As of Thursday Afternoon, There’s Only One ‘Scratch’ in Iditarod 2019. That’s Unusual.
One abnormality in this year’s Iditarod is how few mushers have scratched: that is, withdrawn from the race because of one reason or another.
It wasn’t until yesterday around noon that Shaynee Traska, an Iditarod veteran, scratched in the interest of her team’s health.
That was right around the time Alaska Public Media’s Zachariah Hughes was talking with Bruce Lee, a retired musher and analyst for Iditarod Insider, about the precedent for so much of the racing field to still be competing.
Image at top: Shaynee Traska at the Anchorage Ceremonial Start on Saturday. Photo: Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media.
[…] There has been only one scratch so far in Iditarod 2019, an unusually low number for this point in the race. Zach spoke with Bruce Lee, a retired musher and Iditarod analyst, on possible explanations for this year’s low scratch count and context for how much the race has changed over the decades. Listen to the interview with Lee in “As of Thursday Afternoon, There’s Only One ‘Scratch’ in Iditarod 2019. That’s Unusual.” […]