The 2019 Iron Dog winners may already have the win locked up, but the time difference between the first position and second positioned teams just got a little bit smaller.

Rookie racer Adam Drinkhouse and teammate Brad George took ten mandatory layover hours in Kaltag and then rested again in Galena before pushing all the way to Manley Hot Springs where they currently are completing their last eight hours of layover time. The strategic move has put them in second position, according to the leaderboard, about 30 minutes behind the current race leaders.

Defending champs Mike Morgan and Chris Olds arrived into the Manley Hot Springs checkpoint at 5:05 this morning for their 18-hour layover, just over 300 miles away from the finish line. The first-position team of Morgan and Olds will be able to get back on the trail after 11pm tonight.

Rounding out the top three are Casey Boylan and Bryan Leslie who got bumped down into third while they finish the remainder of their 18 hour layover in Manley Hot Springs.

Nome racer Jarvis Miller and partner Amos Cruise are currently spending eight hours in Ruby but should be back on the move around 10:30pm this evening. They are in 12th position.

The winners of this year’s longest snow machine race are expected to cross the finish line in Fairbanks sometime tomorrow morning.

Photo above: courtesy of Matthew McGee.