Takotna or Ophir? (Pie or Privacy?) Where Iditarod Mushers Choose to “24” is Often a Question of Personal Choice.
![Musher attends to his team in the Ophir checkpoint](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/20180307-Jeff-King-resting-his-team-at-the-Ophir-checkpoint-1200x788.jpg)
Camaraderie and comfort or quiet and privacy? Comparing the Takotna and Ophir checkpoints shows that personal preferences for mushers differ when it comes to where to take Iditarod’s mandatory, 24-hour layover.
Near Iditarod’s Half-Way Point, Dogs — and Especially Mushers — Need Rest
![Two men in parkas kneel over resting sled dogs](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/20180307-Andy-Pohl-examines-one-of-his-dogs-with-Iditarod-veternarian-staff-in-McGrath-DH-1200x833.jpg)
“The musher gets beat up more than the dogs do,” Iditarod rookie Andy Pohl said Wednesday in the McGrath checkpoint, where both he and veteran musher Allen Moore were resting their young teams for different reasons.
Weather, Slow Trail Prompts Some Iditarod Mushers to “24” in McGrath
![Aerial landscape of the Nikolai checkpoint.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/20180306-Nikolai-and-checkpoint-from-the-air-1200x800.jpg)
With continued snowfall making the trail soft and slow, some Iditarod mushers elected to take their 24 hour layovers at McGrath in the hopes that the trail would improve during their mandatory day’s rest. The long rest can be an opportunity for teams to “regroup,” as Ryan Redington described.
Iron Dog Racers’ Layover Extended at Unalakleet; Nome Banquet Still Planned for Wednesday
![Team #8, Aklestad/Johnson](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017-02-21-iron-dog-nome-arrival-110-2432px-1200x800.jpg)
As of Tuesday mid-day, the top racers in Iron Dog 2018 are still in Unalakleet. With severe weather along the coast, race marshals decided this morning to extend the layover.