Hello Seeing Double friends and fans! Welcome back for yet another year of our behind-the-scenes coverage of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. My name is Kat, and I am Anna and Kristy’s “not-a-twin” sister and Mad Blogger extraordinaire. For over a decade, I’ve made it my job to narrate the twins’ journey from Anchorage to Nome each March, doing my best to shed light on what’s happening out on the trail and bring the excitement and challenge of this epic journey to fans everywhere. In that respect, this year is no different.
The Iditarod’s 52nd launch is only days away, and I have a lot to cover! So let’s get right down to business, shall we?!
First and foremost on many minds, I’m sure: Where the heck is Kristy this year?! Maybe you thought the Iditarod roster made a mistake, or the twins were planning some sort of late-breaking surprise, but neither is the case. For the first time since 2011, there will only be one Berington out on the Iditarod trail in 2024. At least physically. But mentally, emotionally, and visibly present in the health and training level of all the dogs, the Seeing Double spirit will be going strong. And I know we will all feel it still.
The twins came into this season knowing they would have to change things up a little bit. Nothing has changed with respect to their love of dogs and mushing! What has continued to change are the costs associated with pursuing this passion. And by change, I mean go up. And up! Dog food, veterinary costs, mushing gear, even the gas required to get to events, are all more expensive. Unfortunately, as the expenses went up, the inflows didn’t quite keep pace. A rainy Alaska summer limited the amount of landscaping work the twins could do to replenish their coffers, and some natural turnover in sponsors impacted cash inflows as well. Running two Iditarod caliber teams out of the same kennel is pricey. After doing the math, the only thing that added up for Kristy and Anna was a divide-and-conquer plan for this season.
They have both put hundreds of training and mid-distance race miles on the dogs this year, and they are equally involved in loving on, and caring for, all the pups. They alternated time on the runners for all their mid-distance events leading up to Iditarod. And now Anna will showcase all of that Seeing Double talent and effort in what will be her 13th Iditarod career start.
Second order of business: What does the Iditarod look like this year? No real surprises with respect to the trail route. Mushers will still run the Ceremonial Start from Anchorage on Saturday and the restart from Willow on Sunday, following the historic trail over the first third of the race to Ophir. As they’re slated to do even-numbered years, mushers will then follow the northern route to Cripple, Ruby, Galena, and Nulato. Mushers will again pick up the annual historic trail from Kaltag and run that the rest of the way to Nome. Total race miles are approximated at 975, also about the norm. Alaska has had another whopper snow year, so the first third of the trail should have plenty of the white stuff. The other side of the Alaska Range, though, could pose some challenges, especially in the notoriously windblown and battered Farewell Burn. We’ll learn more about that section of trail, as well as conditions beyond it, in the days ahead.
So that’s the trail… What about the Iditarod field of mushers? This has been a bit of a moving target, and I think I’ve run those numbers three or four times so far. There have been some headlines and drama, but as none of that involves the twins directly, it is way beyond my purview to say anything more here. What I will say about the field, at least as of this post:
Field Total: 38 mushers.
22 Iditarod Veterans, 16 Rookies.
27 of the total 38 are male (16 vets, 11 rookies).
11 of the total 38 are female (6 vets, 5 rookies).
5 Countries represented: USA, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland.
7 US States: Alaska, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Washington.
1 Canadian Province: Yukon.
There is plenty of talent running in that field as well. At least twelve of the entrants have earned a top-10 finish in a prior Iditarod, and we have three returning champions with Ryan Redington (2023), Pete Kaiser (2019), and five-time champ Dallas Seavey (he last ran the Iditarod in 2022 and last claimed the championship in 2021).
Of course the most talent, the most strength and stamina, the biggest cuteness factor in this year’s race is embodied by the 608 dogs anticipated to launch off the restart line.
Which brings me to the third order of business: Race rules and the schedule of events. Both of these aspects will be very familiar to returning fans of the race. For the most part, the official rules and regs are unchanged from last year. The aforementioned total of 608 dogs launching from the start stems from each musher being able to leave with a maximum of 16 dogs. This is a dedicated team of dogs for each musher, whereby no dog may be traded, replaced, or left behind (except through proper channels and with officials in a checkpoint). Mushers must check in and out of each checkpoint and the dogs will be regularly assessed by veterinarians. Mushers must also declare and take one 24-hour mandatory rest anywhere along the race route (plus starting differential), one 8-hour rest at a checkpoint along the Yukon River, and one 8-hour rest in White Mountain. By this point, mushers have all shipped out their Drop Bags (resupply bags) to the eligible checkpoints and also had their dog teams in for pre-race vet checks and EKGs.
Which brings us all to the final days of waiting for the actual festivities to begin. And we don’t have to wait too long. Leap Thursday, Feb. 29th, brings the annual Musher meet-and-greet followed by the Musher Banquet and Bib Number drawing. Saturday, March 2nd, features the Ceremonial Start and non-competitive run through Anchorage (starting at 10am Alaska time from 4th and D streets in downtown Anchorage). And the restart takes place Sunday, March 3rd, from Willow, with the first musher hitting the trail at 2pm Alaska time.
This Mad Blogger is heading back to Alaska for a first-hand look and will be boots on the ground not long after Anna learns her starting position for this year’s race on Thursday. I’ll be sure to update the Blog with Anna’s full dog team biography, details on her starting position and how she feels about it, and coverage of both the Ceremonial Start and Restart. I’ll be traveling to Alaska from Wisconsin - land of the winter that wasn’t! We have bupkis for snow this year, and I’m struggling a bit to get into my full Iditarod spirit. I’m looking forward to getting my boots back into the snow - not to mention rocking my absurd snow pants!
And while it will be quite bizarre to follow only one of my sisters along the trail this year, there is one huge benefit… I will have the best Seeing Double Returned Dog Correspondent yet! I will spend most of my time following the race from back in Wisco, but at least this year I will have Kristy at the kennel giving regular updates on the squad still in Knik, any dogs Anna opts to return home during the race, and the inside-inside interpretation of what Anna is up to out on the trail. I look forward to regularly featuring Kristy's Wisdoms in blog posts and on Insta.
Let’s Gear Up, Armchair Mushers! Iditarod 2024 is about to begin.
Suggested Armchair Musher gear:
Internet connection and device.
Quick links to Seeing Double’s Blog, Iditarod.com, and your favorite Alaska news sources.
Print outs of the trail map, checkpoint list, and mileage.
Slippers and coffee (or preferred equivalents).
Trail snacks for yourself and any furry sidekicks.
Seeing Double annual flyer and your favorite SD Merch!
Seeing Double Iditarod 2024 Playlist…
Song 1: Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man.
The Iditarod’s 52nd launch is only days away, and I have a lot to cover! So let’s get right down to business, shall we?!
First and foremost on many minds, I’m sure: Where the heck is Kristy this year?! Maybe you thought the Iditarod roster made a mistake, or the twins were planning some sort of late-breaking surprise, but neither is the case. For the first time since 2011, there will only be one Berington out on the Iditarod trail in 2024. At least physically. But mentally, emotionally, and visibly present in the health and training level of all the dogs, the Seeing Double spirit will be going strong. And I know we will all feel it still.
The twins came into this season knowing they would have to change things up a little bit. Nothing has changed with respect to their love of dogs and mushing! What has continued to change are the costs associated with pursuing this passion. And by change, I mean go up. And up! Dog food, veterinary costs, mushing gear, even the gas required to get to events, are all more expensive. Unfortunately, as the expenses went up, the inflows didn’t quite keep pace. A rainy Alaska summer limited the amount of landscaping work the twins could do to replenish their coffers, and some natural turnover in sponsors impacted cash inflows as well. Running two Iditarod caliber teams out of the same kennel is pricey. After doing the math, the only thing that added up for Kristy and Anna was a divide-and-conquer plan for this season.
They have both put hundreds of training and mid-distance race miles on the dogs this year, and they are equally involved in loving on, and caring for, all the pups. They alternated time on the runners for all their mid-distance events leading up to Iditarod. And now Anna will showcase all of that Seeing Double talent and effort in what will be her 13th Iditarod career start.
Second order of business: What does the Iditarod look like this year? No real surprises with respect to the trail route. Mushers will still run the Ceremonial Start from Anchorage on Saturday and the restart from Willow on Sunday, following the historic trail over the first third of the race to Ophir. As they’re slated to do even-numbered years, mushers will then follow the northern route to Cripple, Ruby, Galena, and Nulato. Mushers will again pick up the annual historic trail from Kaltag and run that the rest of the way to Nome. Total race miles are approximated at 975, also about the norm. Alaska has had another whopper snow year, so the first third of the trail should have plenty of the white stuff. The other side of the Alaska Range, though, could pose some challenges, especially in the notoriously windblown and battered Farewell Burn. We’ll learn more about that section of trail, as well as conditions beyond it, in the days ahead.
So that’s the trail… What about the Iditarod field of mushers? This has been a bit of a moving target, and I think I’ve run those numbers three or four times so far. There have been some headlines and drama, but as none of that involves the twins directly, it is way beyond my purview to say anything more here. What I will say about the field, at least as of this post:
Field Total: 38 mushers.
22 Iditarod Veterans, 16 Rookies.
27 of the total 38 are male (16 vets, 11 rookies).
11 of the total 38 are female (6 vets, 5 rookies).
5 Countries represented: USA, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland.
7 US States: Alaska, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Washington.
1 Canadian Province: Yukon.
There is plenty of talent running in that field as well. At least twelve of the entrants have earned a top-10 finish in a prior Iditarod, and we have three returning champions with Ryan Redington (2023), Pete Kaiser (2019), and five-time champ Dallas Seavey (he last ran the Iditarod in 2022 and last claimed the championship in 2021).
Of course the most talent, the most strength and stamina, the biggest cuteness factor in this year’s race is embodied by the 608 dogs anticipated to launch off the restart line.
Which brings me to the third order of business: Race rules and the schedule of events. Both of these aspects will be very familiar to returning fans of the race. For the most part, the official rules and regs are unchanged from last year. The aforementioned total of 608 dogs launching from the start stems from each musher being able to leave with a maximum of 16 dogs. This is a dedicated team of dogs for each musher, whereby no dog may be traded, replaced, or left behind (except through proper channels and with officials in a checkpoint). Mushers must check in and out of each checkpoint and the dogs will be regularly assessed by veterinarians. Mushers must also declare and take one 24-hour mandatory rest anywhere along the race route (plus starting differential), one 8-hour rest at a checkpoint along the Yukon River, and one 8-hour rest in White Mountain. By this point, mushers have all shipped out their Drop Bags (resupply bags) to the eligible checkpoints and also had their dog teams in for pre-race vet checks and EKGs.
Which brings us all to the final days of waiting for the actual festivities to begin. And we don’t have to wait too long. Leap Thursday, Feb. 29th, brings the annual Musher meet-and-greet followed by the Musher Banquet and Bib Number drawing. Saturday, March 2nd, features the Ceremonial Start and non-competitive run through Anchorage (starting at 10am Alaska time from 4th and D streets in downtown Anchorage). And the restart takes place Sunday, March 3rd, from Willow, with the first musher hitting the trail at 2pm Alaska time.
This Mad Blogger is heading back to Alaska for a first-hand look and will be boots on the ground not long after Anna learns her starting position for this year’s race on Thursday. I’ll be sure to update the Blog with Anna’s full dog team biography, details on her starting position and how she feels about it, and coverage of both the Ceremonial Start and Restart. I’ll be traveling to Alaska from Wisconsin - land of the winter that wasn’t! We have bupkis for snow this year, and I’m struggling a bit to get into my full Iditarod spirit. I’m looking forward to getting my boots back into the snow - not to mention rocking my absurd snow pants!
And while it will be quite bizarre to follow only one of my sisters along the trail this year, there is one huge benefit… I will have the best Seeing Double Returned Dog Correspondent yet! I will spend most of my time following the race from back in Wisco, but at least this year I will have Kristy at the kennel giving regular updates on the squad still in Knik, any dogs Anna opts to return home during the race, and the inside-inside interpretation of what Anna is up to out on the trail. I look forward to regularly featuring Kristy's Wisdoms in blog posts and on Insta.
Let’s Gear Up, Armchair Mushers! Iditarod 2024 is about to begin.
Suggested Armchair Musher gear:
Internet connection and device.
Quick links to Seeing Double’s Blog, Iditarod.com, and your favorite Alaska news sources.
Print outs of the trail map, checkpoint list, and mileage.
Slippers and coffee (or preferred equivalents).
Trail snacks for yourself and any furry sidekicks.
Seeing Double annual flyer and your favorite SD Merch!
Seeing Double Iditarod 2024 Playlist…
Song 1: Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man.