We witnessed history on Tuesday 3/16 at 14:59:09 when Lance Mackey's Team crossed under the famous burled arch in Nome. Lance was very pleased and said he would race another Iditarod. He is the only Musher to win 4 straight and finished with the 2nd fastest time in 8 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 9 seconds. Lance has also won 4 Yukon Quests, which are also 1,000 mile races. He has done this in 5 years and is in a leaque by himself.

Gatt finished second an hour behind. King finished third 2.5 hours behind and said this was his last Iditarod. The 4 time champion said it's clear that the winners have been racing the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod in the same year and at age 54 he was not going to do this. These are grueling races !!

Dallas Seavey just finished at 1:04 am AKDT in 8th place in 9 days, 10 hours and 4 minutes. This was the fastest time ever for a Seavey Musher. Dallas followed his plan and unfortunately this race was at a record pace. This was Dallas' second top ten finish in 2 years and he was pleased.

Mitch Seavey finished 2 hours behind Dallas in 10th place in 9 days, 12 hours. This was his 8th top ten including a championship in 2004. Mitch had dog issues and was not pleased with his finish.

We just came in from below zero temperatures after spending most of the day on Tuesday 3/16 thru 5 am Wednesday 3/17 documenting the race. Look for Videos and Photos from 3/16 and 3/17 on this site as soon as they can get uploaded. I'm heading for the rack ! 

We are here in Nome and what a change in temperature. We are minus 25 now but it is expected to warm up 10 -15 degrees.

This report will cover parts of 2 days due to our travel schedule and slow internet service. Please keep in mind what we are trying to provide for you when you rate these reports.

We are about to see history in the making. Mackey arrived in White Mountain on 3/15 at 20:43 AKDT. He must layover 8 hours before starting his mush to Nome. Gatt arrived 2 hours later followed by King at 23:06. Mitch Seavey is in 8th and Dallas Seavey is in 10th. Both have 10 dogs and Mitch is 2 hours ahead of Dallas. It was reported that Mitch was having some issues with his team and Dallas said he is on schedule but the race is a lot faster than he planned.

Keep in mind that Gatt and King cannot gain ground in White Mountain because everyone needs to take a mandatory 8 hours. Mackey will leave with a guaranteed 2 hour lead with 75 miles to go. If Mackey wins this will be his 4th straight Iditarod Championship, which has never been done before. He also won 4 straight Yukon Quests so Mackey would have won eight 1,000 miles races which ranks him #1 all time.

If King wins this would be his 5th title and would tie him with Swenson. If Gatt wins he would have won the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod in 2010.

R. Redington, Palfrey, Currier and Churchin have all scratched. This makes 14 scratched and 57 still on the trail. There will probably be more because the race Marshall can stop a Musher if there is no chance of reaching Nome in a reasonable time frame.

Tomorrow about 4 pm AKDT the 2010 winner will end up under the Burled Arch. I will report out the winner and how the Seavey's ended up in my next report. I will also be doing a live radio show on Wednesday 3/17 from Nome on Appleton's 1570 the score at 5:30 PM CDST. I will be giving a live report to Badger State Wrestling on Tuesday 3/16. WOSH Oshkosh will also announce our Iditarod web site and other J. J. Keller information during the Neenah High School Boys State Tournament game on Thursday pm.

Did You Know? The prize money this year for the winner is $50,400 plus a new truck. The truck is worth $35,000 and cost $15,000 to ship to Nome. The prize money dropped from $69,000 due to loss of sponsorship dollars. All major sporting events have lost sponsorship money. The consumer does count and when the economy forces unemployment this has a domino effect.    

I am writing this report from my Anchorage office. We flew all day and arrived at 6:30 pm ADT, had supper and back to business. Keep in mind AK is 3 hours behind WI.

This is shaping up to be a great finish and with 200 miles left there is no clear cut front runner. This is unlike last year when Mackey beat the storm and walked away with his 3rd straight victory. Mackey is looking over his shoulder this year and might find someone in his rear view mirror soon.

As of now Mackey is at MM 725 moving at 6.8 mph with 12 dogs, King is at 720 moving at 3.9 mph with 13 dogs, Neff and Gatt are at 713 and resting with 13 and 12 dogs, Baker is at 710 resting with 10 dogs, M. Seavey is at 705 moving at 6.3 mph with 10 dogs and D. Seavey is 11th at 673 resting with 11 dogs.

To date this has been a very fast race with very cold weather. The dogs like it cold and without storms, gales and blizzards the teams excel.

I should be able to pick the top 3 and possibly a winner in tomorrows blog - live from the Arctic Circle in Nome, AK @ minus 29 today.

Did You Know? In 1925 a dog sled team carried serum to Nome and saved the village from a diphtheria outbreak. The original organizers decided in 1973 to start the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race along the original trail to commemorate the serum run. In addition to this historic fact, snowmachines became popular and the sled dog was not used as much. The natives and alaskans wanted to keep their heritage and the Iditarod has done that and more! 

This was a super busy 10 days for our team flying to Anchorage & Willow, AK and returning home on Monday. The film crew, Brian & Troy, are back in the air today flying to Nome, thru Minneapolis and Anchorage, arriving in Nome on Sunday. They are joined this trip by Brian's wife Meghan and her parents.

Rosanne and I along with our daughter Angela and husband Frank will be leaving tomorrow, using the same route, and will arrive in None on Monday. We will all return next Saturday. I mention this because this is not an easy trip and when we land it will be minus 25. Remind me why we are doing this ?

Back to the race. In the lead is King at MM 588 heading to the Kaltag Checkpoint at MM 600. Mackey is at 582, Neff at 581, M. Seavey at 578 and Gatt at 565. It would appear that one of these 5 Musher's will win this race. Their average speed is 7.5 mph and the average temperature on the trail is minus 25. The mighty Yukon River has no mercy and that's why this is "The Last Great Race on Earth".

Dallas is at MM 558 and in 9th place. Keep in mind that Dallas is the only Musher in the top 14 that needs to take his mandatory 8 hour layover. He will probably take this in Nulato.

This is a fast race so far compared to last year when 20 Musher's were huddled waiting out a ferocious storm. The race record is 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and 2 seconds set by Martin Buser in 2002. To break the record the winner would have to be under the Burled Arch in Nome before 2 pm AST next Tuesday.

Did You Know? Each year the ITC selects a Target Iditarod Teacher on the Trail. For 2010 Herb Brambley from Breezewood, PA. will be flown to Checkpoints and will share his experiences with classrooms and fans around the world. Herb teaches at Southern Fulton Elementary School in Warfordsburg, PA. He teaches K-6 environmental education and technology. Herb states " When I get students actively involved in the learning experience, which using the Iditarod in my classroom has allowed me to do, the students become excited about learning and learn so much more in a shorter period of time". Great stuff ! 

What a difference a day makes. Many of the teams that were taking their 24's in Takotna have moved thru Ophir and Cripple and 11 are resting in Ruby at MM #467.

King, the 1st to reach Ruby, was awarded a Millennium Hotel 8 course meal, First Musher to the Yukon Award and $3,500 in singles. 

Only King is on the trail at MM 470. He has 15 dogs on the line. He is touting his team, as being the best, and gets chills when he feels their power from his sled.

Record low temperatures have been reported at various checkpoints. Minus 35 to 45 degrees, without windchill, have made for very challenging conditions. Global warming ?

Besides King; Mackey, Neff, Seavey and Gatt round out the top 5 leaders. Mitch said his team needs some rest after 2 long runs. Dallas is at MM #438 and has some catching up to do.  

Tom Thurston #68 scratched in McGrath. He had 9 dogs on his team. He cited his teams performance for making his decision.

Justin Savidis #10 lost Whitey, a three year old male, and must remain in McGrath until the dog is returned to him. A ground and air search has proved negative so far.

Did You Know? At this point in the race, the lead Musher's, are trying to lighted the load so the dogs and Musher don't have to work so hard. Dallas push poled 90 miles to cripple to help the team. Dallas will run for miles next to the sled to reduce weight. Sled runners are changed to reduce the friction. Excess weight is left behind. Any little advantage helps. The J. J. Keller 2010 Official Iditarod Certificates carried in both sleds weigh only 1lb 13 oz. Many Musher's have a different, lighter sled waiting for the final push. The 1st team to Nome WINS !!  

Dallas Seavey made big news at 1:26 am AST today arriving 1st into the Cripple Checkpoint - GPS MM #397. He earned the GCI Dorothy Page Halfway Award as well as $3,000 in placer gold nuggets. He might be the youngest Musher at 23 to win this award. Dallas arrived with 13 dogs. He will take his mandatory 24 hour layover here. Dallas had the fastest time from Ophir to Cripple - the longest distance between checkpoints on the trail.

Interesting that as of now there are 7 Musher's at Cripple and Jeff King is the only one with his 24 hours in. He will rest some and no doubt beat Dallas on the trial. Dallas cannot leave before 1:26 am AST 3/12 Friday - our time 4:26 am.

There were 28 Musher's in Takotna that already have their 24 hours in. They are mushing towards Cripple and some will arrive and leave before Dallas can leave. 

Mitch is at MM #390 and will probably arrive and depart from Cripple before Dallas leaves. Mitch has 14 dogs. This leapfrogging will take place a lot and we will have a clearer picture of who has the superior team once the leaders all have their 24 hours in. 

This is shaping up to be a great race and I will have a lot of action in the next few days to report on.

Linwood Fielder #2 scratched today at the McGrath Checkpoint. He had 11 dogs and made the decision based on the best interest of his team. 

Did You Know? That the ITC reported that about 5,000 schools follow the race each year. This unique sporting event touches base on almost all of the basic elementary school courses. In Northeast Wisconsin dozens of schools are now following the race. The 1st school to contact me was Park and Victor Haen Elementary schools in Kaukauna in 2006. Mary Vander Loop heads up their Iditarod program. Dallas and I visited them in September 2009 and put on a program for the children. Today was Dress like a Musher Day with many students and teachers wearing #41 bibs. The J. J. Keller web site picture slide show has been running nonstop. GO DALLAS !!   

The race is starting to take shape. A few teams are down to 11 dogs while only one in the leadership pack has all 16. The weather is typical Alaska, with howling winds and below zero wind chills.

Many teams are taking their mandatory 24 hour layover so it will be very hard to tell who is leading. The 1st team to Mc Grath was Jeff King. Jeff won the Penair Spirit of Alaska Award for arriving 1st and will receive an Award and $500 credit towards travel or a freight shipment. Jeff was also 1st into Takotna and 1 hour ahead of Mitch Seavey. These two appear in the lead and are taking their 24's. Jeff has 16 dogs and Mitch has 14 dogs.

The GPS Trackers show J. Baker at mile marker 350 and Dallas Seavey at mile marker 325 in the lead, however they were 6 hours behind arriving into Takotna. They blew through Takotna and Ophir heading for Cripple. They both have 14 dogs. The run/rest schedule will determine who is really leading and when all the 24 hour mandatory rests are taken the picture will be a lot clearer.  

With all this being said Mitch and Dallas are not backing down and will Mush a smart race all the way to Nome.

Kathleen Frederick #46 scratched in Rohn due to equipment and gear problems with 14 dogs on the team.

Pat Moon #17 scratched after crashing his sled in the Dalzell Gorge. Belgian Musher Sam Deltour found Moon unconscious with his team. Pat was transported to a medical center for a checkup. The team was ok and will be transported back to Anchorage.

Did You Know? All the Dogs are drug tested and this has been standard procedure since 1994. This 2010 race is the 1st time that the Musher's will be randomly drug and alcohol tested somewhere along the trail, with disqualification among the possible penalties.  

Mitch Seavey shares the lead at mile marker 264. Currently he has the fastest speed, at 8.3 mph, for the 3 front runners so I put him in the lead.

Dallas is really smokin at 10.1 mph, which is the fastest speed now, and he is at mile marker 241. He has rested more so he will start to gain on the leaders assuming they will need more rest. He is in 15th place. Dallas said his race doesn't start until the 500 mile marker. Like last year, when least expected, he will go to his strategy  book and start to implement his plan. I know there was a lot of planning and strategy going on at Dallas' Yurt. 

I received 4 press releases from the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race headquarters today. There were 4 Musher's that officially scratched in Rainy Pass today from 10:00 - 11:20 am AST. Michael Suprenant #30 listed medical reasons and had 16 dogs on his team. Zona DeNure #5 listed medical reasons and had 15 dogs on her team. Karin Hendrickson #23 listed a damaged sled and equipment problems and had 16 dogs on her team. Kirk Barnum #34 listed a tired team and had 12 dogs on his team.

This is very tough endurance contest and there are usually many scratches throughout the race for various reasons. These will not be the only 4 Musher's that can't make it to Nome. The lead Musher's still have over 800 miles to go !! 

Keep in mind that each Team must take one 24 hour and two 8 hour layovers. This makes the race even more complicated to follow so I will try to report/sort this out if it effects the leaders. 

I will keep you up to speed regarding the press releases I receive and any other important race information you need.

Did You Know? There are 21 checkpoints between Willow Lake and Nome with a total population of 3,910. The largest Eskimo village is Unalakleet with 747 and there are 4 checkpoints with zero. Some of the checkpoints had up to 30,000 miners during the gold rush days! I wonder if these checkpoints are on the census roles ?

At mile marker 207 Schnuelle is in the lead. Mitch Seavey is in 2nd with 199 miles into the race. Dallas Seavey is in 8th place with 190 miles on his sled. The temperature on the trail was 2 below zero. The Dogs and Musher's like it cold so this is a good thing.

There are 14 racers within striking distance with 185 miles or more. Dallas mentioned that this could be a fast trail in the early stages and that there would be a lot of sleds close together. 

The trail is winding thru the Alaskan Mountain Range now and reports were that it could be an interesting ride. I heard Mitch say that he hopes the team is tired when they go thru the steps because they need to slow down because of dangerous corners and open water. Getting soaked would not make for a great day !!

Keep in mind that this is a long distance race and every year a lot of teams start off fast and fade out. Others start off slower and don't start racing until the 500 mile marker. Many of the veterans are holding back hoping the weather changes then they will change their strategy - strategy has won many races !!

Did you know ? The IonEarth GPS Trackers have really helped with real time positions for all the Mushers. The old system, still in place, tracks the Mushers from checkpoint to checkpoint on a manual leader board. A few ago the ITC decided to try this on 10 sleds and now they all have the Tracker. Interesting fact is that we know where they are but the Musher's can't use it themselves, so they know where they are from checkpoint to checkpoint but can't see who is ahead or behind them. 

Please stay tuned to this web site for race updates and interesting facts every day !!

We just landed in Minneapolis after flying all night. It was a great day yesterday on the Ice at Willow Lake - here is the report.  

Thousands of race fans crowded the community center and the re-start chute on Willow lake, AK. Starting at 2pm AST all 71 Musher's left on their 1,150 mile treck to Nome at 2 minute intervals. Mitch left at 2:38 and Dallas left at 3:22.

Watch the video interviews posted on this site and you can see the confidence they both had in their teams. Dallas detailed each of his 16 starters and discussed the strengths of each athlete. Mitch also commented on his dream team, and said he has the strongest team he has ever trained. He put on an additional 1,000 miles of training this year. These boys are for real !! 

We spent all day doing interviews, taking photos and videos. The difference this year was the confidence the Seavey's had on their faces and with their demeanor. You could tell they were all business and would not be pleased if they didn't top last years 4th and 6th place finishes.

We all know a lot can go wrong and many obstacles are in their way that they can't control. I asked Dallas about this and he said "we train to avoid trouble, so you don't have to get out of a bind. If you anticipate things you spend your time on productive issues".

The early tracker has Dallas in 9th place and Mitch a few places behind. This is too early in the race to do any predicting but I did notice Mackey was passing a lot of teams.

Did You Know? An average team goes thru 1,100 dog booties in this race. Each bootie costs $1.10 and many can be saved and reused. The average order is for 2,000 booties and they come in 9 colors. Booties protect the dogs paws and keeps the ice and snow from collecting between the toes. We met a bootie lady and got the scoop. There is a lot more to this sport than meets the eye.