2011 Winter Mushing Competition

Make a guess and you could win prizes!
PinkPenguin

#1 2011 Winter Mushing Competition

Post by PinkPenguin »

Current Temperature at Wasilla, AK: 1°F / -17°C

Mushing, as opposed to crunching or scrunching, involves dogs, snow, bad weather and the current Alaskan moose population's favourite pastime which is making the mushers go the long way round... After all, at subzero temperatures one doesn't tend to sit around and argue precedence with over half a ton of irascible, top heavy beef... so here's a competition to celebrate a white winter and a mushy new year...

The Iditarod Trail is a sled dog race covering over a thousand miles between Willow, near Anchorage, and Nome in Alaska. This years race starts on the 5th of march with a short stretch from Anchorage to Willow where the real race starts the following day and is estimated to finish between the 15th and 16th of march. This is one of the few races where there is a "Red Lantern" award for the last team to arrive in Nome, getting there is an achievement in itself. The competition is open to Women and has been won been won 4 times by Susan Butcher between 1986 and 1990. 15 out of the 62 current entrants are women. There are also teams from Scotland, Jamaica, Norway and New Zealand to add to the international flavour of the competition.

Two prizes are on offer:

1st prize is the closest guess to the winner's time. Guesses must be in the following format: 08d 22h 46m 02s (I should note that this is the current record from the 2002 Trail).
2nd prize will only be given if someone guesses Wattie McDonald's exact finishing position (there are currently 62 teams entered and last year he finished 45th out of 55 finishers).

RULES:
Entries can be submitted up to midnight on the 10th/11th of march. This date maybe arbitrarily extended due to weather conditions and server status...
Entries can be revised as many times as one wishes but only the last entry counts.

PRIZES:
The usual Amazon Voucher... As per Mr. Thinhead standard rules & regulations: TJ's stats are not applicable in thise case but may be used to calculate the finishing time, my arbitrary decisions are final and can't be questioned unless...

You have almost a month to do research to which end you may like to visit the following sites:
1. General Info & history (Wikipedia): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iditarod_T ... d_Dog_Race
2. Iditarod Trail (main site): http://www.iditarod.com/race/
3. Wattie Mcdonald (Scottish Musher from Stonehaven): http://www.wattiesgreatrace.com/

Naturally, the big question is: will TSBT make 3 billion before the red lantern arrives at Nome ?... at current daily rates this seems more than likely. Unless, of course, a moose tramples the PrimeGrid server....
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#2

Post by Megacruncher »

Doh! Simple prediction based on basic extrapolation I can do easily but this requires knowledge beyond arithmetic. :shock:

Anyhoo here goes. The record has stood for long enough that it might stand longer yet so I guess:

Winner's time: 09d 06hr 30min 17sec
Wattie's place : 37th
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#3

Post by aardvark »

The toaster can't understand how a moose can divert a pack of macho' Huskies, there again I suppose if they frighten elephants, then anything is possible (such wee timorous beasties).

O.K I'll have a stab at:=

Winner's time: 09d 08hr 45min 34sec
Wattie's place : 29th
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#4

Post by Reeltime »

Time: 9d 15 hrs 30mins 30s
Watties place: 47th
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PinkPenguin

#5

Post by PinkPenguin »

aardvark wrote:The toaster can't understand how a moose can divert a pack of macho' Huskies, there again I suppose if they frighten elephants, then anything is possible (such wee timorous beasties).
...Story goes that in 1985 Susan Butcher had a run in with a pregnant moose in which the macho huskies came off somewhat the worse. That same year Libby Riddles headed out onto the sea ice on Norton Sound in a 40 knot blizzard and temperatures of -50 °F. She won the race in 18 days (not the longest time but not far off it)...

Current Temperature in Willow, AK 32°F / 0°C - Nome, AK -10°F / -23°C. Weather prevision for 5-12 march - Periods of rain and snow, seasonable Panhandle; snow showers, very cold elsewhere... ("elsewhere" is where it is).

Current Entries:
Megacruncher 9d 5hr 30m 17s - 37th
Aardvark 9d 8hr 45m 34s - 29th
Reeltime 9d 15hr 30min 30s - 47th
PinkPenguin 10d 2hr 40m 35s - 31st (not that I know anything - last time I saw a huskie it went woof!... b****y cheek!)
PinkPenguin

#6

Post by PinkPenguin »

.... come to think of it, I have always wondered what the plural of moose was. The toaster may have a point there! :sign7:
PinkPenguin

#7

Post by PinkPenguin »

Current Temperature in Willow, AK 19°F / -7°C (wind speed 6mph) - Nome, AK 0°F / -18°C (wind speed 30mph).

Mar 5-12: Periods of rain and snow, seasonable Panhandle; snow showers, very cold elsewhere; Mar 13-19: Flurries, cold northwest; snow showers, turning mild northeast; periods of rain and snow, turning mild south and central;

Weather:
http://www.iditarod.com/race/weathercenter.html

Route & Checkpoints:
http://www.iditarod.com/race/route.html
captinkid

#8 Mush!

Post by captinkid »

Here goes! I will mix optimism and pessimism, stir gently and serve.

Winner time: 11d 23 hrs 31mins 14s
Wattie's place: 25th

:lol:
PinkPenguin

#9

Post by PinkPenguin »

RACE STARTS NEXT SATURDAY (5TH MARCH).

Current Temperature in Willow, AK 27°F / -3°C (wind speed 4mph) - Nome, AK 1°F / -17°C (wind speed 17mph).

Mar 5-12: Periods of rain and snow, seasonable Panhandle; snow showers, very cold elsewhere; Mar 13-19: Flurries, cold northwest; snow showers, turning mild northeast; periods of rain and snow, turning mild south and central;

According to current averages we should make 3 billion the day before the race starts...

Current Entries:
Megacruncher 9d 5hr 30m 17s - 37th
Aardvark 9d 8hr 45m 34s - 29th
Reeltime 9d 15hr 30min 30s - 47th
PinkPenguin 10d 2hr 40m 35s - 31st
Captinkid 11d 23hr 31m 14s - 25th (go for it Wattie!)

Last orders before midnight 10th/11th march.
PinkPenguin

#10

Post by PinkPenguin »

It's now midday in Alaska and we will reach 3 billion before Alaska reaches tomorrow and the start of the race.... mind you we will get to tomorrow first!

The mice are all wearing antlers this season and they are busy changing the signposts at all key points in the trail... fortunately everyone's got GPS these days so the competitors should be at the start in time for tea... Anyway, Wattie is no.38 in the lineup at the start.

Tomorrows stretch is from Anchorage to Willow where the real race starts on Sunday.

http://www.iditarod.com/race/musherlisting.html

Temperatures are nicely below freezing and according to the local webcams it's a nice day... so welcome to sunny Alaska! :toothy2:
PinkPenguin

#11

Post by PinkPenguin »

RACE RESTART AT WILLOW - 14.00 (ALASKA TIME). THIS IS THE REAL RACE START.

Current Temperature in Willow, AK 25°F / -4°C (wind speed 4mph) - Nome, AK 10°F / -12°C (wind speed 9mph).

This is the start of the real race which takes place on Willow Lake. First out will be DeeDee Jonrowe at 14:00 (round about 10:00 pm UK Time). There is a two minute gap as each participant leaves with Wattie in 37th place (Mega guessed his starting place correctly...;) ) at 15:12 and Justin Savidis holding the Red Lantern at 16:02 (61 participants). First checkpoint is Yentna Station which is 52 miles away.

There are 3 compulsory stops/layovers for the competitors. One each of 8 and 24 hours at the discretion of competitors and one of 8 hours at White Mountain about 77 miles from the finish in Nome. The first two layovers are usually completed before the southern route rejoins the northern route at Kaltag so, probably, somewhere between Iditarod and Eagle Island on the Yukon River.

The following page should allow you to follow the race as the competitors arrive at checkpoints:

http://www.iditarod.com/race/race/currentstandings.html

Maps are available at the site and can be downloaded: http://www.iditarod.com/images/route_download.jpg
Updates are available via RSS: [url]feed://iditarodblogs.com/news/feed/[/url]
Video coverage and GPS tracking costs $$$ but is not necessary for this comp. :D

NEW LAST ORDERS DEADLINE: Guesses are allowed until the first competitor arrives at White Mountain. Whenever that is.... :downtown:
PinkPenguin

#12

Post by PinkPenguin »

At the first checkpoint it is still DeeDee Jonrowe in the lead. She is being chased by Roberts Bundzen, Melissa Owens and Lance Mackey who have beaten her time of 3h 21mins from Willow to Yentna.

Wattie has jumped from 37th to 24th on the first leg with a time of 3h 37mins and is now well on his way to Skwentna.

Temp: Cool...
Wind: Lazy to moderate... :D
PinkPenguin

#13

Post by PinkPenguin »

Lance Mackey has now taken the lead and is aiming for his fifth consecutive win. This is his fastest time yet from Willow to Rainy Pass (160 miles in 17hrs 38mins). The next stage is downhill to the interior and Rohn. DeeDee Jonrowe has dropped to 10th after veering off the trail at Finger Lake. She has been running with a team of 15 instead 16 since Skwentna.

Keep an eye on those between Finger Lake and Rainy Pass. Some of them will fly through Rainy Pass as they sometimes rest away from checkpoints.

Wattie has left Skwentna and is heading for Finger Lake and Rainy Pass in 50th position with a team of 15. He has left one of his team behind in Skwentna.

Weather Good - Clear and cold (-12°C) and it's well into the morning.
PinkPenguin

#14

Post by PinkPenguin »

Bundtzen was first into Rohn closely followed by Mackey who was first out this evening (at least over in Alaska it's evening). Judy Currier has climbed to 16th at least two and a half hours behind Mackey. DeeDee has dropped to 23rd place after leaving Rainy Pass with 14 dogs (1 left at Rainy Pass). The rest of the field is spread out between Rohn and Finger Lake (about 80 miles).

Wattie has climbed back to 44th place on entering Rainy Pass with a 14 dog team after leaving one of his dogs at Finger Lake.

Weather: Good and coolish (-6°C).
johnn

#15

Post by johnn »

Winner's Time : 9d 3hr 11mins 00sec
Wattie's Place : 48th

:tongue5:
PinkPenguin

#16

Post by PinkPenguin »

Martin Buser, winner in 2002, is first in to Nikolai about half an hour ahead of Lance Mackey who is in 5th place now. Some of the stronger teams are beginning to gather at the top these include: Gebhardt, Gatt, Seavey (Mitch), Bundtzen not to mention Buser and Mackey. Jessie Royer, Allie Zirkle and Michelle Phillips are in 14th, 15th and 16th places respectively and are still on the Rohn-Nikolai stretch as are most of the other competitors. the Red Lantern or tail guy has still to leave Finger Lake which is the other side of the mountain so the field is now well dispersed...

Wattie left Rohn at 9:30 this morning (AKST) after leaving Rainy Pass with a team of 13. He is now heading for or is already in the middle of what is quaintly described as "a quarter-mile of pure nightmare even under good conditions, followed by some merely terrible trail for another quarter-mile or so."

Weather: A wee bit chilly (-17°C), Wind speed 13 mph (not good as the dogs tend to go in the wrong direction when the wind picks up.... ;). On the whole still good and sunny which means times on the trail are still good.

Current Entries:
johnn 9d 3hr 11min 00s - 48th
Megacruncher 9d 5hr 30m 17s - 37th
Aardvark 9d 8hr 45m 34s - 29th
Reeltime 9d 15hr 30min 30s - 47th
PinkPenguin 10d 2hr 40m 35s - 31st
Captinkid 11d 23hr 31m 14s - 25th
PinkPenguin

#17

Post by PinkPenguin »

Martin Buser is still in the lead and has arrived at Takotna with Lance Mackey in 2nd position on the trail between McGrath and Takotna with a team of 12. Aliy Zirkle was 15th out of Nikolai and on her way to McGrath witha team of 14. Gebhardt, one of the stronger competitors, has scratched in Nikolai while Swenson, a past winner, left Nikolai in 19th place after quietly moving up the ladder all along.

Wattie is due to arrive in Nikolai between 41st and 50th place.

Rohn-Nikolai is a long leg and trail between Willow and Nikolai is considered the hardest part. So far it has been a fast run with ideal weather (tha main risk is tiring out the team which appears to be why 3 have scratched so far). They are now heading for the compulsory 24 hour layover which most will do somewhere between Mcgrath/Takotna and the Yukon River (Anvik).

Weather: Coolish (-12°C) Wind 8mph Visibility 10 miles.
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#18

Post by MacDitch »

A bit late in the day - nearly too late - but here's my guess added in....

Current Entries:
johnn 9d 3hr 11min 00s - 48th
Megacruncher 9d 5hr 30m 17s - 37th
Aardvark 9d 8hr 45m 34s - 29th
MacDitch 9d 12hr 20min 00s - 43rd
Reeltime 9d 15hr 30min 30s - 47th
PinkPenguin 10d 2hr 40m 35s - 31st
Captinkid 11d 23hr 31m 14s - 25th
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#19

Post by PinkPenguin »

The current leader, Robert Nelson, has arrived in Ophir, where the south trail separates from the north trail. Other competitors are taking a compulsory 24 hour rest in Takotna. Kelley Griffin has also arrived in Ophir netting her the 4th position with a team of 11. DeeDee Jonrowe clawed her way back to 17th place after making the fastest run between Mcgrath and Takotna. Swenson is still running with the collarbone he fractured yesterday and Mackey carried 3 dogs into Nikolai... which does explain why he rested up in Nikolai for 13 hours.

Wattie left Nikolai in 44th place with a team of 13 after what must have been a gruelling 21 hour 45 minute trip from Rohn.... either that or the mice bunged a couple of snooze pills in his cup when he stopped off for a tea break. Anyway I'm pleased to see him through the hard bit. :D

6 competitors scratched so far...

Weather: fresh (-4°C), wind 12mph
PinkPenguin

#20

Post by PinkPenguin »

Kelley Griffin is first out of Ophir and takes the lead a team of 10. She still has to do a 24 hour layover. Buser and Mackey have almost finished their 24 hour layover in Takotna...

Times are corrected during the 24 hour layover as the first team out from Willow, DeeDee Jonrowe has to stop for 26hrs and 2 minutes and the last team out, Justin Savidis, will only have to stop for 24 hours.

Wattie pulled into McGrath from Nikolai a couple of hours ago in 44th place with a team of 13. Last year, as a new guy, he became one of the few mushers in the history of the race to take a full team from Willow to Nome.

Weather: clear cold (-12°C) wind 8 mph.
PinkPenguin

#21

Post by PinkPenguin »

Trent Herbst was the first into the ghost town of Iditarod after a 12 hour overnight ride from Ophir. He's the first musher to reach the half-way point on the trail with Kelley Griffin the second into Iditarod about an hour later at 6:41 in the morning. Martin Buser, Hugh Neff and Lance Mackey shot through Ophir between midnight and two in the morning having completed their 24 hour layovers in Takotna.

Wattie pulled into McGrath in 43rd place and still has another ten hours of compulsory rest to complete before moving out.

Weather: Fair with brass monkeys (-22°C) Wind 4mph.... looks like they're heading for higher wind speeds on the Yukon River stretch between Anvik and Kaltag where the south route rejoins the north route.
PinkPenguin

#22

Post by PinkPenguin »

ANNOUNCEMENT REMINDER

As announced, somewhat discreetly, in a previous post you can revise your entries until the first competitor arrives at White Mountain (AKST).

To be nice and complicated this means that the timestamp on the post must be less than or exactly equal to the TIME IN + 9 hours posted for the first competitor at the WHITE MOUNTAIN checkpoint.

Note that all competitors have to layover for at leas 8 hours at White Mountain. The distance from White Mountain to Nome is 77 miles. Weather permitting this is less than 24 hours from the finish.

TIME IN postings are on the Current Standings list: http://www.iditarod.com/race/race/currentstandings.html
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#23

Post by Megacruncher »

I'm sure it is staring me in the face but where can I find out what the total time taken so far is for the competitors?

Or do I just have to calculate it myself & and is it the time from start to finish inclusive of all the stops or just time spent on the trail that we should be calculating? :? :?:
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#24

Post by johnn »

An adjustment with consideration given to a hero mushers progress.

Winner's Time : 9d 3hr 11mins 00sec
Wattie's Place : 46th
PinkPenguin

#25

Post by PinkPenguin »

Megacruncher wrote:I'm sure it is staring me in the face but where can I find out what the total time taken so far is for the competitors?

Or do I just have to calculate it myself & and is it the time from start to finish inclusive of all the stops or just time spent on the trail that we should be calculating? :? :?:
From past archives looks like total times include layovers - so it's the time from leaving Willow to arriving in Nome in most cases (There maybe circumstances under which time maybe adjusted by the referees but it seems to consist of a few minutes).

I'am afraid you have to do the calculation yourself - they only give the total time at Nome....
PinkPenguin

#26

Post by PinkPenguin »

Schnuelle is first out of the ghost town in the early evening. Making a night ride to.... dare I say it... Shageluk. Kelley Griffin is still on her 24 hour layover in Iditarod so DeeDee Jonrowe and Jessie Royer may well leave before her.

Wattie headed out of McGrath in 46th place and is on his way to Takotna.

Snow is powdery with a light crust between Takotna and Anvik which is likely to favor the lead runners...

Weather: Fair (-7°C) Wind 16 mph
PinkPenguin

#27

Post by PinkPenguin »

Sebastian Schnuelle checked into Grayling on the Yukon at mid morning closely followed by Hans Gatt. DeeDee Jonrowe came into Anvik with a team of 12 having fought her way back to 10th place just over an hour ahead of Swenson.

First to the Yukon at Anvik was Hugh Neff who is now taking the first of two compulsory 8 hour layovers. This has to be on one of the Yukon River checkpoints Anvik, Grayling, Eagle Island or Kaltag.

Wattie left Ophir in 42nd place at midnight on the long haul to Iditarod.

Lance Mackey is still among the leaders with a team of 9. According to the rules you have to reach Nome with a minimum team of 6 on the towline. Apparently any number of dogs may be on the sled barking, howling and yapping encouragement at those who are doing the real work. Nothing is said about one human pulling the sled with all the dogs on it... though I am informed that this is not likely to be a winning strategy.

Weather: Fair temperature dropping (-17°C) Wind 9mph.

Current Entries:
johnn 9d 3hr 11min 00s - 46th
Megacruncher 9d 5hr 30m 17s - 37th
Aardvark 9d 8hr 45m 34s - 29th
MacDitch 9d 12hr 20min 00s - 43rd
Reeltime 9d 15hr 30min 30s - 47th
PinkPenguin 10d 2hr 40m 35s - 31st
Captinkid 11d 23hr 31m 14s - 25th
PinkPenguin

#28

Post by PinkPenguin »

Neff, Baker and Mackey headed out of Grayling at around tea time yesterday. DeeDee Jonrowe did the same early evening. It's 60 miles to the next checkpoint at Eagle Island so an overnight run... you get to see the northern lights and it's cooler at night... :D

Wattie came into Iditarod in mid-afternoon and is now resting up. He's in 41st place.

The field is well spread out with James Bardoner holding the red lantern in McGrath.

Weather: Fair - cold between -7°C (Iditarod) and -21°C (Yukon and McGrath), Wind 7mph to 0mph on the Yukon and at McGrath.
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#29

Post by aardvark »

Exciting stuff, and a nice running commentry P.P :)

Perhaps the initial enthusiasm got to me, so with that in mind I would like to change my guess.

Aardvark 9d 8hr 45m 34s - 35th

Wattie is putting in a good effort, but I can't quite see him pulling up to 29th from 40. But who knows, it's the "Grand National" of dog races, and I suppose anything could happen.
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#30

Post by PinkPenguin »

Thanks aardvark... 8)

John Baker was first out of Eagle Island early this morning. Two and half hours ahead of the other front runners. Jessie Royer shot through the checkpoint stealing 9th place from DeeDee Jonrowe who left the checkpoint only 10 minutes behind her still in 10th place. Both women now have teams of 11 [edit] but Jessie still has her 8 hour layover to do and DeeDee has the fastest time for any competitor up the Yukon so far...[edit]

Eagle Island to Kaltag is one of the two 90 mile stretches in the trail under current weather conditions it should be fast but that is not always good...

Wattie made it to Shageluk in 40th place about an hour a go. As aardvark says he's putting in a good effort after some setbacks earlier. He still has to put in an 8 hour layover on the Yukon but so do a lot of others ahead of him.

Weather: Clear with brass monkeys and lots of them (-28°C Eagle Island / Kaltag, -12°C Anvik/Shageluk), Wind 4mph (Eagle Island) 14mph (Anvik).

Current Entries:
johnn 9d 3hr 11min 00s - 46th
Megacruncher 9d 5hr 30m 17s - 37th
Aardvark 9d 8hr 45m 34s - 35th
MacDitch 9d 12hr 20min 00s - 43rd
Reeltime 9d 15hr 30min 30s - 47th
PinkPenguin 10d 2hr 40m 35s - 31st
Captinkid 11d 23hr 31m 14s - 25th
johnn

#31

Post by johnn »

Another adjustment with consideration given to a hero mushers progress.

Winner's Time : 9d 3hr 11mins 00sec
Wattie's Place : 36th
PinkPenguin

#32

Post by PinkPenguin »

The top five are out of Kaltag and are now making a night run through the Nullato Hills to Unalakleet some 90 miles away. John Baker is still leading by two and a half hours which means that anything can still happen. DeeDee Jonrowe was in eighth position on arrival in Kaltag early this evening with Jessie Royer half an hour behind her. Only 4 hours separate Jonrowe from Baker as she came in just after Baker left.

Wattie left Anvik in the late evening in 39th position and should be in Grayling sometime after midnight. He has completed his 8 hour layover on the Yukon at Anvik so he should make good time to Kaltag and there are a few ahead of him who still have to break for 8 hours. This time his gain in position, however, was due to Marshall and Currier scratching in Anvik, they both arrived ahead of Wattie - the dogs decide when they've had enough.

Bardoner is carrying the red lantern 300 miles behind the leader having just left Ophir. He is one of only two teams with a full complement of 16 dogs still on the trail.... to complete the course he has to reach Grayling within 96 hours of the leader and Unalakleet within 120 hours.

Weather: Still brass monkeys in Kaltag (-21°C) slightly warmer on the coast (-11°C), Wind 0mph except aroung Anvik (14mph).

Current Entries:
johnn 9d 3hr 11min 00s - 36th
Megacruncher 9d 5hr 30m 17s - 37th
Aardvark 9d 8hr 45m 34s - 35th
MacDitch 9d 12hr 20min 00s - 43rd
Reeltime 9d 15hr 30min 30s - 47th
PinkPenguin 10d 2hr 40m 35s - 31st
Captinkid 11d 23hr 31m 14s - 25th
PinkPenguin

#33

Post by PinkPenguin »

TECHNICAL NOTE - TIME

Anyone observing the time in Alaska may note that the time difference is now GMT -8 hours and not GMT -9 hours. Alaska observes Daylight Savings Time and the clocks have moved forward since 2 a.m. this morning. The correct calculation for the finishing time is therefore:

(Time in at Nome) - (6th march 2011 14:00:00) - (1 hour)

...they do like to make things complicated. I should note that the two hour difference between the first and last to leave Willow has been corrected for all those who have completed the 24-26 hour layover - which is now everyone still on the trail.

Update later tonight. In the meantime: John Baker is burning rubber and has already arrived in Unalakleet still more than two hours ahead of Ramey Smyth. Baker's time is 8 minutes faster to this checkpoint than Buser's record breaking run in 2002... :D
PinkPenguin

#34

Post by PinkPenguin »

The top 5 are out of Unalakleet and on their way up the coast to Shaktoolik with John Baker leading Hans Gatt by 3 hours. DeeDee Jonrowe came in to Unalakleet 6 hours behind Baker and half an hour ahead of Sonny Lindner. Mackey and Buser are chasing Jessie Royer in 11th and 12th positions respectively and 60 year old Rick Swenson, the only 5 times winner, is now in 19th place still holding on to that fractured collarbone he picked up at the start of the race....

This is the coastal stretch to Shaktoolik after which they cross the sea-ice on Norton Sound to Koyuk. Wind is the big problem as it's always contrary and makes cold even colder.

Wattie left Grayling with a team of 12 about 4 minutes ahead of Justin Savidis. This puts him in 38th place. He left early morning so he should be in Eagle Island in about an hour or two.

The Red Lantern, James Bardoner, left Ophir at 11:23 yesterday and still hasn't arrived at Iditarod yet... 27 hours is a long time for this stretch.

Weather: Coolish (-9°C Unalakleet, -17°C Kaltag), Wind 0mph.
PinkPenguin

#35

Post by PinkPenguin »

With the wind picking up the top five left Shaktoolik with John Baker in the lead and the others closing the gap. DeeDee Jonrowe, still in 7th place, left Unalakleet at tea-time an hour ahead of Jessie Royer and two and a half hours ahead of Aliy Zirkle who is in 9th place.

Wattie pulled into Eagle Island in 39th place only a minute behind Justin Savidis.

Weather: Fair and cool (-9°C), Wind 13mph (Koyuk).

WARNING: About 24 hours before the leaders arrive at White Mountain.
captinkid

#36 Brrr.

Post by captinkid »

Maybe we should send Wattie some hand warmers! (And paw warmers for the hounds)

I noted the reference to brass monkeys, to which are you referring, the sailing term or another?

I will maintain my estimate!

:D
PinkPenguin

#37 Re: Brrr.

Post by PinkPenguin »

captinkid wrote:Maybe we should send Wattie some hand warmers! (And paw warmers for the hounds)

I noted the reference to brass monkeys, to which are you referring, the sailing term or another?

I will maintain my estimate!

:D
According to the photos the dogs wear "booties". This maybe taken as a fashion statement in the canine world but, under the circumstances, I suspect a more practical motivation. They use the term to mean starting up the team as in "he booted his dogs..." meaning "he put booties on his dogs feet". I have been trying to fit "booties" onto an old PIV for the last week but, so far, without much success as it just beeps and sits there doing nothing at all... :?

I can confirm the probably spurious nautical use of the term which I am told had something to do with cannonballs and chilly weather... :D
PinkPenguin

#38

Post by PinkPenguin »

John Baker headed out of Elim to Golovin about four and a half hours ago still in the lead so he is probably between 20 and 30 miles away from White Mountain. He has set a record breaking pace and his entry into Koyuk was, if my calculations are correct, about two and a half hours ahead of Martin Buser's performance in 2002. Given his Inupiaq origins he is already being feted as a hero by practically every village and habitation along the coast. DeeDee Jonrowe has slipped back to 8th after crossing the sea-ice on Norton Sound. She is still one and a half hours ahead of Jessie Royer and over 7 hours behind Baker.

Wattie is holding on to 39th place and still head to head with Justin Savidis. They both left Eagle Island at exactly the same time.

Fortunately James Bardoner turned up at Iditarod after a 32 hour walkabout from Ophir. He has passed the Red Lantern on to Brennan Norden who is still in Shageluk.

Weather: Cold (-10°C Koyuk), Wind 13mph.

LAST CALLS - LEADER IS WITHIN RANGE OF WHITE MOUNTAIN AND WILL PROBABLY ARRIVE BY MORNING

Current Entries:
johnn 9d 3hr 11min 00s - 36th
Megacruncher 9d 5hr 30m 17s - 37th
Aardvark 9d 8hr 45m 34s - 35th
MacDitch 9d 12hr 20min 00s - 43rd
Reeltime 9d 15hr 30min 30s - 47th
PinkPenguin 10d 2hr 40m 35s - 31st
Captinkid 11d 23hr 31m 14s - 25th

I will not change my guess - but I can safely confirm that it is way out.... ! :D
PinkPenguin

#39

Post by PinkPenguin »

John Baker came into White Mountain this afternoon at 16:03 followed by Ramey Smyth 51 minutes behind. Looks like there will be a new record this year as Baker is 3 hours ahead of Martin Buser's 2002 record at the White Mountain checkpoint. DeeDee Jonrowe is in Elim in 8th place closely followed by Jessie Royer.

Wattie McDonald and Justin Savidis came into Kaltag at the same time around midday having overtaken the Norwegian, Magnus Kaltenborn. Wattie is now in 38th place.

Weather: Cool (-6°C), Wind 8 mph.
PinkPenguin

#40

Post by PinkPenguin »

John Baker left White Mountain at midnight about 5 hours ago followed 50 minutes later by Ramey Smyth. From White Mountain to Nome it is 77 miles and they usually cover it in between 8:30 to 9:30 hours. So they should be in Nome early morning rounad about 8:00 or 9:00 AKDT (or tea time GMT).

Jessie Royer was in 8th place out of Elim and DeeDee Jonrowe in 10th they should shortly arrive at White Mountain.

Wattie and Justin Savidis left Kaltag at the same time for an overnight run to Unalakleet. I like to think they are more helping each other out than competing... After all it is no mean achievement just to arrive at Nome (teamwork works in a lot of ways).... :D

Weather is still good but will worsen later in the week around Thursday or Friday - hopefully they will all be in Nome by then.
PinkPenguin

#41

Post by PinkPenguin »

John Baker is first into Nome at 9:46 (AKDT) or just in time for a late cuppa tea.... at least from the GMT point of view... :D

Unofficially he took 8d 18h 46m 39s which, if my calculation is correct, is a new record for the Iditarod Trail.

:wav:

(complete update later tonight - official results when they come out... whenever that is!)
captinkid

#42 Fast race!

Post by captinkid »

Wow, that was a fast run, and the weather sure cooperated!

I hope Wattie makes it in before the blizzard shows up.

:D
PinkPenguin

#43

Post by PinkPenguin »

Ramey Smyth came in to Nome just over an hour after Baker's record breaking run. Hans Gatt looks like he'll come in third. Dallas Seavey and Peter Kaiser have climbed well into the top ten over the last three or four checkpoints. Jessie Royer will leave White Mountain just before midnight withe a lead of 9 minutes on DeeDee Jonrowe in 10th place.

:blob: Wattie is now 37th at Unalakleet where he arrived at midday and he now has the coastal run ahead of him. Apparently some dogs are good at this and some ain't so good. He is 2 days and 8 hours behind the leader so he should arrive at Nome somewhere between Thursday evening and Friday morning. As Captinkid says let's hope he makes it to Nome before the weather breaks...

Red Lantern, Kris Hoffman, is now almost 3 days behind Baker's arrival in Grayling. He is still in the race and needs to arrive at Unalakleet with less than a five day difference.

Weather: brass monkeys again (-19°C - Koyuk), Wind 13 mph.
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#44

Post by Megacruncher »

Well done to John Baker & well done to johnn who looks to have won 1st prize.

All eys on Watties place now. 37th would be good enough. :)
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PinkPenguin

#45

Post by PinkPenguin »

Well maybe Wattie's got coastal dogs... He's 36th out of Unalakleet with at least an hour and a half's lead on the next competitor.

Jessie Royer just left Safety for Nome with DeeDee Jonrowe hot on her heals.

Weather: Cool (-12°C), Wind 0mph.
PinkPenguin

#46

Post by PinkPenguin »

Wattie left Shaktoolik mid morning to cross the sea-ice on Norton Sound. He's still in 36th place behind Justin Savidis and ahead of Cain Carter. In another couple of hours he should reach Koyuk. There's a picture of Wattie removing his dog's "booties" at Unalakleet on the news feed:

[url]feed://iditarodblogs.com/news/feed/[/url] :D

Jessie Royer finished in 10th place and Aliy Zirkle beat DeeDee Jonrowe to the finish line by just under 2 minutes leaving DeeDee in 12th place. Maybe it was the pink "booties" at Rainy Pass (see photos)...

There are some good photos here:
http://blogs.sacbee.com/photos/2011/03/ ... 11-id.html

Lance Mackey, who won the last four consecutive years, came in 16th and it looks like the previous record holder, Martin Buser, will make 18th place.

Weather: Fair and cold (-14°C Koyuk), Wind 9mph.
PinkPenguin

#47

Post by PinkPenguin »

:blob: Wattie left Koyuk for Elim just after midnight in 36th place about half an hour ahead of Savidis and Carter. He has maintained a 12 dog team since Shageluk setting an even pace with regular rest periods. He doesn't have a strong team but it looks like he's keeping it together which is what he did in 2010. Looks like he should arrive in Nome sometime Friday afternoon/evening.

Rick Swenson, the only 5 times winner, who had a fractured collar-bone early in the race came into Nome placed 20th early evening yesterday. Michelle Phillips came in 17th with a team of 13, the largest to finish so far.

Ellen Halverson came into Unalakleet at midnight holding the red lantern. She is closing the race as she did last year.

Weather: Clear with brass monkeys again at Koyuk (-19°C), Wind 5 mph.
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#48

Post by aardvark »

Well maybe Wattie's got coastal dogs...
YES!! He's fae Stonehaven (Costal town), should be well practiced running up and doon fae Aberdeen (18 miles) :D

Lets see if he can pull 35th :wink:
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#49

Post by PinkPenguin »

:blob: Wattie left Elim about an hour and half a go (midday AKDT) still with a team of 12. In about 6 hours he should arrive at White Mountain. He is only half an hour behind Paul Johnson so he still has chance at 35th...

Kristy Berington mushing Gebhardt's second team came into Nome at 29th four hours behind Nicolas Petit, the first of the first time mushers into Nome.

Swenson noted high winds between White Mountain and Safety which may have contributed Karin Hendrickson's decision not to continue with only an 8 dog team.

Weather: Light cloud and cold (-12°C), Wind 6-15mph. Might be some snow tomorrow according to forecasts.
PinkPenguin

#50

Post by PinkPenguin »

:blob: Wattie came into White Mountain early evening a couple of hours behind Johnson and Carter. He should be leaving White Mountain about 3:30 am (AKDT) or late morning GMT.

Jodi Bailey came into Nome in 31st place the only first timer to complete both the Yukon Quest and Iditarod in the same year. Apparently the Yukon Quest, held in february, was quite the opposite of sunny Iditarod 2011. Seavey, Schnuelle, Anderson and Griffin are among the experienced mushers who completed both trails this year.

Red lantern is now in Shaktoolik about 2 days from the finish.

Weather: Cold and cloudy (-15°C), Winds picking up 17 mph. Given Swenson's comment the last leg maybe a tough one for late finishers.
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