Kristy, Anna, and their dog teams arrived in the checkpoint of Unalakleet (race mile 737) in 22nd and 23rd place, respectively, at 2:30pm AKST Monday afternoon. They spent seventeen and a half hours out on this long section of trail after Kaltag. And that's after only spending about 12 minutes within the prior checkpoint itself. Neither twin returned any dogs from Kaltag, continuing to travel with 9 (Kristy) and 10 (Anna) dog teams. They would have pulled out of Kaltag with plenty of straw in the backs of their sleds and extra supplies to keep everyone comfortable and well fed on the trail, particularly while they took a long campout at mile 686.
I expect the twins to rest for at least 5 or 6 hours in the checkpoint of Unalakleet and should hit the trail again Monday evening. When they do, they'll have 261 miles to mush before arriving in Nome.
Ryan Redington, grandson of the race's founder, has been at or near the front of the pack for this entire race and somewhere his grandfather must be very proud. Ryan arrived in the checkpoint of White Mountain (race mile 921) at 4:12pm AKST Monday afternoon and is taking his final mandatory 8 hour rest before mushing the final 77 miles to Nome. He arrived with 8 dogs in front of his sled and must finish with at least 5 dogs in harness when he pulls under the burled arch to achieve a successful finish. Right now, it's Ryan's race to lose.
His closest competitors are 2019 Iditarod champion Pete Kaiser, also running a team of 8 dogs, and Richie Diehl, running a 7 dog team. These two are practically mushing on top of each other at race mile 899 as I type this, clearly keen to capture 2nd place or be close enough to challenge Ryan for the win if anything slows him up. But they, as every musher, will also have to take an 8-hour in White Mountain. Rounding out the top 10 are Matt Hall, Jessie Holmes, Matt Failor, rookie Eddie Burke, Jr., Kelly Maxiner, rookie Hunter Keefe, and Mille Porsild.
No further teams have scratched from this year's contest and the musher currently in 30th place is Eric Kelly. He, like the twins, is from Knik, Alaska, and this is his 2nd Iditarod appearance having successfully run to Nome in 2022. It looks like he is getting ready to pull out of Kaltag and will be the final musher to tackle the long 85 mile run to Unalakleet.
Much further down the trail... Ryan should pull out of White Mountain a little after midnight as Monday gives way to Tuesday. Last year, when Ryan finished in 9th place, he took just over 6 hours to run from White Mountain to Safety, and another 3 hours 20 minutes to travel the last 22 miles to Nome. If he has a similar pace this year, we might see our winner pull under the burled arch before 10am AKST Tuesday morning. Keep your eyes on Iditarod.com for the latest!
And what the heck... here's a little nod to Sunday night's Oscars!
I expect the twins to rest for at least 5 or 6 hours in the checkpoint of Unalakleet and should hit the trail again Monday evening. When they do, they'll have 261 miles to mush before arriving in Nome.
Ryan Redington, grandson of the race's founder, has been at or near the front of the pack for this entire race and somewhere his grandfather must be very proud. Ryan arrived in the checkpoint of White Mountain (race mile 921) at 4:12pm AKST Monday afternoon and is taking his final mandatory 8 hour rest before mushing the final 77 miles to Nome. He arrived with 8 dogs in front of his sled and must finish with at least 5 dogs in harness when he pulls under the burled arch to achieve a successful finish. Right now, it's Ryan's race to lose.
His closest competitors are 2019 Iditarod champion Pete Kaiser, also running a team of 8 dogs, and Richie Diehl, running a 7 dog team. These two are practically mushing on top of each other at race mile 899 as I type this, clearly keen to capture 2nd place or be close enough to challenge Ryan for the win if anything slows him up. But they, as every musher, will also have to take an 8-hour in White Mountain. Rounding out the top 10 are Matt Hall, Jessie Holmes, Matt Failor, rookie Eddie Burke, Jr., Kelly Maxiner, rookie Hunter Keefe, and Mille Porsild.
No further teams have scratched from this year's contest and the musher currently in 30th place is Eric Kelly. He, like the twins, is from Knik, Alaska, and this is his 2nd Iditarod appearance having successfully run to Nome in 2022. It looks like he is getting ready to pull out of Kaltag and will be the final musher to tackle the long 85 mile run to Unalakleet.
Much further down the trail... Ryan should pull out of White Mountain a little after midnight as Monday gives way to Tuesday. Last year, when Ryan finished in 9th place, he took just over 6 hours to run from White Mountain to Safety, and another 3 hours 20 minutes to travel the last 22 miles to Nome. If he has a similar pace this year, we might see our winner pull under the burled arch before 10am AKST Tuesday morning. Keep your eyes on Iditarod.com for the latest!
And what the heck... here's a little nod to Sunday night's Oscars!
"You want to know the difference between you and me? I make this look good."
The twins strike a pose while visiting Madame Tussauds in NYC, Oct. '22.
