Kristy and Anna mushed into McGrath, race mile 311, within 4 minutes of each other right around 1am Wednesday morning.  Kristy was reported in 26th, Anna in 27th.  

Official race standings finally updated later in the day on Tuesday to confirm what I had guided.  Namely, the twins arrived with their dogs in the prior checkpoint of Nikolai just before 12:30pm.  They rested in checkpoint for nearly 5 1/2 hours and used some of that time to work with vets and ultimately decide to return one more dog each.  This gave both Anna and Kristy 12 dogs on the line when they pulled out of Nik just before 6pm Tuesday evening.

They spent a little over 7 hours on the trail covering the 48 miles from Nik to McGrath.  With average moving speeds of a little over 8mph, they spent the majority of that time moving along the trail, taking only brief rests to snack the dogs, untangle a line, or replace a bootie.  I think there is a very good chance they will 24 in McGrath, and if we don't see their GPS trackers moving down the trail again by noon Alaska time Wednesday (after 11 hours in checkpoint), I think we have that confirmed.  As of this writing, though, they could still opt to make this their 8 hour stop.  We'll have a better idea soon enough.

Wait - how's that work again?  Recall mushers have to take a 24 hour rest and an 8 hour rest along certain sections of trail, and a final mandatory 8hr at Skwentna - south before the final run to the finish line.  When and where mushers opt to take these rests is a big part of race strategy.  You'll notice the race standings jockey around a lot while mushers take these breaks differently. Right now, several mushers in the top 20 have checked off their 8 hour rest.  Only one, Rick Casillo, has thus far completed his 24.  He's at the back of the pack right now, but keep in mind he'll still be racing later when those in the top 20 have to stop and take their 24s.  How many he blows by will help determine if his strategy was a good one or not.  Often we won't know until late in the race how these decisions shook out across teams, not until after the majority of mushers have completed both their variable-choice 24 and 8 hour rests.

And by race rules this year, that will be after the Rohn - south checkpoint on the return.  Mushers have to take their 24 between or including Skwentna - north and Iditarod - north (before the Flat loop), and their 8hr some time between or in Rohn - north and Rohn - south.  It will be very interesting to watch how all of this shakes out.

For the time being, we have Brent Sass reported in first (no completed required rests yet) and out of Ophir (mile 352) just before 4:30am.  Ryan Redington and Aaron Burmeister were both reported into Ophir, and they've both satisfied their 8hr.  Several other mushers are closing in on this checkpoint, some with completed 8s and some without.  

Whether mushers have opted to rest or keep running, here is a good synopsis of recent and near term weather conditions.  Looks like they'll be putting on their best cold gear soon, and keeping it on for a while.

From AlaskasNewsSource.com:
Starting tonight into Wednesday, clouds will slowly clear as colder and drier air filters into the region. Temperatures along the trail will dip into the teens tonight, with even colder conditions expected through the day Wednesday and Thursday. By Thursday and into the end of the week, many locations along the trail will feature highs near 0 and subzero values likely as low as 30-below. 

Official race standings did report Kristy, and then Anna, into Rohn at 7:33pm and a little after 8pm, respectively.  They stayed a little longer in checkpoint than I had expected.  Possibly grabbing and sorting extra gear, likely giving the dogs a quick snack, perhaps getting any info on the trail ahead or comparing notes with fellow mushers.  Anna also used the stop to return the first dog from her team.  I have not yet heard which dog or why, but I'll be sure to let you know when I do.  

This put Kristy out of Rohn reported in 20th place at 8:16pm Monday night with 13 dogs on her team, and Anna pulled out in 22nd at 8:42pm, also with 13 dogs.  They both moved along the trail for a bit as anticipated, before hunkering down for a trailside camp from a little before midnight until after 4am.  

They've been moving steadily along the trail since, and are currently trotting along just shy of 8mph at race mile 250.  This should put them into Nikolai, race mile 263, in a couple hours - sometime between 12pm and 1pm Tuesday afternoon.  They promise to have plenty of company there with lots of mushers resting their teams in Nik before heading out on the 48 miles to McGrath.

Only one musher is currently reported out of Nikolai, and that is current front-runner and former Iditarod champ Dallas Seavey.  GPS currently has him at mile 274.  The back of the pack has yet to check out of Rohn, giving us a lead-lag field spread of 86 miles.

That isn't as much of a spread as I might expect as we approach two full days into the race.  But teams are really moving along this year, and I'm not unique in that assessment.  I watched an Insider clip of Dallas in Rohn and he also commented on it being a fast trail with fast moving teams.  Benign weather during the start of the race surely contributed to that.  Recent weather conditions definitely sound more "Iditarody" though.  Temps of -20F Sunday night morphed into +20/25F around Nik early Tuesday.  The winds picked up overnight, and the snow started to come down.

There was a great Insider interview with some of the trail camera crew earlier today.  They had been out on the trail between Rohn and Nikolai and provided some firsthand reports.  It sounds like the early portion of this section of trail had very little snow.  This can be troublesome in this section as mushers and their teams travel through the Farewell Burn, and area still recovering from one of the largest fires in Alaska history.  They reported big rocks and areas of glare ice.  Then the storm moved in and things got real snowy, real quick.  The crew did run into a few teams along this stretch, and so far it sounds like the consensus among mushers is the return trip through "the burn" will not be a welcome one.

Another huge bit of Iditarod news since my last post... Aily Zirkle was injured as she came into the Rohn checkpoint Monday evening.  She was transported to a hospital in Anchorage and became the second musher to scratch from Iditarod 2021.  A bit more information was released on Iditarod.com, namely:  "Zirkle is in stable but guarded condition after sustaining a significant impact that resulted in a concussion and orthopedic injuries to her upper torso. Zirkle has been released from the hospital and is resting in Anchorage with family and plans to return home when they are able."  She was running a 14-dog team at the time and the dogs are all reported in good condition.  They will be well cared for in Rohn before taking the soonest available flight with the Iditarod Air Force back to Anchorage and then on to their home kennel.  

On behalf of Seeing Double, I send my very best to both Aliy and Cindy as they each make their way home from the race.  Dog Speed.

It's Monday night and mushers have completed their first full day on the trail, with one day and five hours having elapsed since teams left the start.  Official standings last had Kristy reported out of Rainy Pass in 21st place at 3:35pm Monday afternoon, and Anna took off not 2 minutes behind her in 22nd place.  Ryan Redington was reported in 1st place when he pulled out of Rohn Monday afternoon a little after 4pm, with Martin Buser and Richie Diehl not too far behind.  In fact, a total of 5 mushers were reported out of Rohn (race mile 188) before 6:30pm Monday evening, and I'm sure those standings will be updated with more departures and arrivals very soon.

The two mushers at the back of the pack were reported out of Finger Lake early Monday evening, and the first musher is out of the race.  Iditarod.com reported that Cindy Gallea opted to withdraw from the race in Skwentna early Monday when she became ill (non-Covid-related per officials).  This leaves 45 mushers on the Iditarod trail.

Kristy and Anna appear to have largely stuck with their run/rest plan thus far.  Neither one spent any time to speak of in Rainy Pass, although Kristy did opt to return one dog from her team.  I have since learned that Rampage was sent home with a sore shoulder, and he's already back at the kennel (where he promptly ran through the dog yard and peed on another kennel mate's house).  That is the only dog to step out of either Seeing Double team so far this year, giving Kristy 13 dogs in front of her sled and Anna a full 14-dog team.

Although official Iditarod.com standings do not yet reflect this as I write, GPS trackers have Kristy now into Rohn and Anna only a mile or so before it.  This means they will have put their first trek through the Dalzell Gorge behind them.  I wonder, having plummeted down this 200 foot hill, what they think about later having to run back up it?!  In any event, both twins should stop in checkpoint only briefly to resupply before you see their GPS trackers moving, only to stop again and rest 15 to 20 miles beyond Rohn.  They were both planning a trailside camp, probably in the neighborhood of 4 hours, to feed and rest the dogs.  This also helps to break up an otherwise long 75-mile stretch between Rohn and Nikolai.

Look for the twins to rest within checkpoint in Nikolai for a while (4 hours?) before they pull their snow hooks and make trail to McGrath.  This is where they not only shipped their second sleds but also where they anticipated declaring and taking their mandatory 24-hour stop. 

Today is the perfect day to recognize the outstanding women participating in this year's Iditarod.  Overall, the sport of sled dog racing historically was, and continues to be, dominated by men.  And Iditarod clearly demonstrates this.  Of the 46 mushers out on the trail in 2021, only 13 of 46 are women ~ 28% of the field.  And I don't think that percentage has varied a great deal since the race started in 1973.  

Which isn't to say women haven't been an important part of, and a force to be reckoned with, in the Iditarod.  Mary Shields was the first woman to finish the Iditarod, and she did that in 1974.  She set the stage for all the women that would come later.  One of those would be Libby Riddles, who became the first woman to win the Iditarod in 1985.  And I would bet anyone who claims to know anything about the Iditarod immediately knows the name Susan Butcher.  She was the most recent woman to win the Iditarod, doing so in 1990, and before that enjoyed three championships in a row in 1986, 1987, and 1988.  Another woman who will go down in the annals of mushing lore is DeeDee Jonrowe.  DeeDee successfully completed a whopping 32 Iditarods, with sixteen Top 10 finishes.

There are thirteen women in this year's contest, 10 Iditarod veterans and 13 rookies.  Those 10 Iditarod vets have literally thousands of historical Iditarod trail miles under their runners.  Those ten women have 88 successful Iditarod finishes between them...!! 20 for Aliy Zirkle (including seven top 10s and three 2nd place finishes), 18 for Jessie Royer (including eight top 10s), 12 for Cindy Gallea, 10 for Kristy and Michelle Phillips, and 8 for Anna.  The other four veterans have still logged 8 finishes between them.  That amounts to a tremendous amount of experience and commands a great deal of respect in the mushing world.

Equally impressive are the backgrounds of the women involved.  Paige Drobny has a Masters of Science in Fisheries Oceanography.  Joanna Jagow has a nursing degree and works at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.  Michelle Phillips has a background in figure skating!  Susannah Tuminelli has worked with the Montana Conservation Corps.  Ten of these thirteen women currently call Alaska home, but many grew up elsewhere in the country or the world.  Mille Porsild is from Denmark!

Of course this Mad Blogger is most impressed by the female mushers she knows best.  Kristy and Anna served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard.  They road horses through the Seirra Madres.  They chased down their ultimate dream and found it in the pinnacle of their chosen sport.  They've completed 18 Iditarods between them, dozens of mid-distance races, and manage their own kennel.  They're also impressive athletes outside of mushing, competing in marathons, triathlons, and canicross events.  They can build nearly anything, have worked in commercial fishing, and are learning the ins and outs of landscaping.  They're kind and funny and hardworking and beautiful and...

And like all the women brought together through the sport of sled dog racing, they love dogs.  They know each dog's name, nickname, gait, favorite snack and scratchy spot, and a dozen other things.  You have to have a big heart for all those cold noses, and I know these women have that in spades.

Congratulations to all the women out on the Iditarod trail this year, and thank you showing us all that anything can be accomplished.  Heck with percentages.

It's Monday morning and mushers have been on the trail for about 17 hours as of this writing.  Ryan Redington, bib #20, is currently leading the pack at race mile 150 and closing in on the Rainy Pass checkpoint.  The back of the pack has two mushers preparing to check out of Skwentna, and the rest of the field spread out along the trail in between.

Quick update on our field:  Rookie musher Sean Williams of Chugiak, Alaska, slated to wear bib #35, withdrew from the race yesterday morning before the start due to a non-Covid related family health issue.  That gives us 46 total mushers in this year's competition.  

After leaving the starting line, Kristy and Anna both ran for about 5 hours before stopping for a camp out to rest and feed the dogs.  Although Kristy would have gotten to their designed campsite first, I do believe they spent the majority of this approximately 4 hour stop together.  Kristy pulled into Skwentna around 11:40pm Sunday night, with Anna pulling in 15 minutes later.  Neither twin spent more than a few minutes in checkpoint, inevitably grabbing dog food and supplies from a drop bag, straw, and HEET, before hitting the trail again.

After Skwentna, GPS trackers have both twins moving steadily along the trail.  Between 1 and 2am, the elevation readings on their trackers showed the steady increase indicative of their start up and over the Alaska Range.  They stopped for another planned campout trailside between 3 and 3:30am, again resting the dogs and themselves about 4 hours.  This campsite was at race mile 111, and both Kristy and Anna started moving down the trail again around 7am.

Having rested trailside fairly recently, I do not expect to see either Kristy or Anna spend much time in the Finger Lake checkpoint (race mile 123).  I suspect they will again resupply before moving on almost immediately for Rainy Pass.  About 10 miles before the Rainy Pass checkpoint, they will tackle the Happy River Steps, a series of aggressive downhill switchbacks in the trail.  This is a notoriously technical portion of trail, likely made more challenging by deep trenching. 

Trenching is caused by the amount of sled traffic and the need for each musher to use his or her drag pad and brake a lot to control the team.  The deeper the trench, the harder it is to achieve effective braking and the easier it is to get sucked into a rut and tip a sled.  Many mushers, including the twins, will also unsnap the dogs' necklines prior to a section like this.  It gives the dogs more freedom of movement alongside the line and a chance for each to find a smoother section of trail to run on.  Below are some pictures Kristy's husband, Andy, took at the bottom of Happy River Steps during the 2020 Iditarod.  The deepest trench was a whopping 4 feet deep!

After tackling that, odds are higher that we will see both twins take a rest within the checkpoint of Rainy Pass once they arrive, which is race mile 153.  

I hope you already read the blog post introducing Kristy's team, as the opening discussion there is key to appreciating Anna's team as well.  All fourteen of Anna's canine teammates are amazing dogs, and she is really excited to be making this journey with them!

The team averages 3.5 years of age and has 10 males and 4 females.  8 dogs are on loan to the twins this season from fellow mushers and 6 are Seeing Double dogs.  8 dogs are also rookies to the Iditarod while 6 are veterans.

Let's take a closer look...!

Astro:  2 year old male on loan from Nic Petit.  Although an Iditarod rookie, he's happy to do his part and run anywhere on the team.

Bandit:  3 year old male on loan from Travis Beals.  This impressive dog actually started his racing days with a well-known human in the sprint racing circuit.  But he wanted to go the distance!  Despite being an Iditarod rookie, he runs in lead quite a bit and is learning tons.  He's a very nice, fast dog.

Secret:  2 year old female on loan from Nic Petit.  It's her rookie Iditarod and she'll typically be running somewhere between the mid and front of the team, although she's not ready to lead much yet.

Drax:  3 year old male and Seeing Double Dog.  Drax is an Iditarod veteran and one of the star leaders on Anna's team.  He's part of the Guardians of the Galaxy litter, running with sibling Yondu.

Birdie:  3 year old female on loan from Travis Beals.  This super sweet girl is making her rookie Iditarod appearance, but she has the confidence to run in lead, particularly if paired with Drax.  When she gets back to the kennel after a run, she loves to race right to her house, tag it, and then race back to Anna and nearly tackle her.

Forrest:  6 year old male and Seeing Double Dog.  He's an Iditarod veteran that will be applying his strength and skills in the middle-to-back of the team.

Ryder:  7 year old male and Seeing Double Dog.  Ryder came to Seeing Double's family by way of Robert Redington and a negotiation over some fish!  The twins had run with two of his siblings before, though, and were confident he would fit right in at the kennel.  He's an Iditarod veteran and will run towards the front of the team.

Randy:  2 year old male and Seeing Double Dog.  This is his rookie year in Iditarod but he's a versatile member of the team, not to mention very strong and very sweet!

Yondu:  3 year old male and Seeing Double Dog.  As mentioned earlier, Yondu is part of the Guardians of the Galaxy litter and running with his brother Drax.  He's an Iditarod veteran and another of Anna's best leaders.

Loki:  2 year old male on loan from Dean Osmar.  This is his first Iditarod, but he will step up and run in lead.

Rizo:  6 year old female and Seeing Double Dog.  She's part of the Muppet litter and has been in the Iditarod with one of the twins several times.  She can be very shy around strangers, but out on the trail she is a star and one of Anna's best leaders, particularly by way of her experience.

Diego:  2 year old male and Seeing Double Dog.  Diego joined the Seeing Double family within the last year and this is his first Iditarod appearance.  He's a team dog who needs to run surrounded by his pack to keep him focused.

Aspen:  3 year old female on loan from Travis Beals.  This is her first Iditarod and she's happy to run anywhere on the team, but you won't find this girl in lead (we're not ALL born leaders, after all).

Dane:  5 year old male on loan from Ryan Redington.  He's an Iditarod veteran and will be primarily running in a team dog role.
​
Click through the gallery, below, to see each dog's name.
​

Every dog is special, and memorable, and amazing in his or her own right. But the dogs chosen for an Iditarod team are that and so much more. Attitude, stamina, leadership and athleticism define them. Some might have you believe this sport or this event is purely for the humans, but it's not. It all comes down to the dogs, and this race wouldn't happen without them.

It can be tough to have one kennel and two mushers. Both humans know every single dog intimately, have worked with them in one way or another. Kennel care is shared. It may help that in this case the humans in question are identical twins, which may well make it easier for the dogs to roll with either of their humans whenever and wherever But when it comes to forming Iditarod racing teams, how the various dogs work together, the positions that need to be filled on the dog team, and the goals of the mushers and kennel need to find the right balancing act.

This year, Kristy and Anna changed things up a bit. While they're both running very well trained, capable dog teams, if you had to point to a varsity squad - Kristy's would be it. In most of their previous appearances, the twins' dog teams were very closely balanced. This year, Anna and Kristy made the decision to focus a bit more experience and speed in front of Kristy's sled.

Let's meet Kristy's dog team!

Kristy will be leaving Deshka Landing with 12 males and 2 females. Which isn't to say boy dogs are better than girl dogs in the Iditarod by any means! It's just how it worked out. 9 of the dogs on the team belong to Seeing Double, with a group of 5 and another of 4 being litter mates! Their average age is 3.85 years, and 12 of the 14 dogs are Iditarod veterans.

Amp: 5 year old male on loan from Travis Beals. He runs best in the back half of the team and needs to hang out with the ladies or neutered males. He has race experience and is ready to hit the trail.

Barge: 3 year old male on loan from Travis Beals. He is a rookie this year and will be running in swing or near the back of the team.

Crocket: 3 year old male on loan from Nic Petit. He's an Iditarod veteran and will run anywhere but is working on his lead dog skills. He's one of the biggest dogs on the team, weighing in around 75 pounds!

Rampage: 3 year old male and Seeing Double Dog. He's the first of five siblings in the Trouble Litter on Kristy's team this year. He's an Iditarod veteran and will run in any position, but excels in lead with Rebel.

Berzerker: 5 year old male and Seeing Double Dog. He's part of the B-Squad litter and usually runs in swing or near the back of the team.

Ruckus: 3 year old male and Seeing Double Dog. He's an Iditarod vet and the 2nd sibling from the Trouble Litter. He's spent a little time in lead and can run anywhere on the team.

Bogus: 5 year old male and Seeing Double Dog. He's an Iditarod vet and part of the B-Squad litter. Returning fans undoubtedly recognize his name. He's a champ and will run anywhere... but lead. No lead, no thanks.

Havoc: 3 year old male and Seeing Double Dog. Number 3 from the Trouble Litter on the team, he's one of Kristy's main leaders and is often running the line with Crocket.

Bootleg: 5 year old female and Seeing Double Dog. This lady knows her business as an Iditarod veteran and part of the B-Squad litter. Much like brother Bogus, she's solid anywhere on the team... but lead!

Chaos: 3 year old male and Seeing Double Dog. As his name suggests, he's the 4th member of the Trouble Litter. He's an Iditarod vet that whill run anywhere on the team.

Bulliet: 5 year old male and Seeing Double Dog. He's the 4th member of the B-Squad litter and another Iditarod veteran. He'll run anywhere on the team, including lead, albeit grudgingly.

Mayhem: 3 year old female and Seeing Double Dog. The fifth member of the Trouble Litter, she's an Iditarod veteran and is one of Kristy's main leaders down the trail, often running with Polar.

Rebel: 6 year old male on loan from Dean Osmar. An Iditarod vet, he often runs in lead with Rampage. He is always near the front of the team.

Polar: 2 year old male on loan from Jesse Holmes. It's his rookie Iditarod, although he shows a lot of potential as a lead dog for one so young. Having Mayhem as a mentor is paying off!

Click on the photo gallery to see each dog's name, below.

Here's a short video of Kristy's entire team on the line!  Be sure to turn up your volume so you can hear Kristy introduce them.  Note, on this day she was running a 16-dog team, so at the very end you'll also meet Duramax and Dolphin.

* Mayhem & Polar * Berzerker & Bulliet * Rampage & Rebel * Havoc & Ruckus * Crocket & Bogus *
* Bootleg & Amp * Barge & Chaos * Duramax & Dolphin *

Kristy, Anna, and 28 dogs between them are on their way down the 2021 Iditarod trail!  

An hour or so before launch time, Mom and I - watching remotely from the twins' hometown in Wisconsin - got a quick phone call so we could wish everyone well.  Both Anna and Kristy sounded great.  It didn't sound like they got much more sleep than they normally would have the night before the big event, but they were excited and ready to hit the trail.

I had no issues technologically watching Kristy and Anna leave the start, and kudos to Iditarod staff and their local news partner for offering solid streaming, different camera angles, and interesting commentary.  

Each musher, including the twins, had a face covering at the start, and the limited fans I could see lining the chute were wearing masks as well.  Each musher received a Covid-19 test when they arrived at Deshka Landing today, and as far as I've heard everyone has the final all-clear to race.  The sun was shining and it was balmy by Iditarod standards (+10F, not counting the toasty impact of the sun), so I am hard pressed to envision a better day to do it.

Kristy told us that her sled bag was packed to the gills, and she hopes to be able to blow through Yentna without stopping.  Anna has a similar plan.  Although it was quite warm and comfortable today for the race start, it promises to get near zero for camping out on the river tonight.  The twins have all their gear and plenty of straw to bed down the dogs, so while you might not be able to imagine it, they should be quite comfy out there tonight.

The dogs looked really excited on the line and raring to go.  Kristy said that Mayhem was so wound up early on, she was chewing at the gang line and was moved to lead.  That way she didn't have anything immediately apparent to naw on!  Anna's dogs also looked great and eager to get running.

I have finished the dog team bios and will be posting them shortly!

I'll let the rest of the 47 teams get on their way, and be back later with a race update and where they've gotten to on the trail.  Remember - this is a long race, folks.  Think marathon, not sprint!  

Happy Weekend, Race Fans!  I don't know when exactly you're reading this, but I know when I'm writing it, and we have less than 20 hours until go-time as of this post.  

First, the NEED 2 KNO for Sunday (yeah - March 7th):

TIME ZONES, PEOPLE!  Know your's.  
Free broadcast on Iditarod.com set to launch at 1:30pm ALASKA TIME.
Mushers leave the start at 2pm Alaska time in 2-minute intervals.
Kristy is Bib 4.
Anna is Bib 13.  

If you're super keen to see it, give yourself a buffer to make sure you've got the site up before 2pm.

What site, where?!  Iditarod.com/LIVE

With that said, if you have technical difficulties (and I'm going to try and say this as nicely as I can...):
Try Iditarod.com's home page.
Try refreshing your web browser.  
Try the time-proven IT support suggestion:  save open work, reboot, and start over.
Heck, try cleaning your cache.  But don't try contacting me.  I won't know.  I don't work with the lovely folks at Iditarod, I'm physically in Wisconsin, and am likely having the same problem you are!

Phew.  Thank you.  Ah-hem...

After the twins hit the trail, I will update the blog at least once or twice a day, indicating where they are according to their Iditarod GPS trackers (subscription required, and I have one... get yours here), any insights I have on their current section of trail, weather, other news, and pretty much whatever I can find or know worthy of sharing.  I'll even toss in a few Special Features along the way.

To that end, I did have a great conversation with both Kristy and Anna earlier today and am armed with all sorts of kibble and tid-bits that I'll use to enhance the blog along the way.  We're also lucky to have several RDCs (Returned Dog Correspondents) with boots on the ground in and around the kennel in Alaska ~ Kristy's husband, Andy, Dog Handler Extraordinaire Aaron, and returning RDC and good kennel friend KennyMc.  We'll get great updates on any dog that needs to leave the team during the race and head home.  Which brings me to...

Dog Team Update:  Ok, let's all face it.  We love the twins.   But we ooohh and awww and gush something fierce over the marvelous Seeing Double Dogs.  I have all the details about both Kristy and Anna's 2021 dog teams, including their names, gender, age, whether they're Iditarod veterans or rookies, if they belong to Seeing Double or are on loan from another musher, and what position each dog typically runs in.  

I need to both receive and organize all of the pictures that accompany that info, but I'm working on it and I will be back with full DOG TEAM BIOS ASAP!!  Always good fun, don't miss it.

Covid-19 Bulletin:  All mushers were tested as part of the Iditarod-Bubble concept on Thursday March 4th and will be tested again immediately upon arrival at the Deshka Landing start line on Sunday.  Anyone testing positive cannot proceed, and the twins are all-clear thus far.  Mandatory testing will also take place later in the race when mushers reach the checkpoint of McGrath (north), and again upon official exit (withdrawal or finish) from the race.  I believe there were a couple positive cases caught within non-racing Iditarod volunteers or personnel through this process so far, and I hope those individuals are ok.  But it is also nice to see the process in place works.  Hand sanitizer availability, masks, and the checkpoint-bubble concept throughout bodes well for a safe race for all.

Those are the key NEED 2 KNOs for now.  I'll get back to work on the dog team bios!

In case you're looking for some extras to go with Sunday brunch and while waiting for the race to start, may I highlight on the menu:

Visit the Blog sidebar.  Seeing Double's official 2021 flyer is available for you adorable super-fan-collector-types.  Seeing Double's Flickr album collection is also great to get you in the Iditarod mood!

CNN, Boom!  They don't mention the twins explicitly, but if you flip through the pics, you'll see Anna!

​Did you catch the Tales from the Trail podcast with Kristy and Anna?  It's from early February, but features some great insights.  Roughly 30 minutes of gold.

​

Ladies and Gentlemen! 
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…

​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.
​

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:

• 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.
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