Mushers and their dog teams have now been out on the Iditarod trail for some 5 days 22 hours and change. Thirty-eight of the original forty-six entrants are still racing, with veterans Rick Casillo, Riley Dyche, and Pete Kaiser stepping out of the race and bringing our scratch tally to eight mushers. It's not yet 11am Saturday morning in Alaska, and GPS has Dallas Seavey leading the pack at race mile 655, out of Nikolai south and closing in on Rohn. The current red lantern, or musher in last place, is out of Iditarod and mushing at race mile 477 as of this post. All teams have seen the end of head-on traffic in this year's race.
Anna, Kristy, and their pups ran through the morning Friday after leaving Iditarod, stopping to camp as anticipated on the way to Ophir. Checking GPS periodically, it looked to me that they camped for about four hours and around 4:30pm were moving along the trail again. They pulled into Ophir around 10pm Friday night, gave the dogs a solid six and a half hour rest, and hit the trail again in the wee hours Saturday morning around 4:30am. Kristy pulled out in 27th place, Anna in 28th, and they each retained their 12 and 11 dogs, respectively.
They mushed along for a little over 5 hours, hopefully enjoying a nice sunrise over the mountains, and their first time traveling due east during the Iditarod, despite the lingering sub-zero temps. They were reported into McGrath, race mile 553 on the return, around 9:45am with temps still hovering around -16F. Kristy was reported in 24th, Anna in 25th.
If the twins don't stay long in McGrath, expect to see them run 15 miles or so past checkpoint and then stop for a decent trailside camp. If they do stay in McGrath, and their GPS trackers aren't moving again after 5 hours or so, they may very well be taking their 8-hour. They are two of only twelve mushers yet to reflect completion of both 24 and 8 hour variable choice rests. That could leave them racing to play a lot of catch up if they hope to be in sniffing distance of a top-twenty finish. Or it could leave them with really fresh, well rested dog teams that eat up the trail as they cover familiar territory and everybody realizes they're less than 300 miles from home.
Of course I'm hoping for the latter. And it worked well before... in 2019, I anxiously watched the twins delay their 8hr until Kaltag, over 700 miles into that year's race. This was later than they had taken this rest before, and they were again in the minority of teams waiting until that late point to do so. But then they went on to have their best finishes to date in 16th and 17th place. I sure hope that strategy works as well for them again.
When it comes to "old" strategy, I'd like to think of it more as "tried and true." You always have to try new things, but sometimes when you know something has succeeded in the past, recycling a similar notion or approach is a reasonable play. What else is old, new, borrowed or blue for Seeing Double this year?
Obviously the twins running together along the trail is a very familiar sight. I know some race commentators, and likely some fans, would enjoy seeing them run very different races simultaneously, but that just isn't how it's worked out. Maybe it's an identical twin thing, maybe it's being from the same kennel and it's a deeper pack mentality than we know. Whatever the case may be, this Mad Blogger is a-ok with it. They should be proud of demonstrating what sisters and family and best friends can do together year after year.
Also worthy of the tried-and-true category? The dogs on both Kristy and Anna's team that are proudly Iditarod veterans. When the twins left the start, eighteen of the total twenty-four dogs between them were Iditarod vets. The experience and stamina these dogs bring to the team is extremely valuable. Another thing? Depending on an older camera with a removable, replaceable battery instead of your cell phone for taking pictures, when it promises to be wicked cold with power outlets few and far between. That's what Kristy planned for this year.
And if you're looking for a bit more weekend reading, here are some links to articles from a bit earlier in the race or season:
Women of the Iditarod from KNOM has a great pre-race twin pic.
Alaska Public Media has a fun article featuring first a picture of Anna and later quotes from both twins.
Clothing company Filson did some work with the twins in 2020 and has a very informative article featuring Kristy and Anna modeling some of their outdoor ware.
Moving right along... what's NEW this year? Plenty that you're already read about, from the trail route to checkpoints to rest rules to head-on traffic. Everything to do with Covid-19 is new. I'm sure the twins never dreamed they'd need and want to pack extra face masks and gators for that purpose. A new development in the race's Covid protocols since the event began is each musher getting a second Covid test in McGrath on the return. I've already talked about the sit-down sleds the twins are trying for the first time this year in the Iditarod, and you met the 10 dogs in total running as Iditarod rookies with the twins this year. All of this is new to them!
What else is new? I posted earlier about winter gear, and the twins are running with boots and arctic parkas that are new to them with respect to use in the Iditarod. They fashioned new headlights of sorts onto their sled handlebars. These are used in addition to the headlamps both Kristy and Anna wear and allow a beam of light to remain focused in front of the dogs no matter where or what the twins might turn their gaze to. It is also a new moon tonight, so this year's teams have seen little to no moonlight during their travels at night. Lastly, the twins made a change to their gangline so that they're now using plastic toggles to secure tug lines and other adjustable and removable components rather than brass snaps. Not only are the plastic toggles materially lighter in weight, they don't have springs to ice up and freeze, greatly increasing ease of use.
And borrowed? Yep, there's a few things in this category too. I believe the twins mentioned that they borrowed their sit-down sleds from fellow musher Nic Petit. And I would like to borrow a quote from him, too. He said something to the effect of, "I'm not racing. This is just a trip I take each year." I think that's a fine way to approach this event, or even your annual vacation. Have fun, be safe. Try to make it the best trip ever, but if something goes awry, just make the best of it as you can. Make memories, and remember there will be another trip next year. Oh, and be sure to travel with as many dogs as you can!
Which leaves me all tangled up in blue! Seeing Double blue! The box on the dog truck, Kristy's sled, Anna's preferred bondi band. Blue lines in the rainbow connecting the dog team. Blue indicators for musher GPS trackers when they're both running and on the return portion of this year's loop trail. And Alaska's rugged, beautiful landscape under blue, blue skies.
Wherever you happen to be tracking the Iditarod from, I hope you're seeing some blue skies this weekend.
Anna, Kristy, and their pups ran through the morning Friday after leaving Iditarod, stopping to camp as anticipated on the way to Ophir. Checking GPS periodically, it looked to me that they camped for about four hours and around 4:30pm were moving along the trail again. They pulled into Ophir around 10pm Friday night, gave the dogs a solid six and a half hour rest, and hit the trail again in the wee hours Saturday morning around 4:30am. Kristy pulled out in 27th place, Anna in 28th, and they each retained their 12 and 11 dogs, respectively.
They mushed along for a little over 5 hours, hopefully enjoying a nice sunrise over the mountains, and their first time traveling due east during the Iditarod, despite the lingering sub-zero temps. They were reported into McGrath, race mile 553 on the return, around 9:45am with temps still hovering around -16F. Kristy was reported in 24th, Anna in 25th.
If the twins don't stay long in McGrath, expect to see them run 15 miles or so past checkpoint and then stop for a decent trailside camp. If they do stay in McGrath, and their GPS trackers aren't moving again after 5 hours or so, they may very well be taking their 8-hour. They are two of only twelve mushers yet to reflect completion of both 24 and 8 hour variable choice rests. That could leave them racing to play a lot of catch up if they hope to be in sniffing distance of a top-twenty finish. Or it could leave them with really fresh, well rested dog teams that eat up the trail as they cover familiar territory and everybody realizes they're less than 300 miles from home.
Of course I'm hoping for the latter. And it worked well before... in 2019, I anxiously watched the twins delay their 8hr until Kaltag, over 700 miles into that year's race. This was later than they had taken this rest before, and they were again in the minority of teams waiting until that late point to do so. But then they went on to have their best finishes to date in 16th and 17th place. I sure hope that strategy works as well for them again.
When it comes to "old" strategy, I'd like to think of it more as "tried and true." You always have to try new things, but sometimes when you know something has succeeded in the past, recycling a similar notion or approach is a reasonable play. What else is old, new, borrowed or blue for Seeing Double this year?
Obviously the twins running together along the trail is a very familiar sight. I know some race commentators, and likely some fans, would enjoy seeing them run very different races simultaneously, but that just isn't how it's worked out. Maybe it's an identical twin thing, maybe it's being from the same kennel and it's a deeper pack mentality than we know. Whatever the case may be, this Mad Blogger is a-ok with it. They should be proud of demonstrating what sisters and family and best friends can do together year after year.
Also worthy of the tried-and-true category? The dogs on both Kristy and Anna's team that are proudly Iditarod veterans. When the twins left the start, eighteen of the total twenty-four dogs between them were Iditarod vets. The experience and stamina these dogs bring to the team is extremely valuable. Another thing? Depending on an older camera with a removable, replaceable battery instead of your cell phone for taking pictures, when it promises to be wicked cold with power outlets few and far between. That's what Kristy planned for this year.
And if you're looking for a bit more weekend reading, here are some links to articles from a bit earlier in the race or season:
Women of the Iditarod from KNOM has a great pre-race twin pic.
Alaska Public Media has a fun article featuring first a picture of Anna and later quotes from both twins.
Clothing company Filson did some work with the twins in 2020 and has a very informative article featuring Kristy and Anna modeling some of their outdoor ware.
Moving right along... what's NEW this year? Plenty that you're already read about, from the trail route to checkpoints to rest rules to head-on traffic. Everything to do with Covid-19 is new. I'm sure the twins never dreamed they'd need and want to pack extra face masks and gators for that purpose. A new development in the race's Covid protocols since the event began is each musher getting a second Covid test in McGrath on the return. I've already talked about the sit-down sleds the twins are trying for the first time this year in the Iditarod, and you met the 10 dogs in total running as Iditarod rookies with the twins this year. All of this is new to them!
What else is new? I posted earlier about winter gear, and the twins are running with boots and arctic parkas that are new to them with respect to use in the Iditarod. They fashioned new headlights of sorts onto their sled handlebars. These are used in addition to the headlamps both Kristy and Anna wear and allow a beam of light to remain focused in front of the dogs no matter where or what the twins might turn their gaze to. It is also a new moon tonight, so this year's teams have seen little to no moonlight during their travels at night. Lastly, the twins made a change to their gangline so that they're now using plastic toggles to secure tug lines and other adjustable and removable components rather than brass snaps. Not only are the plastic toggles materially lighter in weight, they don't have springs to ice up and freeze, greatly increasing ease of use.
And borrowed? Yep, there's a few things in this category too. I believe the twins mentioned that they borrowed their sit-down sleds from fellow musher Nic Petit. And I would like to borrow a quote from him, too. He said something to the effect of, "I'm not racing. This is just a trip I take each year." I think that's a fine way to approach this event, or even your annual vacation. Have fun, be safe. Try to make it the best trip ever, but if something goes awry, just make the best of it as you can. Make memories, and remember there will be another trip next year. Oh, and be sure to travel with as many dogs as you can!
Which leaves me all tangled up in blue! Seeing Double blue! The box on the dog truck, Kristy's sled, Anna's preferred bondi band. Blue lines in the rainbow connecting the dog team. Blue indicators for musher GPS trackers when they're both running and on the return portion of this year's loop trail. And Alaska's rugged, beautiful landscape under blue, blue skies.
Wherever you happen to be tracking the Iditarod from, I hope you're seeing some blue skies this weekend.