Iditarod 2019

While Iditarod musher Nic Petit races at the front of the pack, a potentially dangerous group of mushers are preparing to make their move and capitalize on any opportunities.

Nic Petit was the first musher to reach the Yukon River, arriving in Anvik at 4:23 a.m. Friday morning. It earned him $3,000 and a meal prepared by chefs flown in from an Anchorage hotel.

One of the Iditarod’s pioneers is taking one last run. Joar Leifseth Ulsom is carrying the ashes of longtime musher Rudy Demoski to leave along the trail. As he prepared to pass through Demoski’s hometown of Anvik, Leifseth Ulsom says he’s humbled.

The Yukon River is in sight for top Iditarod mushers. Shortly after midnight, defending champion Joar Leifseth Ulsom was first into Shageluk as wet snow fell.

As mushers arrived into Iditarod on Thursday, some were in need of rest, describing the trail to the “ghost town” checkpoint as challenging: a soft trail worsened by warm temperatures. “My body is sore,” said Nome musher Aaron Burmeister.

As Iditarod’s frontrunners finish their mandatory, 24-hour layovers, the mathematics of the leaderboard begin to simplify, and leaders begin to emerge. Explore highlights of KNOM’s Iditarod coverage from Thursday, March 7.

One abnormality in Iditarod 2019 is how few mushers have scratched: only one as of Thursday afternoon. Bruce Lee, a retired musher and Iditarod analyst, offers possible explanations for why the scratch count in 2019 is (so far) so low.

Aliy Zirkle is the first Iditarod musher to drive her team into Iditarod, the halfway point of the race, where she is now taking her mandatory, 24-hour rest. But some of the other front runners in the race have completed their 24 and are pulling ahead.

As of 6:30pm Wednesday, the vast majority of mushers in Iditarod 2019 are resting in a checkpoint. Many of them are taking their mandatory, 24-hour layovers. The strategy and rationale of when and where a musher takes a “24” is complicated and often personal. Explore highlights from KNOM’s Iditarod coverage on Wednesday, March 6.

As Iditarod reaches the stage of the race during which mushers take their mandatory, 24-hour layovers, many choose Takotna: a village that has become famous for its race hospitality.