And They're Off!
1:00 PM AST, February 22, 2003

By Ultimate Iditarod's Jim Gallea

    Nineteen mushers and their teams began the 2003 Junior Iditarod at noon today.  Due to unseasonable weather conditions, the location of the race was changed from the Wasilla area to Wolverine Lodge at Lake Louise, near Glennallen, Alaska.  The teams will be running on some of the same trails used in the Copper Basin 300.  

Ellie Claus checking her team prior to the start.

    In general, the mushers seemed very relaxed and quite excited about the race.  I spoke briefly with reigning Iditarod Champion Martin Buser, and he told me that his 14-year-old son, Nikolai, was excited and well prepared for his first Junior Iditarod.  Ellie Claus, running her fourth Junior Iditarod, was also very relaxed and ready to hit the trail.  Dallas Seavey, brother of Ultimate Iditarod's Tyrell Seavey, calmly prepared his sled and team and even took time to eat a cheeseburger right before he headed to the starting line.

    Temperatures were in the single digits as the teams started the race, but the weather is sunny and clear so warmer temperatures can be expected in the afternoon.  However, if the sky remains clear tonight, temperatures can very easily drop to twenty below or more, making this race a test of survival as well as endurance.  

Dallas Seavey's team seconds before he starts the race.

    Trail conditions are excellent thanks to the grooming work done by Wolverine Lodge owner Tree Farmer and the local snowmobile club--The Wolf Pack.  The good trails favor the faster teams in the race, but the two 77-mile runs that make up the Junior Iditarod are going to be a test for even the most conditioned of teams.  The drivers will have to make careful decisions about how fast to let their teams run in an attempt to go as quickly as possible while maintaining the energy level of their teams.  

    Three sign-in checkpoints are located along the 77-mile trail between Wolverine Lodge and Sourdough Checkpoint--the halfway point and location of the mandatory 8-hour rest.  Thanks to volunteer HAM radio operators, we should be able to get good updates on the mushers' progress as they pass through these sign-in checkpoints.

© 2003 Ultimate Iditarod, Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs, Seavey's Iditarod Racing Team
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Ultimate Iditarod http://www.ultimateiditarod.com  email: dogboy@ultimateiditarod.com