All that was missing here Tuesday night were pit crews as the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race sped into this village on the banks of the Kuskokwim River and then out again almost as fast. And, of course, the Iditarod doesn’t allow pit crews. On the 1,000 miles of trail from Willow to Nome, mushers are by rule on their own; no outside assistance allowed.Not that there would have been time for much here. As a bonfire raged outside the local community center and ice lanterns glowed to guide teams into town, a string of race leaders arrived one-by-one to basically sign in and sigh out at the check point. Former Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race champ Aliy Zirkle from Two Rivers was the first to arrived at 8:32 p.m. The race leader for more than 100 miles now, she seemed in good spirits.Read more here: http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/zirkle-builds-lead-iditarod-mandatory-rest-coming-soon
