In Rohn, two mushers – Martin Buser and Matt Failor, Buser’s dog-handler-turned-musher – are bucking an Iditarod trend.
The two competitors – running “A” and “B” teams from Buser’s kennel, respectively – turned heads when they decided to take their 24-hour layovers in Rohn yesterday. They’ll both be eligible to depart later today (Tuesday), and Matt Failor seems confident that their unorthodox mushing strategy will pay off.
Talking with our trail reporter Laureli Kinneen, Failor seemed eager to “shake things up a little bit” and unabashedly predicted that the first two into Rohn would be the first two to Nome.
“There’s only 750 miles left,” Failor said.* 2nd place is still the goal:
Matt Failor arrived into Rohn at 2:11pm Monday afternoon. Adjusting for his starting differential from Willow on Sunday – he was one of the last to begin the Iditarod this year – Failor should be eligible to depart Rohn as early as 2:23pm Tuesday.
*Technically, according to Iditarod’s official figures, there are 810 trail miles from Rohn to Nome. (But who’s counting?)
