An Iditarod Pro Bowl in contention at halfway point
Seventy-one-year-old Chugiak musher Jim Lanier won Idtarod Trail Sled Dog Race halfway gold on Thursday, and for the big-dog competitors in the 1,000-mile ultramarathon from Willow to Nome the gamesmanship began when Lanier reached the race’s halfway stop of Cripple 21 minutes in front of 2004 champ Mitch Seavey from…
Baker Holds Steady in First Days of Race
As mushers still jockey for position during the first half of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Kotzebue’s John Baker, the reigning champion, is staying strong at the front of the pack.But that’s really not a surprise to anyone.Baker, 49, left seconds behind Fairbanks competitor Aliy Zirkle in first place…
A Spoonful of Gold for 71-year-old Musher
Jim Lanier won a heaping tablespoonful of gold nuggets for arriving first at the halfway point of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Thursday by sleeping just three hours in four days.That’s the nice thing about getting old, said Lanier, who is 71. You wake up earlier.The win marked the…
Limited North American Starts Today
There’s going to be some howling at the Jeff Studdert Racegrounds for the next couple of days. That’s because a field o 30 sled dog teams and 10 skijor teams are set to run in the Limited North American Sled Race at the Jeff Studdert Racegrounds.Racing starts at 11 a.m….
Zirkle Roars Through Cripple to Regain Lead
Just after it looked as if Mitch Seavey had turned in an epic, possibly game-changing run of nearly 100 miles on Thursday to seize control of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Aliy Zirkle showed up to inject some intrigue.Zirkle snatched the lead from Seavey by zipping in and out…
Seaveys Competing for Lead as Veteran Relishes Cripple Gold
Jim Lanier is $3,000 richer after his early afternoon appearance Thursday at a checkpoint that feels like exactly where it is – the middle of nowhere and the halfway point of the Itidarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The 71-year-old veteran musher claimed the halfway trophy and the gold nuggets that…
Father and Son Find Golden Silence at Iditarod’s Ophir Checkpoint
The old abandoned mining town of Ophir is one of the quietest checkpoints along the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail to Nome. Tucked into the woods near the Innoko River, the collection of rustic buildings is anchored by a one-room cabin owned by a family of pilots. Here is where former Iditarod…
How Jim Lanier Decided to go for the Gold
im Lanier is the first Musher into the Cripple Checkpoint. Under almost sunny skies his team was led into the checkpoint by a single leader.GCI representatives were at hand and to award him the Dorothy G. Page GCI Halfway award soon. Jim had chosen to first take care of his…
Two Harbors Musher Takes Seventh in Maine Sled Dog Race
For Ward Wallin, 13 turned out to be a pretty lucky number.The Two Harbors musher, wearing bib 13, finished seventh overall at the annual Can Am Crown International 250 Sled Dog Race this past weekend.Wallin, 50, covered the racecourse with a run time of 34:24:29, just seconds behind fellow Minnesotan…
The Handler’s Tale: Wanderlust, Internet Land Dog Lovers in Alaska Kennels
This year marks the 40th running of the Iditarod, with 66 mushers—49 men and 17 women—attempting to travel nearly 1,000 miles to Nome.But whether they’re running a team of dogs for recreation or as a profession, behind every musher and race is the story of the people who help. Mushers…