Just got back off trail. 8 malamutes, 10 days, 130 miles, 1200 lbs of gear and supplies, no caribou! Snow is too deep and the herd hasn't started moving back.
I've run a handful of Iditarod dogs and flew to Nome for the 2017 finish to pack up dogs for the flight home. I know and have met a lot of these guys and gals over the years. They all spend thousands on dog care. Dog mushing is as Alaskan as it gets. Support it and never give in to the ani-mushing orgs. To do so would be a cultural genocide.
Anyhow, as a musher, here's some insights on this year's race:
Brent Sass and Page Drobny have dogs that are miled up from the Quest. This level of stamina will really show in the final standings.
In 2017,I watched Jesse Royer pull into Nome with a full 16 dog team. She won't push her dogs hard, but will always finish competitively in the top 10. To make it to Nome with all your dogs is an immense accomplishment.
Lance had teams running non-stop on the Denali highway. His dogs are miled up. With all his health issues, regardless of final standings, he is one tough SOB. All will power. He can't handle cold due to damage from frost bite and circulation issues from being a cancer survivor. The fact thst he's in the top 10 is beyond words. His dogs recover faster than other dogs and in turn, motivates him. It comes from breeding a dog named Zoro. Zoro genes are in other kennels as well.
Holmes got a late start mileing up. Dogs not as miled up for as many months as other teams. Dogs may fade towards last third of the race.
If you're seeing 4-6 mph pace in front of pack (top 10), the trail is sht. It makes it easier for the back of the pack as trail gets more solid. This is a slow year, too much snow all over the state.
Mille porsild has a hodge-podge of dogs from at least 5 different kennels. Unrelated,it's a wonder she's doing so well with no fights. Truly remarkable. She, joar, chuck Schaefer from Ivik/kotz/willow and a couple others flew to Russia to race dogs. They cut up fremented walrus with axes, to boil down for dog food. She's done multi-thousand mile arctic expeditions with big freight huskies. Though a rookie, she's a very gifted dog driver.
Some of the race predictions here on this thread are amusing, and far fetched.
Which predictions are far fetched specifically?
