Despite Controversial Trail Conditions, The Race Goes On
Conditions along the Iditarod race trail have been the subject of
controversy as twelve mushers have left the trail only 200 miles into
the race.
While conditions have contributed to a much
faster race, many mushers are concerned about their own safety, the
well-being of their dogs and the integrity of their sleds.
“We
had been told that the gorge had as good of conditions as last year,
but that must have changed significantly from the time that the reports
were made,” said 31-year Iditarod veteran DeeDee Jonrowe. “I, in 31
years of going down the gorge, have never seen the gorge as bare as it
was.”
Jonrowe sustained injuries to her
head, knee and shoulder when she was repeatedly thrown from her sled.
Though the injuries weren’t critical, they were significant enough to
force her to make a critical decision to bow out of the race.
Halfway Through Iditarod, Burmeister Cashes In at Cripple
Cha-ching, Aaron Burmeister. The Nenana musher bagged $3,000 in gold
nuggets this afternoon for winning the Dorothy G. Page Halfway Award
when his team of 13 dogs reached Cripple first at 3:26 p.m.
A first-time recipient of the award, Burmeister edged Jeff King by roughly three miles, according to King's GPS tracker.
Also on their way into Cripple are Sonny Lindner, John Baker and Paul Gebhardt.
As
the frontrunners inches toward Cripple, there is speculation over where
each will declare his 24-hour layover. According to Iditarod Insider,
the trail from Takotna to Cripple is fully blanketed with packed-down
snow that is ideal for racing. Information like that indicates some of
the front runners might choose to 24 in Ruby.
Iditarod Day 4 in Photos
4 comments:
I need to pick a spot along the trail to jump into the race. My old cat is rip roaring ready to run...We're gonna kick some butt this year.
You might want to be in the last 25 feet before the finish line in Nome, Stephen. :)
Ah, darn, I always have a soft spot for DeeDee. One of these years she'll win!
Understood, Wing - and she could well do that. :)
Post a Comment