Ladies and Gentlemen!
Boys, Girls, and Dog Lovers of all ages!
Welcome to Seeing Double’s coverage of Iditarod 2021!
Boys, Girls, and Dog Lovers of all ages!
Welcome to Seeing Double’s coverage of Iditarod 2021!
I’m Kat, Anna and Kristy’s not-a-twin sister and Mad Blogger extraordinaire. As Lead Dog for all you armchair mushers out there, it’s my job to help you navigate the trail during this year’s race, get the inside scoop on two of your favorite mushers and their dogs, and hopefully learn something you didn’t already know and have a couple laughs along the way.
It’s been a long and tumultuous twelve months since we last met on the Iditarod trail. The changes and challenges we faced, and continue to face, have been epic in both scope and magnitude. The 49th Iditarod, frequently an apt metaphor for life, also comes with many changes this year. But before we dive into all the kibbles and bits on that, please permit me a few items of proverbial business…
It’s been a long and tumultuous twelve months since we last met on the Iditarod trail. The changes and challenges we faced, and continue to face, have been epic in both scope and magnitude. The 49th Iditarod, frequently an apt metaphor for life, also comes with many changes this year. But before we dive into all the kibbles and bits on that, please permit me a few items of proverbial business…
Thank you to all returning Blog fans!
I’m not entirely sure why you subject yourselves to my blather year after year, but I’m sure glad you do.
Welcome all new fans!
Whether you’re new to this site or mushing overall, we’re glad you found us.
And a HUGE thank you
to the many businesses and individuals that sponsor Kristy, Anna, and all their dogs.
The twins couldn’t do this without your support.
On behalf of Seeing Double,
I also want to thank all the sponsors and volunteers behind the Iditarod itself,
without which “the last great race” would never happen.
And last but far from least,
THANK YOU to all front line workers,
both for who you are and what you do.
I’m not entirely sure why you subject yourselves to my blather year after year, but I’m sure glad you do.
Welcome all new fans!
Whether you’re new to this site or mushing overall, we’re glad you found us.
And a HUGE thank you
to the many businesses and individuals that sponsor Kristy, Anna, and all their dogs.
The twins couldn’t do this without your support.
On behalf of Seeing Double,
I also want to thank all the sponsors and volunteers behind the Iditarod itself,
without which “the last great race” would never happen.
And last but far from least,
THANK YOU to all front line workers,
both for who you are and what you do.
With that, it’s time for your Early Look at Iditarod 2021!
The Trail: For the first time in 49 runnings, the Iditarod will not be finishing in Nome, Alaska, on the Bering Sea coast. Instead, teams will run the Gold Trail Loop, which essentially takes them along the historic Iditarod Trail southern route to the traditional halfway point and back to the start again.
Start and Finish: Deshka Landing, near Willow, Alaska.
Official Checkpoints: 18. This count includes Deshka twice for both the start and finish; Iditarod twice for both the outbound (or north) half and the post-Flat return (or south) half; and excludes Yentna (not a checkpoint this year, but mushers can get straw and HEET) and Takotna.
Approximate Race Miles: 852.
The Field: As of this writing, 47 mushers and their dog teams are slated to leave the starting line on Sunday, March 7th, at 2pm Alaska time. They will represent four countries (US, Canada, Norway, and Denmark), two states (Alaska and Minnesota), and two provinces (Alberta and Yukon). It is the smallest field of teams since 1989, when only 49 left the start, and well below the average number of entrants since the race began in 1973. An additional 19 mushers were previously registered to participate but withdrew from the competition, many citing travel complications courtesy of Covid-19.
Musher Stats:
13 Women: 10 Veterans, 3 Rookies
34 Men: 25 Veterans, 9 Rookies
47 Total Mushers: 35 Veterans, 12 Rookies
The twins are obviously included in the tally of female veteran Iditarod mushers, with this being Kristy’s 12th and Anna’s 10th consecutive Iditarod appearances.
And of course, each musher will also leave the start with a full compliment of 14 amazing canine athletes, making for a total of 658 dogs starting this epic journey.
The Rules: Most of the key components of the Iditarod Rule Book are unchanged from last year, with a few things worth highlighting:
The Plan! If you’ve been following the twins in years past, I’m sure you’re dying to know what Kristy and Anna have planned for this year. Will they stick together on the trail? Where will they take their 24s? What new or altered strategies will they try, especially in face of a brand new route? Is there any new or different gear in their sleds? Are they shipping out extra sleds for during the race and, if so, where will they be waiting? How do they feel about tackling some of the trail’s most challenging sections (like the Alaska Range, Dalzell Gorge, Happy River Steps, and the Farewell Burn) not once, but twice??
All of these questions and more will be answered as we go along. For now, I can tell you a few things. Since there was no Musher Banquet this year, race officials used a number randomizer to assign each racer a bib number. Kristy is wearing Bib 4 this year, and Anna is wearing Bib 13. As mushers leave the start in 2-minute intervals, this puts only 18 minutes between the twins, an easily surmountable time if they opt to race together. But be forewarned, they might not. Largely by design, Kristy’s dog team has a little more collective experience and may prove to possess a bit more speed than Anna’s dog team. So if one of them makes a push to represent Seeing Double’s kennel higher in the ranks, it will likely be Kristy. But if you’ll forgive me revamping an old proverb: Woman makes plans, and Dogs laugh. Only time will tell us for sure.
In the meantime, Anna and Kristy have tackled most of their pre-Iditarod hurdles. All of their drop bags were organized, packed, labeled, and weighed before being turned in to Iditarod officials for shipment to the various checkpoints to facilitate resupplying along the trail. All of the dogs racing with them this year have had their thorough pre-race assessments, including EKGs, blood and urine analysis, microchipping, and overall veterinary wellness and readiness checks. Kristy and Anna were tested for Covid-19, both receiving negative results.
There’s still plenty for the twins to do over the next few days, and this Mad Blogger plans to monopolize a little of that time with requests of her own, including biographies on their respective dog teams, insights on their detailed race plan, and a handful of other questions that will allow me to provide their biggest fans with the best inside scoop that I can.
At least, that’s MY plan.
… but I think my own dog just laughed?!
Stay tuned, armchair mushers! If I get anything good, I’ll be sure to post an update over the remainder of the week. But at the least, I’ll be back Sunday afternoon to cover the start of Iditarod 2021 and get us all moving down the trail.
Want more? Visit the Full Broadcast Schedule at Iditarod.com.
The Trail: For the first time in 49 runnings, the Iditarod will not be finishing in Nome, Alaska, on the Bering Sea coast. Instead, teams will run the Gold Trail Loop, which essentially takes them along the historic Iditarod Trail southern route to the traditional halfway point and back to the start again.
Start and Finish: Deshka Landing, near Willow, Alaska.
Official Checkpoints: 18. This count includes Deshka twice for both the start and finish; Iditarod twice for both the outbound (or north) half and the post-Flat return (or south) half; and excludes Yentna (not a checkpoint this year, but mushers can get straw and HEET) and Takotna.
Approximate Race Miles: 852.
The Field: As of this writing, 47 mushers and their dog teams are slated to leave the starting line on Sunday, March 7th, at 2pm Alaska time. They will represent four countries (US, Canada, Norway, and Denmark), two states (Alaska and Minnesota), and two provinces (Alberta and Yukon). It is the smallest field of teams since 1989, when only 49 left the start, and well below the average number of entrants since the race began in 1973. An additional 19 mushers were previously registered to participate but withdrew from the competition, many citing travel complications courtesy of Covid-19.
Musher Stats:
13 Women: 10 Veterans, 3 Rookies
34 Men: 25 Veterans, 9 Rookies
47 Total Mushers: 35 Veterans, 12 Rookies
The twins are obviously included in the tally of female veteran Iditarod mushers, with this being Kristy’s 12th and Anna’s 10th consecutive Iditarod appearances.
And of course, each musher will also leave the start with a full compliment of 14 amazing canine athletes, making for a total of 658 dogs starting this epic journey.
The Rules: Most of the key components of the Iditarod Rule Book are unchanged from last year, with a few things worth highlighting:
- There is no Ceremonial Start on Saturday this year. Previously, this 11-mile parade style run through and around downtown Anchorage was mandatory for race participants.
- Particular timed rest stops are still required, but the points at which mushers must declare and take these rests have been adjusted for the Gold Trail Loop. Namely…
- 24 hour: must be taken in or between Skwentna-North and Iditarod-North on the outbound trail (and before the Flat loop).
- 8 hour: must be taken in or between Rohn-North and Rohn-South.
- 8 hour: must be taken in Skwentna-South (and replaces what would have been the final stop in White Mountain). - There is now a whole section addressing Covid-19. This includes, among other things, testing for mushers and all non-racing participant personnel before and during the race; wearing a mask when interacting in close proximity with anyone else; and maintaining “Checkpoint Bubbles” that will keep interaction with Alaska villages and those not immediately involved with the race at or near zero.
The Plan! If you’ve been following the twins in years past, I’m sure you’re dying to know what Kristy and Anna have planned for this year. Will they stick together on the trail? Where will they take their 24s? What new or altered strategies will they try, especially in face of a brand new route? Is there any new or different gear in their sleds? Are they shipping out extra sleds for during the race and, if so, where will they be waiting? How do they feel about tackling some of the trail’s most challenging sections (like the Alaska Range, Dalzell Gorge, Happy River Steps, and the Farewell Burn) not once, but twice??
All of these questions and more will be answered as we go along. For now, I can tell you a few things. Since there was no Musher Banquet this year, race officials used a number randomizer to assign each racer a bib number. Kristy is wearing Bib 4 this year, and Anna is wearing Bib 13. As mushers leave the start in 2-minute intervals, this puts only 18 minutes between the twins, an easily surmountable time if they opt to race together. But be forewarned, they might not. Largely by design, Kristy’s dog team has a little more collective experience and may prove to possess a bit more speed than Anna’s dog team. So if one of them makes a push to represent Seeing Double’s kennel higher in the ranks, it will likely be Kristy. But if you’ll forgive me revamping an old proverb: Woman makes plans, and Dogs laugh. Only time will tell us for sure.
In the meantime, Anna and Kristy have tackled most of their pre-Iditarod hurdles. All of their drop bags were organized, packed, labeled, and weighed before being turned in to Iditarod officials for shipment to the various checkpoints to facilitate resupplying along the trail. All of the dogs racing with them this year have had their thorough pre-race assessments, including EKGs, blood and urine analysis, microchipping, and overall veterinary wellness and readiness checks. Kristy and Anna were tested for Covid-19, both receiving negative results.
There’s still plenty for the twins to do over the next few days, and this Mad Blogger plans to monopolize a little of that time with requests of her own, including biographies on their respective dog teams, insights on their detailed race plan, and a handful of other questions that will allow me to provide their biggest fans with the best inside scoop that I can.
At least, that’s MY plan.
… but I think my own dog just laughed?!
Stay tuned, armchair mushers! If I get anything good, I’ll be sure to post an update over the remainder of the week. But at the least, I’ll be back Sunday afternoon to cover the start of Iditarod 2021 and get us all moving down the trail.
Want more? Visit the Full Broadcast Schedule at Iditarod.com.
