Races, Short and Long

The Iditarod front runners are giving us a show. Mackey and Gerbhardt have dropped back to third and fourth, still coming into checkpoints within a few minutes of one another. That fast start and brutal run to to the halfway point may cost them in the end. The lead spots have been taken by King and Buser, both experienced Iditarod champions. King, the defending champion, has four wins to his name as well as a Quest title. Buser, also a four-time champion, is known for his innate connection to his dogs and holds the speed record for this race. King is ahead now, but Buser is hot on his tail. If things keep going this way, it's going to be a close race up front - a lot to ask of a 1000+ mile run.

Zirkle is has been knocked back quite a bit, after having to drop many more dogs than anticipated due to injuries incurred on the bare tundra. She is down to nine dogs, but is running on the Yukon now where trail conditions are much better although the wind on the four-mile-wide river can be fierce.

Two women, Sigrid Ekran and Sylvia Willis, may be battling it out for Rookie of the Year. According to reports on the trail, Ekran is looking rough after a broken nose early in the race has left her with two black eyes, but she's positive and pushing hard.

For myself, I'm heading over to the last day of the Limited North American sprint championship tomorrow. Melissa, our neighbor, is the race vet again this weekend and has offered to take me over the course with her dogs if I stick around. This time, I'm wearing the warm boots!