Seeing Double Sled Dog Racing

A Message from the Twins...

11/18/2025

Subject: From Our Team to Yours – Thank You!

Dear Friends, Fans, and Sponsors:

We just wanted to take a moment — between feeding, training runs, and dog snuggles — to tell you how much your support means to us. Seeing Double Sled Dog Racing exists because people like you believe in us, our incredible dogs, and the sport we’ve dedicated our lives to.

2025 brought some unexpected turns. Kristy is taking time to focus on her health, and with the rising costs of racing, we’ve made the tough call not to run the Iditarod in 2026. It wasn’t an easy decision — we love that trail and everything it stands for — but we know it’s the right one for now. 2026 will be the first time a Berington hasn't appeared on the Iditarod roster since 2009!

That said, we’re not slowing down! We are already signed up for the Knik 200, and our race calendar also includes:

Kusko 300
Goose Bay 150
T-Dog 200
Kobuk 440

Kristy is also racing outside of mushing this winter — she’s on her fat tire bike and signed up for the Susitna 100 (Feb. 2026), and she’s looking to add a few more bike races to her schedule as well. And together, we’re keeping ourselves strong and challenged as athletes by running a marathon in October (Whistle Stop, Ashland, Wisconsin). We’ve always believed that being athletes ourselves helps us be better mushers — and honestly, our dogs inspire us to keep pushing our own limits. Their drive, joy, and determination keep us motivated every single day.

At the heart of our kennel are the dogs — each one with their own personality, goofy quirks, and endless desire to run. They’re our family. And, in a way, so are you. Your support has carried us through the highs, the lows, the storms, the sunshine, and all those quiet miles under the northern lights.

We’re heading into this season with full hearts, strong teams, and so much gratitude for everyone who makes it possible. Thank you for being part of our story. We’ll be carrying your spirit with us on every run.

With love and snowy paw prints,
Anna & Kristy Berington
Seeing Double Sled Dog Racing

Closing Post for 2025 - No Roads to Nome...

3/22/2025

I will rhyme you a tale of the Iditarod trail,
And the 1,128 mile journey to Nome.
It won’t be fast, but not as long as days past.
“Only” requiring 10-13 days for teams to get home.

Musher, sled, dogs, and gear.
Severe cold weather just one thing to fear.
One twin named Anna racing off the start.
Said the other twin? “There goes my heart!”

17 hearts, in fact. Now on their way.
Tesla and Rampage in lead that day.
Drax, Mayhem, YoYo and Elmer,
Ruckus, Lacy, HotWheels and Twister…

Maverick, Brent, Platinum,
Havoc and Barge…
And Shoshanna - that feisty ol’ gal in charge.
And Anna.
Ready to run, not caring where.

You are never No Where…
If you focus on Now Here.

First, a 53rd Ceremonial Start, in Anchorage - so bare.
Hardly a flake of snow to be seen anywhere.
Except for a trail crews laid on the street.
A nice snowy highway for lots of bootied feet.

Kristy and Lesley and leis for the short C-start run,
Everyone there had a great deal of fun!
Now the long drive to Fairbanks, 360 miles one-way.
One final sleep, and then Restart Monday.

33 teams left the start,
Launching 2 minutes apart.
16 dogs in front of each sled,
It will be many miles before bed.

Nenana, Tanana, Tolovana,
Your crazy Mad Blogger
humming Copacabana.
I don’t think Anna ever got that banana.
(And let’s take a moment of silence to remember Ventana.)

Traveling the Mighty Yukon,
In places a full mile wide.
Caught in a sandstorm,
No place to hide.

Anna lost the trail, but didn’t give up.
Looking back, it was a minor hiccup.
Thanks to GCI and a satellite in the sky
Kristy saved the day and got Anna by.

Kaltag, Eagle, and Grayling - all x 2,
This down-and-back was something new.
Reports of a bear and ice everywhere.
Just a few hundred more miles
and we’ll finally be there.

Cold nights, aurora lights.
Sleeping with her dogs along the trail.
Sunsets, hard-to-describe sights.
With the dogs in front of her,
Anna knew she wouldn’t fail.

They took their 24s
and a couple of 8s.
Several mushers scratched -
But they’re still amongst the greats.

Dog care and race strategy, Anna banking rest.
The remains of this trail will be one helluva test.
Endurance and stamina, perhaps a little luck.
There are no roads to Nome,
you won’t get there by truck.

Mushing along Norton Sound,
White and wind the only things around.
To Koyuk, by way of Una and Shak.
Mad Blogger would have had a heart attack!

Not so, for Anna - who’s tough as they come.
Wisconsin is where she’s originally from.
No stranger to cold, no stranger to snow.
Of course Alaska is where she’d wanna go.

The time sprang forward,
Some teams fell back.
Anna forgot to grab HEET
But couldn’t turn back.

She had enough to get by, the dogs were well fed.
The penalty was money, or so officials said.
At least it wasn’t time - that precious commodity.
Time to run, dogs! Less ‘haw’ and more ‘gee’!

Anna was doing so good, Mad Blogger couldn’t take it.
“Hey Kristy - If I fly out now, will I make it??!”
Posting and blogging as I snuck to the finish.
I’ll just carry on… sit on the case, make it thin-ish.

Now two sisters waiting in Nome,
Ignoring Verizon and its warning of “Roam”.
A lunar eclipse, our race champ getting nearer.
In the icy cold, things becoming a bit clearer.

Making new friends - Cathy, Andrea, and Brian.
(I meet the coolest people without even tryin’.)
Not to mention Diane!
And, what? A woman from Ashland?!

Jessie Holmes leading the way!
It’s 2:55am - well into the 10th day.
With much fanfare, our champ had arrived.
And without his dogs? He’d a never survived.

Normally a humble soul, Jessie shed his skin,
Running around the chute to take it all in!
A nicer guy you’ll never meet.
On the trail to Nome, he couldn’t be beat.

Next were Matt, Paige, Michelle;
Bailey, Travis, Mitch and Ryan.
Mille and Riley rounded out the top 10,
Most smiling as if they’d done it without tryin.

Here come Matt Failor and Nic Petit…
There’s the top 12. Who’s next? Could it be??
Anna Berington - in Iditarod 53!!
11 Dogs, Bib 12, 13th Place! Whoopee!!

Ultimately 22 of 33 mushers finished this race.
The Red Lantern, Ebbe, in 22nd place,
Took 13 days 13 hours to prove his case
That he could be one of 849 people to ever make it Nome.

Running the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race.

There are no roads to Nome, my friends.
You can fly,
you can float,
perhaps paddle to where the Yukon ends.

The bravest bike, ski, or walk there -
a thing called the ITI.
Just thinking of that distance on foot
Makes me want to break down and cry.

And while I would never attempt it myself,
I think I understand why
These amazing women I call my sisters
Mush the Original I.

Here’s to Anna and her dogs,
13th place - a personal best.
Now that you’re all home,
enjoy a well-earned rest!

Will we see a Berington
on the Iditarod trail next year?

You will just have to wait and see.
As for Iditarod 53?
This is all yer gettin’ from me.

Peace, love, and paw prints -

Kat
Anna and Kristy’s Older, “Not-A-Twin” Sister
And Mad Blogger
Seeing Double Sled Dog Racing

Below: Anna's favorite pictures she took while out on the trail. And one lunar eclipse picture from Nome by this Mad Blogger. I posted this somewhere before Anna got into Nome, and it had an "easter egg"... a clue I was there. In the lower lefthand corner are two shadows - Kristy and Kat.

Click below to view the enlarged gallery.

** Yes, I know that the above "poem" adheres to no acceptable standard. Iambic pentameter my asphault.

2025 Super Dogs Recap

3/20/2025

You've never seen Anna walk, run, or bike the Iditarod trail. Why? Because making a journey like that on her own would never compare to covering hundreds of miles with these amazing canine athletes! Their determination, their love for what they do, the power within a smiling dog face or wagging tail. The energy that flows into your soul from simply resting a hand on one of these dogs cannot be overstated.

Hopefully you got a look at Anna's dog team biography before or during the race. Let's take a look at which dogs made it ALL THE WAY!

First, though, on the 5 dogs that were returned along the way: Elmer, Maverick, Ruckus, Twister, and Drax. They are all back at the kennel and all doing great. Elmer has recovered from his cough. Ruckus was no longer "off", or just not acting like himself, by the time he was reunited with Kristy in Anchorage. Maverick, Twister, and Drax, who each displayed signs of some muscle soreness, are moving around great, sore no more.

And each of those dogs, despite not making it to Nome, made huge contributions to the team along the way. Elmer ran 137 miles, Maverick ran 202 miles, Ruckus ran 319 miles, rookie Twister ran 582 miles, and Drax made it all the way to White Mountain, 1,057 miles in this year's route.

Good boys, each and every one.

Which, interesting to note, the returned dogs were all male. Anna had 6 females on her team, and they all made it to Nome! Power to the ladies!!! And of course Anna's other 5 males rounded out her finishing team of 11 dogs. Four dogs, formerly Iditarod rookies, are now finishing Iditarod veterans: Brent, Lacy, YoYo, and HotWheels. Shoshanna, the oldest dog on the team at 9 years, not only made it all the way, she led the way into the chute with Rampage. Brent was the youngest dog on the team at 2 years, and he finished. Two of the three Toy Litter pups made it, and three of the four dogs from the Trouble Litter ran under the burled arch as siblings.

This Mad Blogger spent plenty of time loving on the dogs in Nome while I was there. They were all sleepy, especially with full bellies and comfy beds in the sunshine, and so sweet. Nose bumps and kisses and nuzzling their faces into my hand for scritches with eyes happily squeezed shut, just soaking it in. No wounds, no injuries. Most were a little thinner than they were 1,128 miles ago, but ask any athlete - that's par for the course. And if you watched their finish in Nome on Iditarod.com, it was warm enough that they weren't wearing their dog jackets, giving a clear look at what amazing condition these dogs were still in at the finish.

Congratulations, Seeing Double Dogs! You did it! And you've proven yet again that Alaska Huskies are some of the most resilient, hardworking, and tough athletes in the canine world.

Here are the pics I got of each finishing dog in Nome.

Brent, Tesla, Mayhem, Platinum, Havoc, Lacy, Rampage, YoYo, HotWheels, Barge, and Shoshanna.

One more recap post after this, folks!

Race Update 13 - The Red lantern is Extinguished for the 53rd Iditarod

3/18/2025

Anna was still in the finish chute under the burled arch in the wee hours Sunday morning when Lauro Eklund arrived in 14th place. He arrived less than 5 minutes after Anna... she worked crazy hard to help the dogs over the last miles to hold on to her 13th place finish.

Just over an hour later, Samantha LaLonde, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, arrived at 2:20am Sunday in 15th place. As the first rookie in the race to make it to Nome, she earned the prestigious Rookie of the Year award. Well done to Samantha and her dogs!!

Jason Mackey arrived in 16th place a little after that, wrapping up the Sunday morning flurry of teams. There was a lull in traffic, but things picked up again Sunday afternoon and evening with 4 more rookies arriving at the finish. This crew all finished the race with 13-day handles on their times and rounded out our top 20 finishers. Emily Ford, a rookie from Duluth, Minnesota, was included in that group, arriving in 18th place with 10 dogs in harness. Way to go, Emily!!

Finally, as St. Patrick's Day arrived Monday, March 17th, the final two active racers arrived in Nome. Rookies Dane Baker and Ebbe Pederson pulled under the arch a little after 1:30am and within about 5 minutes of each other. They each spent over 13 days and 13 hours out on the trail.

At the time of Ebbe's arrival in 22nd place, he didn't know he was the official Red Lantern, as one final rookie, Jenny Roddewig, was still in the race. It wasn't until about 4 hours after he arrived that Jenny opted to scratch, setting her snowhook one final time in White Mountain, 71 miles from the finish.

The brief report on Iditarod.com indicates that Jenny scratched in the best interests of her team and that all of her dogs were reported in good health. I'm sure this decision to scratch, so close and yet so far from Nome (you go walk 71 miles and tell me that's nothin'), was both easy and hard. Making a decision that's in the best interests of the dogs is easy. Maybe feeling like you let them or yourself or your sponsors or fans down would be tough.

Jenny, I don't know if you'll ever see this - but you rock! As a rookie in the Iditarod, you made it 1,057 miles. That is further than you would have had to travel had this been either of the traditional northern or southern trails. You had an epic journey with your dogs and have a great deal to be proud of. I hope you feel that. On behalf of Seeing Double, we hope you and your dogs have safe and swift travels home.

And so with this Race Update 13, after 13 days, 13 hours and change... 1,128 miles later, the 53rd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is complete. For the longest Iditarod ever, we had 22 of 33 racers finish. 11 mushers scratched (or were withdrawn), or 33.3% of the field. That is a high removal rate vs the race's average since inception (21.9%). Of the finishers, 7 were Iditarod rookies getting to the arch for the first time.

Which means, by this Mad Blogger's tally, we now have 849 separate individuals ever that can say they successfully completed the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Anna and Kristy are 2 of those 849 people. You know how many people are on this planet?! To say you finished the Iditarod puts you on a very small, very elite list.

Mushers and other volunteers attended the Finishers Banquet Sunday night, enjoying some good food and swapping stories from the trail. Travis Beals earned the award for the fastest run time between Safety and Nome. In addition to being our Red Lantern, Ebbe Pederson also received an award honoring perseverance on the trail. Two mushers tied for this year's Most Improved award (those mushers who improved most from their previous best finish). Nic Petit was honored with the Sportsmanship Award, as nominated by his fellow mushers. And 3rd place finisher Paige Droby was awarded what might be the most coveted prize... the Humanitarian Award, recognizing outstanding dog care while remaining competitive during the race.

For a full list of awards and how they were achieved, as well as this year's cash purse awards, check out this article on Iditarod.com.

This Mad Blogger left Nome Sunday afternoon before the banquet and finally reached home in Wisconsin late morning Monday. The twins, meanwhile, got things sorted in Nome. They weren't able to get the dogs on a return flight until Tuesday evening and will finally be headed back to the kennel in Knik themselves on Wednesday, March 19th.

I'll give Anna a day or two to decompress and be back with the closing Seeing Double Iditablog post of 2025. Among other things, I promise adorable dog pictures from my time in Nome!

Above - Anna and her 13th place trophy at the Finishers Banquet. Top right - Anna and Mad Blogger. Bottom right - Mad Blogger lovin' on YoYo in Nome.

Gazing out over Norton Sound, North Pacific Ocean, Sunday March 16th.

Race Update 12 - Congrats Anna! 13th place Finish!!

3/16/2025

After 12 days, 13 hours, 6 minutes, and 11 seconds on the trail, Anna and her dogs arrived in Nome!! 11 dogs, Bib #12, arriving in 13th place, this marks Anna’s 13th successful Iditarod completion after 14 starts. It is also a new personal record for her finishing place.

It was 1:06am today when Anna arrived and it’s going on 4:30am as I write this. We have dogs to care for in the morning, Anna has meetings, arrangements need to be made to fly the dogs home, and there’s the finisher’s banquet. So I’m going to keep this post unusually brief.

Anna was led in by Rampage and Shoshanna. The other pups that made it all the way? Tesla, Mayhem, YoYo, Lacy, Brent, HotWheels, Platinum, Havoc, and Barge. They all have cozy straw beds in their Sky kennels, got a warm meal, and most of them promptly curled up to sleep when dinner was gone. Anna checked them all over thoroughly, put on dog jackets, and finally headed to our hosts’ for a meal, comfy clothes, and a real bed!!

And…. Surprise! When I realized how good this race was going for Anna, I simply had to go to Nome to congratulate her in person. I’ve been traveling since 3/12 and firing off Instagram and blog posts as much as I could. So if things seemed a little discombobulated, that is why!

We’re all eventually traveling Sunday and Monday, so I do have to ask you for a bit more patience. But give me a day or two, and I’ll be back with my usual novella posts and rambling commentary.

After all… we may have 16 teams into Nome, but 7 mushers and there dogs are still out on the trail. And this Mad Blogger keeps going until the final team is safely under the Burled Arch and the widow’s lantern is extinguished.

As Arnold once said - I will be back!

A few pictures from today to tide you over until I can bug Anna for more from the trail.

Race Update 11 - Anna getting closer! Buh-bye WM!

3/15/2025

We now have the top 10 finishers into Nome!! With our scratched list holding at 10 mushers, that leaves 13 teams still racing.

And (in my best booming announcer’s voice) we have Anna Berington! Out of White Mountain, mushing an 11 dog team, fresh off her final mandatory 8 hour stop. In 13th Place!!

It’s still 71 miles from WM to Nome (49 miles from WM to Safety, 22 miles from SFY to Nome), and there are some gnarly hills to climb (Walla Walla, Topkok, Cape Nome). But Anna is one heck of an athlete and she’ll be mustering up every last ounce of strength, stamina, and pure determination to hop off the sled and run up some of those hills to keep her speed up and lighten the load for the dogs.

Prediction time… when should we expect her into Nome?? I sharpened my pencil. I combed the run times of all the mushers already into the finish. I consulted Kristy. I checked the forecast…

This Mad Blogger puts her into Nome at 1:30am Sunday, March 16th. Alaska Standard Time!

Those detail oriented folks out there probably noticed that Anna opted to return one dog in White Mountain, arriving with 12 but departing with 11 dogs. Drax was handed over to vets and, I believe, will be transported on to the finish rather than flown directly back to Anchorage. Don’t worry, Drax is ok!

Anna is fully in race mode, thinking strategy and speed. Drax has been an amazing dog this race, and I know she will be shouting praise for all 16 dogs that contributed to this epic journey. But given what she will be asking of both herself and her dogs over this final 71 miles, it was best to have Drax just meet them at the finish rather than run there himself.

That’s Iditarod, folks. Despite writing this blog every year since 2012, I honestly have only touched on a fraction of the strategy and logistics faced by every musher out there.

And a couple fresh pics I received from Anna as she races toward the finish.

Race Update 10 - Jessie Holmes Iditarod 53 Champ!

3/14/2025

After 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds, after traveling 1,128 miles, Jessie Holmes pulled under the new burled arch in Nome at 2:55am Thursday March 14th. He arrived with 10 unbelievable canine athletes in front of his sled.

Jessie has been an impressive competitor in the Iditarod since he first ran the race in 2018. He has earned 5 top 10 finishes in his 7 years competing, coming in 3rd in 2024. Claiming 1st place for the first time in the longest Iditarod in history is an amazing accomplishment.

Congratulations Jessie and all of your dogs!!

Three hours after Jessie, a cheering crowd welcomed Matt Hall in 2nd place. And 2 hours 40 minutes after that, Paige Drobny arrived in 3rd place. Congrats to these amazing athletes as well!

Michelle Phillips is the most recent musher to clear her final 8 hour rest and leave White Mountain. Barring something very unexpected, she should be our 4th musher into Nome.

Not to play a gender card, but International Women’s Day was not long ago. To have these ladies capture 3rd and 4th place in this unprecedented event is an inspiration to women and girls everywhere. This Mad Blogger is so very happy for these tough women.

There have been no additional scratches from the race, so with 3 mushers into Nome and 10 out of the race, we have 20 teams still out on the trail.

What about Anna?? We last left her on the trail out of Unalakleet, starting the coastal leg of this journey. After leaving Una in 14th place late Thursday, she spent 5 hours 40 minutes crossing the first 42 mile section of sea ice. She arrived in Shaktoolik (race mile 908) at 7:40pm Thursday March 13th. As there weren’t many mushers in the checkpoint when she arrived, she was directed to a prime parking spot for her dog team, out of the wind and closer to the few amenities on offer.

Anna rested with her dog team in Shak for just under 6 hours, heading out on the trail again before 2am Friday 3/14. This put her on the dreaded 50 mile stretch from Shak to Koyuk, over the sea ice again and almost certainly into some sort of frigid headwind.

Conditions were modestly improved from earlier in the race and the trail itself was in decent shape. Still a robust headwind, but not nearly as bad as our front teams saw. Our champ Jessie spent over 10 hours on this stretch, Matt Hall spent over 9 hours. Anna and her dogs crushed it in just over five and a half hours. Now, Jessie and Matt both camped out there at a small cabin while Anna ran straight through, a difference in strategic approach. That said, I don’t know that I would want to camp at a small cabin in those conditions!!

Net net, Anna arrived in Koyuk (race mile 958) at roughly 8:30am Friday morning. She was reported in 13th place, still running 12 dogs, with 170 miles left to the finish.

This Mad Blogger isn’t quite ready to predict her finishing time, but having consulted Kristy, we both think she could be into Nome by 5pm AKST Saturday. Another frequent predictor… mushers on average reach Nome about 24 hours after leaving Elim.

Other items of note: Kristy said the lunar eclipse was prominent in the cold, clear night sky Thursday into Friday. Hope everyone that wanted to was able to see this celestial event. And folks that are fat tire biking the Iditarod trail this year in the ITI (Iditarod Trail Invitational) have also been arriving under the Burled Arch. You think mushers are tough? Can you imagine BIKING that trail and towing your own trailer of supplies?!?! Dios mio.

Below - Gallery pics that Kristy helped me get of some ITI riders pedaling down Front St, Jessie Holmes arriving in Nome as our champ, and Paige Drobny arriving in 3rd.

And a couple pics Anna was able to send this Mad Blogger from out on the trail. I believe the photo of the dogs resting is from Wednesday, 3/12, early evening. And the northern lights from Thursday, 3/13, 1:42am.

Race Update 9 - Anna outta una, headed up the coast

3/13/2025

It’s really kinda strange to be writing this blog as the 10th day of racing begins and we don’t yet have a winner into Nome! And if this Mad Blogger is feeling a bit tired, I can only begin to imagine how the mushers are feeling!!

And I’m sorry if any readers feel like I’ve been neglecting you a bit. My daily posts have gotten a bit choppy, and I apologize for that. But there’s a good reason for it that will come to light in the days ahead.

Back to the trail! We last left Anna taking her 8 hour rest in Eagle Island-2 (race mile 715) Tuesday evening and into Wednesday, March 12th. As soon as her 8 hours had elapsed, Anna pulled her snowhook and hit the trail with her 12 pups around 3:30am Wednesday.

And she stuck to her plan. She and the dogs camped trailside between EI-2 and Kaltag-2, arriving in K-2 around 4:30pm Wednesday afternoon. She spent a paltry 5 minutes in this checkpoint, grabbed supplies, and off she went. I knew when her tracker showed her resting outside of K-2, she had reached Tripod cabin.

After feeding the dogs a hot meal and bedding them down for a nap, she got some rest herself. Her tracker showed her running again after 5-6 hours. She finally reached the checkpoint of Unalakleet, race mile 866, at 8:20am Thursday 3/13. It was 81 miles from Kaltag-2 to Una, and she spent just shy of 16 hours on that section of trail.

Kristy spoke with Anna a bit and it sounds like things are going well out there. The dogs are eating and resting like it’s their job (which, I guess, it is, but only because their love to run is such a fundamental part of who they are). The fact that Anna has not returned any additional dogs and only rested in Una for 5 hours 42 minutes is a testament to that.

Kristy also told me Twister is home safe and sound and doing great. For a dog that had just finished running 582 miles (recall he was returned in Grayling-1), he barely lost a pound and was acting like he could go out and do it all again tomorrow.

While Anna was in Unalakleet, she was the grateful recipient of not just one but two fresh pizza pies! Fans are able to place a pizza order with Peace On Earth Restaurant and they make sure it gets delivered to the musher while they’re in checkpoint. Anna knows the two separate groups/folks that sponsored this meal, and she is so thankful for your kindness!!

When she had her fill of pizza and the dogs were rested up, she hit the trail again around 2pm Thursday March 13th. She was reported out in 14th place. Anna is now tackling the coastal portion of this race and will follow the Bering Sea coast for the rest of her trip to Nome.

And this section of trail is known for unpredictable, often harsh, cold, and windy weather. The mushers at the front of the pack reported some pretty aggressive headwinds around Shaktoolik, upwards of 20-30mph. Several mushers that made it from Shak to Koyuk are still there, taking exceptionally long rests.

Fortunately, it sounds like the worst of the winds are backing off a bit, and by the time Anna tackles the Shak-Koyuk section, winds will hopefully have subsided a bit. She’ll still run into a headwind, but 10-15mph winds are way more tolerable than those twice that. Not pleasant by any means, but less heinous.

We have our first 3 teams into White Mountain, taking their final mandatory 8 hour rest. Jessie Holmes, Matt Hall, and Paige Drobny all arrived over the course of Thursday afternoon. My next report to you Friday should be announcing our winner.

There have also been 3 additional mushers to leave the race since my last post. Rookies Quince Mountain from Wisconsin and Sydnie Bahl of Alaska were both withdrawn from the race in Grayling-2 pursuant to rule 36, which involves competitiveness. Checkpoints and volunteers cannot remain out on the trail indefinitely, especially in these remote places. So on the one hand, I understand when trailing mushers fall so far behind the bulk of the racers that it isn’t practical for them to remain in the event. However, given the length of this year’s race and the fact that more than one musher were traveling the trail together… I can also see why some folks are taking issue with this decision.

Rookie Justin Olnes, also from Alaska, opted to scratch in Eagle Island-2 feeling his dogs needed more rest and perhaps (my speculation only) fearing withdrawal from the race, opted to scratch on his own terms.

Regardless of your feelings for these developments, I think we can all come together to wish Quince, Sydnie, and Justin safe and swift travels back to their home kennels.

With that, we have 23 of our original 33 teams still making their way Nome.

Anna’s team appeared in the newer Run Dogs Run videos on Iditarod Insider (screen shots below). And Kristy got to see the unveiling of the new Burled Arch in Nome today!

The new Burled Arch was revealed in Nome today!

Race Update 8 - The 2nd eagle has landed.

3/11/2025

Anna has been adjusting her strategy on the fly and is definitely running with a race mentality. The 12 dogs traveling with her have stellar appetites and are moving along great, so the fact that she's 715 miles in with 413 miles to go isn't as overwhelming as you might expect.

Anna ended up giving her dogs a 2 hour rest in Anvik, largely to avoid some slow trail in warm temps. She pulled out around 7pm Monday evening when temps had dropped, and ran 28 miles to Shageluk.. She stayed in Shag for four hours, resting while Monday turned to Tuesday, hit the trail before 3am, ran 28 miles to Grayling-2, stopped 9 minutes to resupply, and was off once again!

She did camp trailside between Grayling-2 and Eagle Island-2, and then made one more run before arriving in EI-2 Tuesday evening around 7:20pm. She arrived in 16th place and will get the dogs settled in and have a good 8 hour rest.

When Anna and her dogs hit the trail again, watch for them to take one trailside camp between EI-2 and Kaltag-2, resupply in K-2, and then head to the coast. Her first stop for a camp will be a familiar one - Tripod Flats Safety Cabin, run by the BLM.

Meanwhile, we have Jessie Holmes at mile 875 after 8 days 8m hours+ on the trail. He's running a team of 11 dogs and has 253 miles to the finish. He has completed both his 24 and his 8 hour on the Yukon. He, like every musher, will take one final 8 hour rest White Mountain, 71 miles from Nome.

Matt Hall and Paige Drobny are chasing him down the trail, at miles 866 and 855, respectively. Matt has a 10-dog team, Paige 13. Quince Mountain is still our Red Lantern, last at mile 585. Our lead-lag spread is now a whopping 290 miles.

Rookie Bryce Mumford set his snowhook the final time in Grayling-1, opting to end his race. As always, wishing Bryce and his team safe and swift travels home. He's our 7th musher to scratch, leaving 26 of our original 33 teams still mushing to Nome.

This Mad Blogger will be back as Anna and her team work their way to the Bering Sea Coast. And we might see our winner under the burled arch late Thursday, more likely early Friday. But there could be some storms brewing along the coast and mushers have their 8 hour in White Mountain. Still plenty of race left.

You're never Nome until you're fully Nome.

Race Update 6. And 7!

3/10/2025

Anna didn’t wast any time wrapping up her 24 in Kaltag-1 early Sunday. Accounting for the time change, she hit the trail at 4:46am, only 2 minutes past her official release time adjusted for the starting differential. She resumed her journey with all 13 of her remaining canine athletes. She did manage to send off a text after she had been on the trail for a bit, and I was thrilled when she reported that conditions were no longer as bad as prior mushers had led her to expect, or fear.

Anna ran 42 miles out of Kaltag-1, headed south on the Yukon, completely counter to any of her previous Iditarods, and camped with the pups trailside. She did the same length run again and camped once more. Then she made a short dash to Eagle Island-1, arriving at 6:18pm Sunday, stayed just 9 minutes to resupply, and was on the trail again.

With 56 miles from EI-1 to Grayling-1, Anna traveled with the dogs over 18 of the miles before stopping to camp again. That left a nice 42 mile run into G-1 where Anna elected to stay with the dogs in checkpoint. Anna got to Grayling-1, race mile 582 and the designated halfway point in this year’s race, at 8:30am Monday morning.

After 14 hours out on that last section of trail, Anna stayed in G-1 for 5 hours 20 minutes. Long enough to bed down the dogs, make them a warm hearty meal, spend some time caring for each dog, and get a little food and nap herself. Kristy communicated more with Anna, and she said that Anna was considering returning Twister before she pulled her snowhook again. Apparently Twister was showing signs of a sore shoulder that wouldn’t loosen up, and Anna was likely to send her back home vs pushing on and risking an injury, especially in such a young dog.

Anna did leave G-1 with 12 dogs in front of her sled, so Twister is in fact headed back to Anchorage. Kristy hopes to be able to pick him up Tuesday (as well as a couple of dogs from two other teams… Kristy is helping out a couple fellow mushers with returned dog pick up).

Anna also told Kristy that while the weather wasn’t too terrible, the trail wasn't exactly stellar, alternating between sugar snow and a hard crust. But still not as bad as she expected.

After 7 full days on the trail, Anna and her dogs are finally halfway Nome. Anna hit the trail out of Grayling-1 around 1:45pm Monday in 16th place. GPS has her racing at mile 596 just after 4pm Monday and closing in on Anvik. She’ll likely only make a brief stop here to resupply before heading on to Shageluk (race mile 631) before she and the dogs rest again.

Several mushers have checked off their 8 hour rest required on the Yukon (specifically on the south/north loop between Kaltag-1 and Kaltag-2 this year). Depending on how she and the dogs are feeling, Anna may take her 8 hour in Shageluk. If she doesn’t, expect her to take her 8 in Eagle Island-2 as she travels back north to Kaltag-2.

And this loop does make for interesting GPS map viewing. We now have all sorts of new colors and mushers passing one another head on. Fortunately dogs and mushers are well acquainted with this, and etiquette dictates who pulls aside if the trail isn’t wide enough for teams to pass side by side.

As for the rest of our field, Jessie Holmes is in the lead with his 13-dog team at mile 748. He has completed his 24 but not his 8 on the Yukon. Matt Hall and Paige Drobny are at miles 725 and 722, respectively, but they both have completed their 8s. They may well pull ahead of Jessie when he makes his longer stop. Rounding out the top 5 teams are Mitch Seavey at mile 715 and Michelle Phillips at mile 699. They’re all running either 11 or 13-dog teams.

Our current Red Lantern (or musher in last place) is rookie Quince Mountain. He is reported out of Kaltag-1 and GPS has him at mile 499. This gives our field a current spread, 7 days into this 1,128 mile race, of 249 miles.

We did have one additional musher scratch from the race. Veteran Gabe Dunham, from Willow, Alaska, scratched in Eagle Island-1 on Saturday night, March 8th. This leaves 27 of our original 33 mushers still racing to Nome.

Two other items to note and I’ll wrap up this post. First, when Anna was on the trail between Kaltag-1 and Eagle Island-1, a snowmobiler stopped to chat while she was camping. This thoughtful gentleman warned her that there had been a grizzly bear sighting near Eagle Island. Fortunately Anna is well past this area and didn’t see any sign of the newly woken bear. Nor have any other mushers as far as we know. This is the very first time I can recall ever hearing of a bear with respect to the Iditarod. Normally they’re still well into hibernation (or torpor, really - research the difference if you’re not familiar, it’s interesting). Testimony to Alaska’s extremely mild winter, I guess.

Second, here are pictures from over the weekend that Kristy took of our previously returned 3 dogs. Ruckus, Maverick, and Elmer are all doing great and relaxing back at Seeing Double’s kennel. Kristy took one small team of dogs for a run and all 3 were barking up a storm hoping to go along. I’ll ask Kristy to get us a picture of Twister, too, when he’s home.

Ruckus

Maverick

Elmer

Screen shot from Iditarod Insider GPS. Green and darker orange are outbound, dark blue and light orange are headed back to Kaltag-2.

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