Alaska Adventures

Today, the 2005 Iditarod officially starts. The official start is purely ceremonial, and allows the Iditarod to showcase the athletes and drivers. This is an Alaskan event that dwarfs others as far as national exposure, and for good reason. The iditarod, unlike almost any other sporting event, has more variables that may change the final outcome of the race.
Conditioning, strength, preparation and experience play major roles, but weather, trail conditions, food prep, logistics, and sickness also work their way into the race to keep the race an interesting, ever changing event.
From the perspective of someone that has seen the race and racers, both in progress and in the off season, I can tell you that the big winners of this race are definately the dogs. They absolutely love what they do. This is an event you want to follow. I'll try to post more as the race progresses.
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March 7, 2005 16:21 - 2005 Iditarod- Alaska Adventure at it's Best

Well, the dogs are off, and the Iditarod sled dog race seems to be off to a good start, no major problems. As an observer for many years, I've learned that the one thing you can depend on is the fact you really can't depend on the standings, at least early in the race.

Different dog mushers will use different strategies, like resting their dogs at different times. One musher might be making the best time he can between checkpoints, (usually in a small Alaska community) while another may be resting just outside of town, and then blow right through without any rest at all. Some mushers will be running on their own race schedule, while others will be mindful of the competition, watching their every move.

Bottom line, it's hard to get a fix on just who's winning the last great race....until later. The race seems to really take shape after the half way point, when most of the racers have taken their required layovers. Then, and only then do the standing really start to make sense. So don't get too excited just yet. One nice thing about tracking the Iditarod, is that it will last a while, so you can find your own time to 'follow' the race. If you just have to try and figure things out (like me), visit the current standings page of the Iditarod web site. Things to pay attention to are 'time enroute', 'speed' and 'layovers'. Later in the race the actual standings will be more accurate. More as the 2005 Iditarod Sled Dog race progresses.
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March 8, 2005 23:15 - Iditarod 2005 update

It's still very early, and as I mentioned previously, it's awfully hard to tell who's really leading this race. The one thing that is becoming fairly obvious is the fact that all the major contenders are right in the thick of things.

Martin Buser doesn't seem to be slowed by the fact that he recently had a finger amputated. Jeff King seems to be moving along at a brisk pace, and Doug Swingly is traveling right on his schedule. These three mushers are very dangerous in any race. Dee Dee Jonroe, Rick Swenson, and Charlie Boulding are very experienced mushers that are sure to be in the mix at the end. Throw in Robert Sorley (currently out front), Ramy Brooks (running third) and Lance Mackey, and we have a quite a race.

As far as I can tell at this point, it's neck and neck. It will be interesting to watch and see if anyone starts to struggle or tries to make a break. As the mushers start to take their 8-hour layovers soon, it will be hard to get much of a guage, but after the breaks, we should know alot more. Let's stay tuned, this could be a good one.

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March 10, 2005 14:04 - 2005 Iditarod Sled Dog race- Half way there.

Well, the mushers and dog teams are reaching the half way point in the race and it doesn't appear that there is any clear favorite. The most interesting item that I have noticed is that nobody seems to be faltering.

Yes, it's true that some teams have fallen well off the pace, but most of those teams aren't racing to win, as much as they are in it for the experience.

Up front, the race seems to be wide open, with as many as 15-20 teams within a few hours of the front, well within the margin of error.

With some mushers having taken their 24 hour mandatory layover in Takotna, and other mushers forging on, we won't know for sure just how this will all pan out until they all take their rest and start moving again. I believe the front runners at this time are taking their layovers in Iditarod, and the leaders of the group already rested will arrive just as the current frontrunners are able to leave. Once they all get moving again together, we'll start to see things a little more clearly.

As of right now, I would think the top nine are (not nessescarily in order) Marty Sorley, Martin Buser, Ramy Brooks, DeeDee Jonrowe, Mitch Seavey, Aliy Zirkle, Lance Mackey, Bjornar Andersen and Doug Swingly. Like I said before, there are probably 15-20 mushers that are in position win, and anything can, and something usually does happen somewhere along the way , to change the face of the race. Who's going to win this years Iditarod? Most likely, regardless of weather or other unforeseen events, the question will be answered by the dogs. More later………
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March 11, 2005 21:27 - Alaska adventure on the trail.

Now the race is starting to take some shape. The 2005 Iditarod sled dog race has begun the second phase, that being after the 24 hour layover, and we can begin to see where everybody stands.

This year seems to be a little unique in the fact that there are so many teams that seem to be with the leaders. Generally by this time in the race, three or four mushers have distinguished themselves as having fast teams. This year however, we seem to be loaded with fast teams.

I look at the top ten mushers on the leaderboard and see two 4-time champions in Martin Buser and Jeff King, a 3-time champion in Doug Swingly and the current champ Mitch Seavey. This could really get interesting.

The one thing I don't think most people realize, is that these mushers are all extremely exhausted at this point. Most of the front runner are going with very little sleep. Their first responsibility is to their dogs, then to themselves. Most musher run on a loose schedule of 6 hours running and 6 hours rest. After preparing a meal for 12-16 dogs (many time a hot meal) , a musher will feed themselves and clean up, before getting any rest at all. They must be awake and repacked and ready to go in 6 hours. This leaves little time for sleep. After 4-5 days, this can really wear on a person. If the weather is challenging (high winds or bitter cold) the mushers are even more stressed. It's really amazing what these mushers are doing. Talk about adventure. For current standings visit the official Iditarod website. More later.

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March 13, 2005 17:48 - Alaska Adventure- 2005 Iditarod last leg.

We have reached the final stages of the first 3/4 of the race. We now have an established leaderboard, and about 1/4 of the race to run. Our current frontrunner, Robert Sorlie, seems to be running strong.

There are however, lots of mushers in hot pursuit. The race is extremely close at this piont with so many mushers so close to the front. I would think that in the next 24 hours, we will see one or two mushers able to pull ahead and other mushers unable to keep up.

As I look at the leaders, I see experienced mushers that will take good care of their teams. If the dogs are 'pooped', the drivers will have to pull back some and rest more. Other teams will seem to get stronger as they get closer to Nome. Many of these dogs have run this race many times, and know the end is near.

Let's keep track as the mushers reach the coast and face the brutal winds that are so often present. Just a couple days left....stay tuned.

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March 15, 2005 20:47 - The Last leg of the last Great race

We finally have a winner...well not quite yet, but we certainly have one musher that has every advantage, and it's his race to lose. By being the first into the small town of White Mountain, Robert Sorlie has positioned himself to add another Iditarod Championship to his already impressive resume.

Robert and the other mushers will all be forced to take a 8-hour layover at either the White Mountain checkpoint or at Safety. The significance of this is that whatever lead you bring into this particular checkpoint, is the lead you leave with. With just 77 miles to run from White Mountain and an hour and 51 minute lead over Ed Iten, Robert is sitting pretty.

The next four teams driven by Mitch seavey, Ramy Brooks, John Baker and rookie Bjornar Anderson are all within an hour of Iten, so the race for the next 5 places should be good. Expect Robert Sorlie to cross under the burled archs in Nome around 8 or 9am on Wednesday.

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March 17, 2005 21:38 - Alaska wilderness adventures- Another great race.

The 2005 Iditarod sled dog race is wrapping up and we had another great race. A small part of me wishes that I was more involved in the actual event, but just being able to imagine the adventure of it all brings solice and strenghthens my resolve to get out 'away from it all' a little more often.

This years race shows us once again that the race is becoming more international and bringing more and more competitive teams to the event. This years top ten: Robert Sorlie, Ed Iten, Mitch Seavey, rookie Bjornar Anderson, Ramy Brooks, John Baker, Lance Mackey, Jessie Royer, Paul Gebhardt, and DeeDee Jonrowe.

While it was not a terribly fast race, (9 days,18 hours,39 minutes and 31 seconds for Sorlie), these teams are certainly teams to watch in the future. I'm sure the mushers are already thinking about training for next year. Congratulations to all.

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