Yukon Quest of Strength
The landscape glows orange and blue in the morning light, every exhaled breath a smoke signal lifting into the sky. Trucks park in a semicircle on the banks of the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska, the bed of each covered by a stout box with its sides punctured by portholes…
Iditarod Leaders Out of Takotna Within Minutes of Each Other
Any questions about who is in the lead of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race are over, at least mathematically. As Wednesday rolled toward Thursday in the Kuskokwim River valley of the Alaska Interior, four-time Iditarod champ Lance Mackey pushed out of McGrath, having completed the 24-hour rest required of…
Day 5: Lanier makes run for the money
Lots to report as the fifth day of racing begins — the first scratch, a run for the money and a battle for the lead between Aliy Zirkle and the Seaveys.First, the scratch.Silvia Furtwangler of Norway pulled the plug on her race Wednesday night in Nikolai, citing concern for her…
Alaska Native musher from Fort Yukon strives to be Iditarod champ
When he was a boy growing up in the village of Fort Yukon, Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race rookie Josh Cadzow rooted for Alaska Native John Baker to win the race.But now that Cadzow is grown and Baker, an Inupiat Eskimo, has won, it is time for the slightly built,…
Armchair Musher: Sebastian Schnuelle: Dogs First
Dogs first.That seems to be the slogan of the back-of-the-pack mushers. And that does not mean that the front mushers do not have the same rule, its just that there are more experienced and confident in their own decisions, than mushers further back in the standings, who more often seek…
Trail is Smooth and the Dancing is Splendid
Iditarod front-runner Aliy Zirkle walked a pair of huskies to the top of a small hill at this snow-drowned checkpoint Wednesday, looking for signs of soreness in their gait.Zirkle arrived in Takotna the night before, in first place but carrying a tired husky named “Rambler” in her sled. It was…
John Baker Q&A: Dancing on the Dog Sled
Iditarod champ and speed-record holder John Baker is cooling his heels in the snowy Takotna checkpoint today, sharing a table with a slew of other Iditarod contenders. Check out the scene, and listen to this short Q&A as Baker talks about whether Aliy Zirkle could win the race, what fans…
Fear the Seaveys in second half of Iditarod
Jeff King last won an Iditarod in 2006. During that race, the first three days were spent settling into an even schedule of run-versus-rest. King patiently waited until the second half of the race to start pushing his dog team past the competition and on to victory.Times have changed. Nowadays,…
Iditarod Day 4: Busers Grab the Lead — sort of
The Buser boys made things interesting Wednesday morning in Takotna.Four-time champion Martin and son Rohn, winner of January’s Kusko 300, roared through the checkpoint, stopping only long enough to check in and check out.Martin arrived at 8:31 a.m. and left one minute later, a move that gives him the Iditarod…
Hawkchurch Sled Dog Racer is British Runner Up
A HAWKCHURCH man is rapidly becoming a hot favourite for UK honours in a sport more normally associated with the icy wastes of the Arctic Circle.Matthew Evans, 29, has finished runner up in the British sled dog racing championship with his two Siberian huskies, Tonrar and Laika.The sport is fast…