Nome’s mayor Richard Beneville was in Anchorage over the weekend for the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. At the Ceremonial start of the race on Saturday, Beneville said he’s been in Nome for 28 finishes, but never has he been to the start of the race.
“… And what even makes it sweeter is that I am the mayor of Nome now, and I get to represent my wonderful town in this fabulous moment… what could be more ‘Alaska’?”
Asked if he had a favorite musher — or one he was following in particular — Beneville added, “not really. I love them all. They’re all my heroes — every last one of them.”
The race organization shipped snow on the train from Fairbanks to Alaska’s largest — and currently snowless — city for the ceremonial start.
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On Sunday, mushers drove their dog teams 80 miles north to Willow for a restart of the race. For Canadian Jason Campeau, it’s a relief to finally hit the trail.
“It’s a long time preparing, starting in the fall and waiting since last year, so yeah, we’re ready to go,” Campeau said.
Campeau is competing in his second Iditarod. Two years ago, he bought his dogs from accomplished musher Jake Berkowitz. In fact, the only member of his team that hasn’t seen this year’s northern route is Campeau himself.
“For me, it’s a bit of advantage. The steps, you hear about ‘em. The Gorge, you hear about it, but from a standpoint of being nervous, you don’t really know what to expect, and you just go into it with an open mind and just be ready for what ever it throws at us.”
This year’s race could also be new for different reasons, says experienced veteran like Mitch Seavey.
“I just want to see this young dog team roll down the trail and see what happens. There’s some different things that could happen. We’re going to change some things in the Iditarod race.”
Seavey wouldn’t elaborate on those changes, but he did say he plans to do a better job of maintaining speed in his dog team throughout the 1,000-mile trek to Nome.
Rival Aliy Zirkle is likely to find herself driving her own dog teams nearby. After three second place finishes in the last four year, Zirkle says her head is in the right place.
“Oh, I am mentally tough. I’m there.”
Zirkle is confident last month’s Yukon Quest prepared her team well for this month’s Iditarod. 14 of her 16 dogs finished that race.
“I’d like to win,” she says. “Whether that’s possible with this team or not, I don’t know, but I will know farther out the trail. I know a lot of people want me to win, and, by golly, I know I want to win more than anyone wants me to win.”
Overnight Sunday, 85 teams made their way through the first few race checkpoints. They travelled over hard packed, old snow.
As of Monday afternoon, most of Iditarod 44’s top 30, including Mitch Seavey, have arrived into Rainy Pass. Seven mushers, led by Hugh Neff, have already departed Rainy.
