediction!

First, Jeff’s team just left and they looked awesome. I choose that word carefully, for I think it is way over used. But his team was barking, leaping, and lunging…impatient for their musher to pull the hook and get out of here. They went out fast and strong, with no hint of hesitation.

Robert’s team left well, but they weren’t barking and lunging, and there was a hint of hesitation in the leaders.

Martin’s team didn’t look so good. He has a key lead dog in heat, and almost had a little puppy-making interlude as he tried to leave the checkpoint. Martin himself looked quite stressed over the situation. I’d have to say this doesn’t bode well for the immediate future.

I know it’s natural at this point to wonder...who’s the team to beat? At this point, it looks like Jeff.
But there are a lot of miles left.