Dallas Seavey keeps his lead on the pack in McGrath, but Brent Sass and his team are nipping at their heels during the 2021 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Seavey maintains his lead by a few hours. He still has to take an eight hour break, as per races rules. He can take that in McGrath, in Nikolai or Rohn. Sass must also take that eight-hour layover. Meanwhile, Ryan Redington and Aaron Burmeister, in fourth and fifth positions, have taken that required layover. That could give them a strategic advantage as the race continues.
The Top Five as of 2pm on Friday (3/12):
- Dallas Seavey into McGrath Southbound at 9:32AM with 13 dogs
- Brent Sass into McGrath Southbound at 12:42PM with 14 dogs
- Wade Marrs into McGrath Southbound at 1:41PM with 12 dogs
- Ryan Redington out of Ophir Southbound at 10:10AM with 9 dogs
- Aaron Burmeister out of Ophir Southbound at 11:05AM with 14 dogs
The Iditarod is using the terms “northbound” and “southbound” to designate the direction teams are heading on the Gold Trail Loop. Teams who have completed the turn-around at Iditarod and are going back towards Willow are considered to be on the “southbound” trail.
Listen to the full KNOM Iditarod Update here:
Image at Top: Multiple-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey was the first to arrive back into McGrath on the 2021 Gold Loop trail. Photo from 2016. Photo: Zachariah Hughes, KSKA/Alaska Public Media