Mushers have reached a point in the Iditarod where rest becomes strategic. Overnight, a number of them opted to push their teams further down the trail, while others chose to hunker down for a mandatory 24-hour rest. The majority of mushers who arrived first into McGrath didn’t stay long, but some of their decisions earlier in the race might offer clues about their race plans.
Brent Sass pulled ahead of the field after he blew through Nikolai.
Shortly after leaving the checkpoint, Sass stopped to camp in the midday sun for roughly four hours. That’s why it didn’t come as a surprise to see him quickly blow through the McGrath checkpoint.
“I’m just going through,” he said as he signed in and out and took off.
He wasn’t the only musher that opted not to stay.
Mitch Seavey told the crowd he was moving 100 miles an hour.
“Feels like it. My feet are worn out from the brakes,” he said. He said his dogs were doing well. “I’m thrilled. This is fun!” he laughed.
He took off with a wide smile, perhaps in part because the conservative musher was following a plan he has successfully executed before.
Aliy Zirkle quickly blew through as well, staying only long enough to share some jokes with the locals and accept a high five from one of McGrath’s many kids.
“It’s going great, the dogs are good, I’m good, I love Alaskan people,” she smiled as she sped away.
Zirkle is also following a schedule that’s similar to those she has run in the past. But that’s not the case for Noah Burmeister. He hasn’t driven a team in the Iditarod in a decade.
He spent a few minutes in the checkpoint talking over one of his dogs with Head Veterinarian Stu Nelson before he pulled his hook and took off down the trail for Takotna.
Burmeister also camped earlier in the afternoon. Perhaps he was hoping to move beyond Takotna before bedding his dogs down for 24 hours, or maybe he just wanted to rest in the middle of the day – sometimes, mushers’ race plans aren’t always what they seem.
An Instagram snap from McGrath:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCvYRekwasm/
