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That is just too funny!!!!

Not too bad for a southern school.

I wouldn't call them a southern school really. I don't know much about the Alex team. It could be worse, somebody just got beat like 13-1

I know it kicked off last weekend. What's the latest? I haven't been to good the past couple of years about staying current on it.

well the 4 time defending champion Lance Mackey is down to 10 dogs just before the halfway point and in 3rd place. Martin Buser is in the lead and Trent Herbst (whose sled was built by his 4th grade class I think) is going to be the first in to Iditarod and win the bag of gold. Now I ask you this, fine 'fire members, how can Buser be in the lead but Herbst will win the gold for being first into Iditarod??? and those are assumptions that are based on no one passing anyone. Can ya figure that out?????

Not sure. Does it go by shortest time, and do they get penalties if they need or get help or assistance from anyone?

Nope, good thinnin', but nope. If they take outside assistance, they get kicked out of the race.

Buser is in command, no doubt about it, but herbst is ahead of him on the trail. Hmmmm......

I gotta get some people interested in this so we can chat about it!

Hhmmm, I wonder if the iditarod was where the phrase,...
"If your not the Lead dog, the view never changes!"
was coined!?....

that is pretty funny right there! Man, what a feat they are doing. 1100 miles with 16 dogs. well 16 at the start. very few have 16 left as they drop dogs regularly at the first sign of injury, sickness, lethargy, etc. This sport needs more attention!

Might have something to do with the mandatory rest periods?

Talked to my sis last night, her daughter lives in Anchorage. She was up there with my brother and her son who signed up to be volunteer dog handlers for the start, the official start which was in Willow Lake(s?) this year. She said they had a great time and it's something I need to see. The weather was great, huge crowd, took my bro almost 4 hours to get back to Anchorage.

I don't have the interweb at home and I haven't seen anything on t.v. in the evening, trying to eat lunch now and take a quick peek to see the standings.

Edit: Are Duluth schools on break? Never thought of it but how did my sis get a week to go to AK and she will be driving over to the Yoop this weekend.

Our snowmobile club has helped with the sled dog races in Frazee for a few years. We were scattered out along the route they were taking and would assist them if they needed. We had to untangle dogs, catch runaway sleds, and one year there was a woman who had a bad wipeout and she bumped her head pretty good so one of the members brought her to the ambulance in his sled. It was so fun.

DING! DING! DING! We have a us a winner! Grizzly Bill, you are correct. Buser has taken his mandatory 24-hour rest and Herbst has not.

some of the video is unbelievable. those dogs can fly! also, -50 true air temp is not uncommon. brrrrr.

i was riding snowmobile about two months ago and here down the trail came a dog sled. we pulled over and shut off our sleds to let them pass.

Question for you BM. Who is the poor guy that gets to clean up all the dog poop on the trail?

The mushers have to be some of the greatest athletes in the world.

the same people who clean up all the moose and bear poop methinks!

checking in from Chugiak, AK (just north of Los Anchorage)

We went to the re-start in Willow on Sunday, and it was great. The weahter was perfect (~20 and sunny,) and there were tons of people. The field is a little smaller this year (62 teams) but there should be some fast times.

Top three are farther along the trail but the big guns have taken their mandatory 24 hour rests, so they will pass the leaders shortly.

The biggest news so far today is that Mitch Seavey had to withdraw because of an injury he got while cutting open a bale of straw at a rest stop. He won in 2004 and hs been top ten each year since. His son Dallas just won the other big long-distance race, The Yukon Quest(Whitehorse to Fairbanks.)

There is kennel cough going around on the trail, and that's why some folks have dropped more dogs than usual. Kennel cough won't usually do much damage but it puts the dogs off their feed. And they need tons of calories to sustain the effort that the race demands.

Martin Buser looks good, as does Hugh Neff. Lance Mackey is in the fight but is down a couple dogs. Watch for John Baker to do well. He is from Kotzebue (NW AK) and his dogs are used to the windy, open terrain that they will be in when they reach the coast.

Herbst's class probably packed his sled and his checkpoint food drops but didn't build it.

Sled dogs have to learn to poop while running - it's hard to stop when the other 15 are going full speed.

Some of these folks are as tough as they come. Look down the standings, and even those mushers a day or two behind are dealing with the same weather and probably worse trail conditions (nasty sugar snow that you have to plow through rahter than ride on top of.) It ain't no picnic.

My hat's off to anyone who can finish the thing while taking good care of their dogs.

Cool! A report from the front row so to speak.

I used to follow the race alot closer than I have in recent years but this has peeked my interest again.

I really, really want to go fishing.

you and me both, I think either late ice crappies or ice out crappies will be the next time for me. I sure miss walleye though

Thx for the update PB. Nice to have someone on the front lines so to speak. Keep us up to date.

Here's another quiz question. What is the award called for the last racer to finish. Hint; there was a small Piza chain in WI with the same name.

I too want to get out on the water. I'm really sick of the snow.