Ellie Claus Wins 2003 Junior Iditarod
February 24, 2003

By Jim Gallea and Tyrell Seavey

    Ellie Claus remembers watching the Junior Iditarod as a young girl and thinking how nice it would be to just compete in the race.  She's gotten her wish, having successfully completed four Junior Iditarods.  But now, she's more than just a Junior Iditarod finisher--she's a Junior Iditarod Champion.  Shortly after 11 AM yestderday, on her 17th birthday, Ellie was the first to cross the finish line at Wolverine Lodge on Lake Louise.  She is only the third young woman to win the Junior in the race's 26-year history.  According the Ellie, "It's been a long, hard trail to get here.  Thanks to my family, friends, and all the people who have helped me in all the races I have run.  They've all let up to this moment." 

    About a half an hour after Ellie's finish, Dallas Seavey took second place, followed by Nikolai Buser, Tessa King, Max Kornmuller, Alex Westlake, and Nicole Osmar, in that order.  Interestingly, these six mushers are all the children of top Iditarod mushers and Open North American Championship sprint mushers.  Ellie Claus, on the other hand, is the only sled dog racer in her family.

    Throughout yesterday afternoon, mushers continued to cross the finish line.  By the start of the Awards Banquet at 5 PM, 15 of the 19 mushers were in.  At the banquet, the top three finishers were awarded college scholarships.  Claus received $4,000 for first place; Seavey netted $2,500, and Buser was awarded $1,500.  These scholarship awards are a tradition with the Junior Iditarod.  However, this year's awards are the largest ever thanks to sponsorship by the Alaska College Savings Plan.

    In addition to scholarships for the top three mushers, the recipients of the Sportsmanship Award and the Humanitarian Award (given to the musher who demonstrates exceptional dog care throughout the race), were also presented with $1,000 scholarships.  The mushers selected Dallas Seavey to receive the Sportsmanship Award, and race vet Phil Meyer chose Tessa King to receive the Humanitarian Award.  

    After the banquet, Martin Buser and his wife Kathy built a large bonfire on the ice of Lake Louise.  A number of the Junior Iditarod mushers accompanied by an assortment of parents, race personnel, and race fans took part in a Junior Iditarod tradition of spraying stove fuel into the flames.  This activity normally takes place at the half way point, but the bonfire at Sourdough Checkpoint had to be confined to a barrel due to concerns about the peat and tundra catching fire.

    As the flames of the bonfire reached new heights, the final three mushers crossed the finish line.  Katrina Rix was this year's Red Lantern musher, finishing late yesterday night in 18th place.  Tyne Walker scratched at the Tolsona Checkpoint on the return leg of the race.

    The 26th Junior Iditarod is in the books, and our attention again turns to preparations for the Iditarod.  Stay tuned to Ultimate Iditarod for more on the pre-race activities as we count down to the start of the 31st running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

© 2003 Ultimate Iditarod, Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs, Seavey's Iditarod Racing Team
Reproduction or distribution in any way or by any means prohibited without permission.
Ultimate Iditarod http://www.ultimateiditarod.com  email: dogboy@ultimateiditarod.com