Iditarod

The trail on the Yukon River is reportedly hard and fast making for relatively easy running. But it makes plotting a surge up the standings tricky.

The 2021 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is going to look a lot different, one year into a global COVID-19 pandemic. (The Iditapod’s going to be pretty different this year, too, as we'll explain). The ceremonial start is canceled, so the race begins Sunday in Willow under strict COVID-19 protocols, with a shortened trail that doubles back on itself, a challenge to sled dog teams to cross the Alaska Range not once, but twice, plus coronavirus testing along the way and less access to indoor spaces at checkpoints... This Iditarod is certainly going to be unique.

Once JoAnna gets going, she doesn’t stop. 

Fourteen teams have made it in to Nome. The latest musher’s to cross the finish line include Deedee Jonrowe, Ken Anderson and Sonny Linder. They arrived more than half a day after 25-year-old Dallas Seavey became the youngest musher to win the Iditarod.

In Episode 10, we talk about: Mitch Seavey the first into Huslia, 24-hour rests and how mushers determine when to take them, and the Iditarod's educational aspects.

Iditarod race marshal Mark Nordman said the word for this year’s race may be “patience” as teams navigate deep snow along much of the trail.

Sherlock doesn’t live up to his name. “He would not be a very good detective," says Olson.

Dog teams moved swiftly down the Yukon River all Friday afternoon. Many came off an eight-hour rest, but some mushers chose to push their teams before taking the mandatory break on the river. KNOM’s Emily Schwing reports. Download Audio

Teams will now travel on a 860-mile loop that starts and ends in the Southcentral community of Willow, instead of heading to Nome.

The Iditarod Official Finisher's Club called for the immediate resignation of Iditarod Board President Andy Baker. The club's letter to the board said Baker has "jeopardized the integrity of our whole livelihood through his poor leadership." Listen now

First climate change and now financial worries are forcing some competitors to stay off the trail this year.

Yukon Quest champion Hugh Neff is the first musher into the Rohn checkpoint, arriving at 3:57 with all 16 dogs. As of 5:00 Monday afternoon,...

Sled dog racing is Alaska’s state sport and Gov. Sean Parnell has officially endorsed Alaska as a “right to mush” state. On Monday Parnell signed a resolution “recognizing, honoring, supporting, and encouraging support for dog mushing and dog mushers” in Alaska. Download Audio

Our Iditapod crew gets caught up - to get you caught up - as sled dog teams in the 2022 Iditarod race through the third full day of mushing the 1,000-mile trail. We'll hear about some of the most technically difficult sections and get an update on who is where... for now. We'll also hear from mushers Aaron Burmeister and Apayauq Reitan, among others, and we also have a bully of a Dog of the Day and a listener question about how to find the trail (because sometimes it's not so obvious).

After giving up the lead position Friday morning, Aliy Zirkle was back in the lead position in the Iditarod by early Friday afternoon. She recaptured her lead by giving her team a rest 30 miles south of Ruby. She reached the Ruby checkpoint after the morning leader, Mitch Seavey, but she spent only a few minutes there. She dropped one dog in Ruby and is now racing with 14 dogs westward along the Yukon River.